This homemade Strawberry Filling is a sweet dessert condiment that you can use for anything from topping ice cream to filling cupcakes! Made with fresh or frozen strawberries and a pop of lemon juice, you’ll fall in love with this fruity filling.
Easy Homemade Strawberry Filling
The only thing better than a moist and fluffy cake is a moist and fluffy cake stuffed with strawberry filling! When spring rolls around, I make sure all my desserts have a fruity twist. This filling and/or topping is a great way to make that happen with any treat you’d like!
It’s so easy to make, and it really brings the best out of your strawberries. The sugar helps sweeten up the filling while the lemon juice adds some lovely tang. The result is an addicting fruit filling you’ll want to eat right out of the jar!
What You’ll Need
This recipe keeps it simple with just 5 ingredients involved.
- Strawberries: Pureed.
- Lemon Juice: keeps these berries nice and bright.
- Sugar: You’ll need 1/4 cup.
- Flour: Just a few tablespoons, sifted to thicken.
- Water: warm but not hot
How to Make Strawberry Filling
To make this filling, you just have to puree the strawberries and then let the ingredients simmer over the stove. Easy enough, right?
Puree Berries: Chop and puree the strawberries using an immersion blender or food processor.
Heat Puree: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the strawberry puree over medium-low heat until it’s lightly bubbling.
Add Lemon Juice & Sugar: Add the lemon juice and sugar, stirring to combine. Cook over medium-high heat and bring back to a boil.
Make Slurry: In a small dish, combine the flour and warm water and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Pour the slurry into the puree mixture and whisk to combine.
Lower Heat & Thicken: Reduce the heat and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. The bubbles will go from small and rapid to a thick and a slow boil. Stir occasionally until the strawberry puree is thickened.
Let Cool: Allow the puree to cool completely, refrigerating to help speed up the process.
Tips for Success
For more guidance on making the perfect strawberry cake filling, be sure to check out my tips below!
- Wash Berries: You always want to rinse off your berries before eating or working with them. This removes any pesticides that may be present. Before you puree your strawberries, be sure to rinse and dry them well.
- Adjust Consistency: Not everyone likes a super thick filling, and it’s totally fine if you fall under that umbrella. You can easily make this filling thinner by shortening the cook time. Shave off about 5 minutes and see how you like it!
- Make it Chunky: I don’t think anyone could complain about some juicy chunks of strawberry in a fruit filling like this. If you’d like a chunkier filling, simply leave about half of the berries roughly chopped instead of pureeing them all.
- Use Frozen Strawberries: If strawberries aren’t in season or you just don’t have any fresh ones on hand, go ahead and use frozen berries for this recipe. Just make sure to cook them down until they are soft first. Puree them if desired, then proceed with the recipe as usual!
Ways to Use this Recipe
Just like its savory counterparts, this sweet condiment can be used in tons of yummy ways! Here are some of my favorite treats to pair with strawberry filling:
- Cakes & Cupcakes: This Mascarpone cake and this decadent Chocolate Cake have layers of moist cake and strawberry filling. Alternatively, these filled Rosé Cupcakes are a cocktail in a cupcake!
- The perfect topping: This would be a great topping for a cheesecake or my vanilla bundt cake.
- Trifles & Ice Cream: Level up any dessert by adding this fruity filling on top! It goes perfectly with berry trifles, fruit parfaits or Strawberry Ice Cream.
How to Store Strawberry Filling
This strawberry filling stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week! I like to keep it stored in a mason jar, but any airtight container will do.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes! This filling is freezer friendly. First, let it cool completely in the fridge, then transfer it to the freezer. Just make sure it’s in a freezer-safe container. Frozen filling will stay good for 3 months! Thaw it out in the fridge before using.
PrintStrawberry Filling
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 3/4 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sweet homemade Strawberry Filling is a delicious dessert condiment that you can use for anything from topping ice cream to filling cupcakes! Made with fresh or frozen strawberries and a pop of lemon juice, you’ll fall in love with this fruity filling.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces (2 containers) strawberries, pureed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
- Chop and puree the strawberries using an immersion blender or food processor.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the strawberry puree until it’s lightly bubbling. Then, add the lemon juice and sugar, stirring to combine. Cook over medium-high heat and bring back to a boil.
- In a small dish, combine the flour and warm water and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Pour the slurry into the puree mixture and whisk to combine.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. The bubbles will go from small and rapid to a thick and a slow boil. Stir occasionally until the strawberry puree is thickened.
- Allow the puree to cool completely, refrigerating to help speed up the process.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoon
- Calories: 35
- Sugar: 6.8g
- Sodium: .7mg
- Fat: .2g
- Carbohydrates: 8.7g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: .4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Could you use cornstarch instead of flour?
Yep!
I tried to make the slurry 2x following the directions exactly. Both times the slurry ended up being a dough ball. I added 3 tablespoons of warm water to make it more of a slurry but really probably needed 3.5-4 tablespoons
This looks amazing. I am not a big fan of frosting in the middle of cakes or just frosting in general. I think this would be an excellent addition to a cake. Maybe mix it with whipping cream for a frosting replacement too. So many ways to use it! I think throwing in the extra into a drink too would be great