September 2002

The truth about fresh fruit as a filling...

Using fresh fruit as a filling is a great idea but do not use the fruit alone! You should always use a base with it to avoid problems with the juice from the fruit; otherwise, you will have a nice, soggy cake which will "run" the minute you attempt to cut it. A base can consist of anything from a custard, "heavy pudding", buttercream icing or even writing gel. Just simply combine your fresh fruit with your base, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before use in your cake. I also recommend only using 1/2 inch to 1 inch of filling to avoid overflowing your cake. Experiment with exotic fruits as well as the basics - from strawberries to mangos and kiwis to bananas, they all make great fillings!!