Cherry Confit Cake Filling

Cherry confit is a vivid, jelly-like cake filling made from berry purée, sugar, starch and gelatin. It holds its shape beautifully, never leaks in the slice, and takes about 20 minutes of work plus freezing time. I make this confit for layer cakes and pastries all the time - quick and very impressive in desserts!

Cherry Confit Cake Filling

A firm, jelly-like cake filling of cherry purée, sugar, cornstarch and gelatin. Holds its shape and never leaks in the slice.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Freezing 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 450 g confit

Course: Jelly desserts

Cuisine: Home cooking

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 300 g cherry purée from fresh or thawed pitted cherries
• 100 g sugar
• 12 g starch cornstarch preferred
• 15 g leaf gelatin
• 100 ml water cold, for the gelatin

Method

 

1. First, soak the leaf gelatin in cold water - you can break the sheets into pieces.
2. Add the sugar and starch to the thawed cherries.
   
3. Blitz with an immersion blender into a smooth purée.
   
4. Pour the purée into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat, squeeze out the gelatin and stir it into the hot berry mixture.
   
5. Blend the confit thoroughly once more until completely smooth.
6. Pour the confit into molds - I use a plate lined with cling film. Cool, then transfer to the freezer. Once fully frozen, the confit is ready to go into your cake.
   

Notes

Freeze the confit in a mold slightly smaller than your cake layers. Assemble with the disc still frozen - it will thaw inside the cake.

What confit is and why cakes need it

Confit is a French term: a berry or fruit purée cooked down with sugar to a firm, jelly-like consistency. In cake terms it's a stable fruit layer that adds bright flavor and a neat, even stripe in the slice. Freeze the confit in a ring or dish slightly smaller than your cake layers - during assembly it will tuck neatly into the frosting layer.

Tips and substitutions

• Starch: cornstarch works best - it gives a delicate texture without any rubberiness.
• Gelatin: I use leaf gelatin. Powdered gelatin works in the same amount - bloom it in cold water and stir it into the hot purée the same way.
• Cherries: fresh (pitted) or frozen both work - I used thawed frozen cherries.
• Mold: line a plate or cake ring with cling film - the frozen confit will pop right out.
• Assemble the cake with the confit still frozen - the solid disc is easy to handle and thaws inside the cake.

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