How to use frozen strawberry for cake filling?

Understand how to use frozen strawberry for cake filling is an alternative to always include the freshness of the fruit in your recipes and safely.

Strawberry is one of the most used fruits in cakes, but it is also one of the most sensitive, especially when used « In Natura ». That’s why it’s essential to follow the very practical steps I’ve put together to help you. Let’s check it out?

How to use frozen strawberry for cake filling?

It is a mistake to think that strawberries are only used for their flavor, because in fact, versatility is one of the great qualities. And the “freezing” factor is just the means of conservation, since unfrozen there are numerous applications.

This way, you can use the thawed strawberry in whole pieces in the filling, bringing more intense flavor to the fresh fruit. However, the consumption of this filling should be almost immediate, as it is highly perishable.

Don’t like putting the fruit without extra preparation? No problem, you can create irresistible syrups with strawberry.

For example you can make a syrup with condensed milk, where the reduction leaves small pieces of fruit. In addition, the filling can vary with milk, white chocolate, Belgian cream or perhaps a delicious semisweet chocolate.

Another preparation that, when done well, brings out sighs is strawberry jam. Here, innovate in flavor when making a red wine reduction, giving rise to an exquisite jelly, serving both for the filling and for the topping.

However, a fundamental step in being able to take advantage of the strawberry’s advantages is knowing exactly how to deal with the freezing of the fruit.

What are the precautions for freezing the strawberry?

Can you believe that I’ve seen some people arrive from the market, barely water a strawberry and take it to the freezer?

But in addition to being unhygienic and increasing the risk of consumption, it can harm the integrity of the fruit during defrosting. With that, pay close attention to the 2 freezing methods.

1. Traditional and direct method

Starting with the most practical method, wash the strawberries very well to eliminate residues and dirt.

If you prefer, you can use a solution of 1lt of water with 5ml or 1 level tablespoon of bleach for 10 minutes. This helps in sanitizing strawberries. Then follow the step by step:

1. Remove the crushed parts and the sepal (the green cabin).
2. Cut strawberries in half or into 4 parts.
3. Place the chopped fruit in a container suitable for freezing and leave for 2 hours.
4. Finally, transfer to a proper packaging (ziplocks) and leave for up to 6 months.

2. Have you thought about using sugar?

Many complain that the fruit loses a little sweetness, which is true. So, the idea here is to freeze the fruit with a small amount of sugar, because when the strawberry is defrosted, the sugar is pulled out and goes back to sweetening again.

The measure is ½ cup (tea) of sugar per 4 cups (tea) of fruit. The washing process is the same. The duration time is also about 6 months.

EXTRA TIP: boil a solution of water with sugar, where each ½ cup (tea) of syrup serves 2 cups (tea) of strawberry. Pre-freeze the syrup, add the amount of strawberry per container and freeze.

How to defrost strawberry for cake?

This step is even more important than freezing, because if done in any way, it can spoil the strawberry. First, never transfer frozen strawberries to thaw at room temperature.

That’s because it ends up speeding up the process too much and the formation of water makes the fruit tasteless and bland. Even if you have added sugar, it doesn’t look good and can ruin your recipe.

Therefore, the surest alternative is to be patient, that is, the night before, take the packages from the freezer to the refrigerator, where the defrosting is gradual and correctly preserves the beautiful strawberry characteristics.

6 strawberry filling ideas for cake

You followed the steps, froze right and now your strawberry is ready to be used, what to do? Is opting for the strawberry “mousse” ideal? Or maybe opt for the safest choice, which would be a creamy syrup?

Well, as I mentioned, it works in any way, even in its entirety, whether in the decoration or directly in the filling. And to validate my argument, I made a list with 6 stuffing options for a change:

1. Strawberry filling with whipped cream.
2. Strawberry with creamy condensed milk.
3. Creamy nest milk with chunky strawberry.
4. Strawberry meringue in syrups.
5. Chocolate filling with strawberry mousse.
6. Strawberry mousse with pineapple in syrup.

Remembering that in all the suggestions above it is possible to use the strawberry that went through freezing without problems!

Why do you need to be more careful when using fruit in fillings?

Fruits are excellent alternatives to bring more flavor and the feeling of eating a really fresh cake. However, the challenge also increases, especially if you have the idea of work with homemade cake, care must be greater.

And in order not to take any risks and thus cater for all tastes and preferences, I highly recommend that you check out the Professional Homemade Cakes Course.

Full of useful tips and valuable suggestions, it’s a full plate to make sure you don’t go wrong when working with fruits. Check it out later!

I really hope you enjoyed my tips, be sure to share and see you next time!