I'm looking to make a cake for my mom's birthday. I've never used filling, so I want some opinions on which is the best to use and how to make/do it. Thanks for any and all responses!

That's like asking me to choose a favorite child! lol

Here's one of my all-time faves, Pistachio cream that goes amazingly well with chocolate cake:

Itâs a little involved, and the main flavoring agent (pistachio paste) is somewhat of a specialty item not available at the grocery store (not that I have ever seen, anyway--you may be able to get it at a good cake supply house, or just google âpistachio pasteâ and youâll find a few places online). This recipe also calls for pastry cream powder, which is not widely available. You may substitute cornstarch for this, but the amount should be increased by 1/3, if you do.

Also, all of my recipes are metric, by weight, so I apologize if that screws things up for you lol. Good luck!

Crème aux Pistaches

100 grams whole milk
35 grams pistachio paste
60 grams granulated sugar
8 grams pastry cream powder
4 egg yolks
320 grams butter
200 grams egg whites (if using carton egg whites, make sure they are suitable for meringue)
200 grams granulated sugar

1. In a heavy saucepan combine milk, pistacho paste, and the 60 grams of sugar
2. Bring to a boil over high heat
3. Just before the mixture comes to a full boil, whisk the yolks and pastry cream powder together.
4. Temper the boiling milk mixture into the eggs by adding 1/3 into the egg mixture while whisking rapidly.
5. Add the tempered mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan, whisk thorough and return to the burner.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil whisking CONSTANTLY and boil for two minutes. (This will be the longest 2 minutes of your life, but you must whisk rapidly and constantly for the full two minutes to avoid lumps. If it gets lumpy, remove from heat, whisk thoroughly, and then returnâif you get lumps, do NOT panicâweâll fix it later lol).
7. Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl. Allow to cool with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to avoid forming a skin.
8. Once it had cooled to room temperature, refrigerate to chill throughly.
9. While cream is chilling, paddle butter in you mixer until light and fluffy.
10. Add the chilled pastry cream and paddle until fully incorporated (if you did get lumps during the cooking process, this is the time to turn up your mixer and beat the cream into submission to get the lumps out).
11. Make an Italian Meringue with the egg whites and 200 grams of sugar.
12. Fold the meringue into the pistachio/butter mixture
13. If desired, fold in chopped pistachios.

Now hereâs the good news, if youâre not up for it, I suspect (although being a pastry chef and die-hard scratch baker, I havenât tried it), if you canât get your hands on pistachio paste or you donât want to be bothered making the pistachio pastry cream, you can probably skip the first part by making very THICK pistachio pudding (like MAJORLY cutting back on the milk to give a very thick custard like consistency) then continue on to where you fold the pistachio pastry cream into the butter, and then the meringue. Again, I havenât tried this myself, but I imagine it would work and be a close second for the real thing if you either canât get the ingredients or want to save some step. This goes AWESOME with chocolate cake, and I think it would also make a fabulous pistachio cream pie filling! Good luck. PM me if you have problems or questions!

My absolute favorite, however not very interesting, is white cake with raspberry filling (recipe for rasp. filling from this site). Or choc. cake with whipped chocolate ganache. Both are super easy to do as well.

Oohh... I LOVE ganache! It is super easy to make and tastes divine! There are several good recipes here on CC... good luck!

I get lots of raves over my White Chocolate Cheesecake. You can make it with semisweet chocolate, too, for Chocolate Cheesecake and you can add fruit filling or flavored extracts to change it up.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
6 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
4 c whipped Frostin' Pride or Cool Whip
1 pkg cheesecake pudding

Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds and beat til smooth. Melt the chocolate in micro and cool slightly. Temper the chocolate by blending in a small amount of cream cheese before blending it all into the cream cheese.

Beat the pudding into the Frostin' Pride; add it to the cream cheese mixture. Add flavorings or fruit filling, if desired.

Yummy!! these sound sooo wonderful!!

I might be mistaken, but I believe the chocolate stabilizes the cream cheese. I wouldn't leave it out overnight, but it should be fine for a few hours. If you use Cool Whip it definitely has to be refrigerated.

Frostin' Pride (or Bettercreme) is stable on it's own for 5 days without refrigeration, so I use it all the time for filling recipes.

lemon curd, raspberry mousse or peanut butter cream cheese

OH! without a doubt, peanut butter mousse! It's insanely good!

Goodies N Cream, hands down.

Smushed up Heath bars and Butterfingers added to whipped cream. Very easy and everyone ALWAYS loves it. PM me if you'd like the exact measurements.

French Vanilla Cake with Nutella and chocolate pudding filling.

apple butter mixed with buttercream Yummy

Either Cookies and Cream, or alternating layers w/ raspberry preserves and chocolate mousse, with choc cake and BC icing.

"Frostin' Pride (or Bettercreme) is stable on it's own for 5 days without refrigeration, so I use it all the time for filling recipes. "

I have to ask....So even through frosting pride comes frozen, once you whip it you can use it as a stable filling unrefrigerated??

Here is the package info for Bettercreme which pretty much the same as Frostin Pride:
http://www.cakepros.com/recommended-handling-instructions.pdf

My mistake--OPENED and thawed, unwhipped, it lasts 7 days. Unopened and thawed it lasts 21 days in the firdge.

It says applied to product, refrigerated, it lasts 7 days. UNrefrigerated and <80 degrees, 5 days.

So I am secure in leaving a cake that will be eaten in a matter of hours.

Thank you!

WOW! You all gave me way to many choices! What's a girl to do? Thanks so much!

Do you think whipping cream could be used instead of the Bettercreme or Frostin' Pride?

Theresa

Refrigerating a cake is not an issue for me. I use SMBC, which needs to be in the fridge for a long haul, anyway.

Thanks!

Theresa