For years, readers have asked if I have a raspberry cake filling recipe. The answer has always been no, because I’ve never really made a successful batch that tastes great AND holds up between cake layers. But that changed the other week as I reduced down endless packages of frozen raspberries over the stove. (And enjoyed plenty of the leftovers stirred into oatmeal.) And so, by popular demand… When developing this recipe, I started with my recipe for raspberry sauce. I knew I wanted to make it thicker, without straining the seeds, and that it needed to set up nicely so that it wouldn’t ooze out of a cake. It also needed to be a little sticky, so it wouldn’t cause the cake layers to slide around. Oozing, slippery cakes are NOT on the menu today. The recipes are pretty similar, but this one thickens up into a jam-like consistency thanks to a little more cornstarch and longer cooking time. I first tested it with this epic chocolate raspberry cake!
Key Ingredients You Need for Raspberry Cake Filling & Why:
Just a Few Minutes on the Stove
Let it cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes and then transfer to a heatproof bowl and refrigerate. It will continue to thicken and set up as it chills. Allow it to boil, still on medium heat, for 5 full minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Take a big whiff—it smells amazing!
How to Assemble a Cake With Raspberry Filling
Choose a sturdy frosting, like a vanilla buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream (more suggestions below). Spread a thin layer on your cake layers, to work as the base for your raspberry filling to cling to. You’ll have the most success with this raspberry filling in your cake if you partner it with some frosting. My team and I tested a cake with just the raspberry filling in between the cake layers—frosting only on the outside of the cake—and determined it really needs a buttercream base layer to keep the cake stable.
You Also Need a Buttercream “Dam”
After you add the dam, spread the raspberry cake filling in the center: Why am I doing this? The buttercream dam keeps the jammy filling in place, so it doesn’t seep out the sides of your cake. You’ll have an oozy mess otherwise.
Best Frostings to Pair With Raspberry Filling
Uses for Raspberry Cake Filling (Even Beyond Cake!)
This recipe makes a little more than 1 cup of raspberry filling (about 340g). I find it to be just the right amount for a 3-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake (with 2 layers of raspberry filling). Use a heaping 1/2 cup between each layer. Or you can use it on a 2-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake or a 3-layer 6-inch cake, pictured in this post, and have a little left over to serve alongside the cake slices (or stir into yogurt, oatmeal, etc.). Try it in one of these recipes:
Chocolate Buttercream Vanilla Buttercream White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Lemon Buttercream Nutella Frosting Swiss Meringue Buttercream Champagne Frosting Cream Cheese Frosting (chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before assembling your cake so it is extra sturdy) Peanut Butter Frosting (for a delicious PB&J cake flavor pairing!)
Chocolate Raspberry Cake Vanilla Cake & Chocolate Cake Lemon Cake Pistachio Cake Zebra Cake Coconut Cake Banana Layer Cake Raspberry Chocolate Chip Layer Cake Replace the raspberry preserves in these Raspberry Streusel Bars Swap out the butter and cinnamon-sugar filling in Cinnamon Rolls to make cream cheese frosting-topped raspberry rolls Replace the jam in this Raspberry Twist Bread French Macarons filling Replace the raspberry jam in these Raspberry Pistachio Linzer Cookies Filling for Breakfast Danish Pastries & Homemade Berry Turnovers Replace the raspberry preserves in these Lemon Raspberry Jam Cupcakes Serve alongside Scones Piped between rows of pastry cream in Mille-Feuille Filling for Homemade Eclairs
Absolutely, and I hope you try it! Have you ever made my cream-filled chocolate cupcakes before? You’ll fill your cupcakes the exact same way with this raspberry cake filling, and I include those instructions in the filling recipe below and in my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial. You can use any flavor cupcake, so browse my cupcake recipes to find some inspiration. Pictured here are my vanilla cupcakes.
