One of the best things about fresh cherries is that you can eat them as is and make so much more with them. For example, you can make a cherry compote. You can also make cherry crumble, cherry pie, and cherry jam. Speaking of which, have you tried my cherry jam yet? There is a reason why it’s among my most popular recipes on this blog. You will love it.
Why make this filling?
A fruit-filling recipe is so versatile. Of course, it is delicious on its own, but there is so much more you can do with fruit fillings apart from using them as a filling for cakes, pies, tarts, pastries, desserts, cheesecakes, pastry, etc. (More on that below)- try it over pancakes, waffles, French toasts. Whether it’s a pie filling or a homemade cake filling from scratch, fresh cherry fillings are a lot different when you prepare them at home as compared to buying a ready-made filling in a can. It is not loaded with starch, and it’s also not loaded with sugar. Rather, it’s packed with fruity goodness. So even if your kids eat a few extra spoons, you won’t complain. It does not need much! Just a few ingredients—like five simple ingredients, including the cherries and water. The only difficult part of this cherry-filling recipe is pitting the cherries. So, I use a simple cherry pit like this one. And yet, I must admit, I am quite fascinated with this tool on the market that looks so much more efficient.
Ingredients and substitutes
Fresh cherries—I’m using fresh cherries here, but I have also used frozen cherries. You need to remove the pit from each cherry with a chopstick or a cherry pitter. You can use sweet or sour cherries and adjust the sweetness accordingly. Frozen cherries—You can also make a cherry pie filling from frozen cherries. If you do use frozen cherries, make sure to check if they are sweetened or unsweetened. Since some frozen brands have sugar added as a preservative, you can still use them; just reduce the sugar in the recipe. Cornstarch is by far the most commonly used ingredient. If, for some reason, you cannot use cornstarch, try arrowroot powder or potato starch. I have used both on two different occasions, and there is not much difference. Sugar—I prefer to use fine-grain sugar for this so I can get a nice, thick syrup consistency. Lemon juice – Helps cut the sweetness and also brings out the flavor. Flavoring – Almonds and cherries are always a great combination, so you can add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to the sweet cherries mixture. Or you can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Homemade cherry pie filling
Wash and pit the cherries. Place them in a large bowl to contain any juices. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water. Cook on low to medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Use a vegetable masher to mash some of the fruit.Pro tip – Mashing will add a nice thicker consistency to the topping, but make sure to leave some cherries whole. Combine the remaining water with cornstarch and add it to the saucepan. Continue to cook on low heat until the mixture boils and becomes thick and glossy. When thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, it’s ready.Pro tip – Cornstarch can settle to the bottom of the water. So, you must stir it just before adding it to the saucepan.
Remove and pour into a mason jar. Let cool completely, or use as directed in your recipe.Pro tip – The filling will thicken as it cools, so keep that in mind when you take it off the heat.
Tips for Success
You can use fresh or frozen fruits. Make sure to check if the fruits are sweetened and adjust sweetness accordingly. Also, if the fruits are frozen,, you may need a little less water. You can omit the additional water and add only sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Once the sugar dissolves, adjust water if necessary. Use fine-grain white sugar, which dissolves easily and does not affect the color of the filling. For example, brown sugar can give the filling a very dull red color. Overcooking the fruit filling causes the cornstarch to become lumpy. If that happens, just add a little water and cook to the right consistency. This filling will stay in the fridge for a week but can be frozen in the fridge for up to 3 months. This batch would be enough cake filling for 2 x 8-inch cake layers, a tart filling for one 9-inch tart and dessert servings with a 9-inch cheesecake. You can use this same recipe to make any other fruit filling, such as blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, mango, or raspberry.
How to use fruit filling?
Cake filling – Have you ever tried a simple vanilla cake with cherry filling? Or perhaps a chocolate cake with cherry filling? Make sure you use a buttercream dam on the edges of your cake layers since this is a soft filling. Watch my cake decorating tutorials on how to fill and frost cakes. Cherry topping for cake – You don’t always need to use it between layers as a filling. When I make a dessert cake, I love to show off the filling because it is such a gorgeous color. See my moist Chocolate Cherry Cake. Cherry Pie – Spread the cooled cherry filling in between double pie crusts and bake until golden brown for the best cherry pie ever. Or, make small hand pies with the same dough and filling. Cherry Tart – Top a prebaked shortcrust pastry with vanilla pastry cream and cherry filling. Then, top with whipped cream swirls and fresh cherries with stems for a very impressive cherry tart. Dessert accompaniment – Also, a fruit filling can take any dessert to the next level. For example, serve it with a pound cake. Also, try it with your favorite Cheesecake!! You can top the cheesecake with blueberry filling and chill it as we did in our mini blueberry cheesecakes or serve it on the side as I did with my baked blueberry cheesecake. Pastry – Bake it in puff pastry or danish pastry dough over pastry cream or cream cheese filling to make cherry turnovers similar to this strawberry braided pastry blackberry braided pastry, or danish pastry rolls. And my kids’ favorite is over pancakes and waffles. Try a homemade no-churn cherry Ice Cream topped with more filling. Try my pink cherry cupcakes with cherry filling and whipped cream buttercream – another great recipe that uses this filling.
More cherry recipes
Cherry jam without pectin Pistachio cherry bundt cake Cherry Pie bars Fresh cherry cupcakes or Chocolate cherry cupcakes Classic cherry cheesecake or Chocolate cherry cheesecake Cherry Eggnog Cherry Champagne Cocktail Best Cherry Pie Recipe See all cherry recipes
Frequently asked questions
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