Strawberry Cake Filling

5 from 2 votes

This easy strawberry cake filling is a thick and delicious a strawberry filling, perfect for filling cakes, cupcakes, and macarons!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Chill2

Total Time2 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 77kcal

Whisk together water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan until it is fully mixed and there are no lumps.
Add in remaining ingredients.
Cook over medium to medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Let boil for 30-60 seconds (no more than a minute). Do not over boil or the cornstarch can lose its thickening ability. It should turn from an opaque milky pink color to deeper red and more transparent.
Once it turns red, immediately turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. It should be thick enough to thickly coat a spatula and not drip off. It will thicken more as it cools.
Remove from heat and let cool completely before using in your favorite dessert.

The sweetness of strawberries can vary, so be sure to check the filling while it cooks to see if it is your desired sweetness and/or needs more sugar.
If using frozen strawberries, you can let them come to room temperature and slice before boiling. Or, use them whole and break them up with a fork or potato masher once they’ve softened from simmering.
If you want large chunks of strawberries in the filling, leave the strawberries whole or only cut in half. They will break down a lot while cooking and cooling.
For a smooth filling, use an immersion blender once it has finished cooking, but is still warm.
Do not over-boil the mixture or it can lose its ability to thicken.
The filling will become much thicker as it cools, and will get very thick and sturdy if it is refrigerated.
Makes about a cup and a half to 2 cups of filling and can easily be halved or doubled as needed.