I am making a chocolate cake for a bridal shower as a gift. The bride (my friend) said she wants a filling, but not lemon or choc. mousse. I have only done buttercream as a filling, but thought I might give something else a shot. I have seen the HUGE list on here for the "gourmet cakes". But, what is a good all-around filling for chocolate cake that most will like. Thinking maybe something with strawberries or raspberries as not sure if she likes mint or coffee (some of my favorites).

I like to vary it when I'm taking it to family functions, but usually it's one of the following.

Bavarian Creme (seems to be the favorite)
Cherry
Raspberry
Strawberry

For me it begins and ends with peanut butter!!

Cookies and cream! Crush up oreos and mix them with your buttercream. I love it!

My favorite filling for chocolate cake is a peanut butter buttercream (sometimes with roughly chopped Reeses peanut butter cups folded in)

I use my usual buttercream recipe changing the usual shortening/butter mix to 1/3 cup hi-ratio shortening, 1/3 cup butter and 2/3 cup creamy PB (not natural style)

Mocha, Peppermint, Raspberry, or Peanut Butter...all super YUM

chocolate gnache plain or flavored with some sort of liquor

I like Bavarian Cream & Raspberry, but my favorite (as well as my customers) is Peanut Butter:
Cream 1/2 cup each softened butter & creamy peanut butter, then add 1 cup powdered sugar & 1/4 tsp vanilla. Super yum!

just love,love ganaches with liquor. If you decide on anything peanut butter, better chsck for allergys..

No doubt...hands down...my favorites would have to be cookies and cream, peanut butter or caramel. Or to really kick it up a notch...caramel with pecans chopped up...make sure no nut allergies though or let everyone know it contains nuts.

Have recently tried Nutella as a filling in choc cake. Oh oh oh! Sooooooo delicious! And it seemed to make the cake taste moister. I love that or jaffa (orange flavour) or strawberry flavour.

I tried Ferrero Rochere filling but found I hated the slightly crunchy texture it gave - felt wrong in cake.

I agree with raspberry or peanut butter...both get rave reviews. But a warning about peanut butter: don't use "natural" or non-hydrogenated peanut butter. If unrefrigerated, the oil separates and creates a mess!

A favorite here is whipping cream/ instant pudding mixture. Cookies and cream mixture being the one thats most requested by my grandkids and my DHs workmates.
1 pint whipping cream, 1 regular size cookies & cream instant pudding. Put in bowl, whisk until thick, fill cake. Its very good..
You can't leave the cake at room temp too long of course.

When using Nutella as a filling do you just use it straight from the jar? Do you add anything to it? It seems ratehr stiff - do you nuke it so that it spreads easier or do you whip it or something. I have two jars of it and I want to try it.

Thanks

Yes! Please share a good nutella recipe )

Banana
PB
Chocolate mousse
Mint

...in that order

I've done bittersweet ganache with raspberry moistening syrup, white chocolate buttercream , sliced strawberries, a chocolate sugar cookie and a a little frosting, chocolate meringue disk with buttercream, chocolate French silk, strawberry mousse, vanilla custard, white chocolate IMBC with toffee bits. I think a peppermint mousse would be tasty too but haven't tried that yet. If you go stand in the candy aisle and look at all the flavors they're filling chocolate bars with you will some more ideas.

Fabray13, any chance you have or are willing to share the sylvia winestocks chocolate mousse recipe? I have been searching for a really good choc. mousse filling. Thanks

How long do you make the cake in advance for the oreo filling? Will the cookie get soggy? I always wonder how do they keep the crunch.

thanks for all the responses! They all sound yummy! I think I would really like the peanut butter or mint as they are some of my favorites but leaning towards the raspberry as pink is a color in the wedding and I think they would work well in the white cake too. But the cookies and cream sounds yummy too. Am going to make that for my kids.
Christy

agree w/ PP's......whipped ganache........every time it gets an "OMG this is incredible"

Thanks Avalyn. I'll try that. I'm really hungry right now

Nutella sounds fabulous. I think all my favorites are already listed but I will just reiterate.

Peanut Butter! Yum!
Coffee, Mint, cookies and cream, strawberries.

Pretty much anything that you would dip in chocolate or find in a chocolate bar sounds good to me.

I do LOVE the idea of PB and crunched up Reeces... this will have to be made and soon! Yum!

I just used it straight out of the jar and spread a thick layer. I live in Brisbane, Australia which means we have a warm climate so my Nutella is usually at a spreadable consistency when at room temperature. I have heard of other people making a Nutella buttercream but I'm not sure how they do it. I'd probably experiment by just adding nutella to the finished buttercream (and not adding the vanilla extract).

hazelnut buttercream and chocolate ganache is what I am doing for my daughter's graduation cake

Pear mousse and After Eight ganche - yuuuuuuummmy