This raspberry compote cake and cupcake filling is so fresh-tasting and super easy to make! All you need are four ingredients, and it uses frozen raspberries, so you can make it any time of the year!
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🍰 What makes this the best raspberry compote?
This raspberry cake and cupcake filling is tart, full of fresh raspberry flavor, and super easy to make. Try it with my Vanilla Almond Cake or Moist Chocolate Cake. Once you realize how easy fruit compote is, you'll want to try all of my fruit fillings, including strawberry compote and mixed berry compote. Here are some other reasons you should try it:
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- It freezes well--freeze it inside your finished cake or freeze and and thaw the raspberry compote before using it (freeze for up to two months).
- You can refrigerate it up to two weeks.
- It balances the sweetness of your cake and frostings and goes with many flavors.
- It's a forgiving recipe--adjust the sugar and cornstarch if you'd like it to be less or more sweet or thick.
- This was the raspberry cake filling recipe that we used at Amycakes Bakery, and customers loved it! When we paired it with our vanilla almond cake we called it the "Raspberries 'n' Cream"
🥣 Ingredients (and substitutions)
- Frozen Rasbperries--I prefer using frozen fruit in my compotes because I always have them stored in my freezer and they are fresh tasting any time of the year! In fact, since frozen fruit is packaged at its peak ripeness, it has a better flavor than unripe fresh fruit. If you have fresh raspberries on hand, feel free to substitute, but I would recommend decreasing the amount of cornstarch (as the fresh raspberries will not have as much juice as they cook).
- Lemon Juice--I used bottled. This provides the acidity we need to balacne the sugar in the compote
- Sugar
- Cornstarch or Instant Clearjel--both of these work great, and I describe the different methods on how to use each one within the recipe. Cornstarch requires heat to thicken, which is why we cook all the ingredients together until it is thick. Instant Clearjel is a "modified cornstarch" that thickens without heat--it will make a glossier compote that is slightly thicker, and you do not have to cook it as long.
👩🏻🍳 Tools and equipment
A Nonstick Pan works best for compotes and cake fillings
I hope you enjoy this raspberry compote recipe! Pin it for later through the image above, or tag me on social media @amycakesbakes! 🙂 I'd love to hear what you think in a comment below.
Thanks for Reading. ❤️
📖 Recipe
Simple Raspberry Compote Filling
This raspberry compote cake and cupcake filling is so fresh-tasting and super easy to make! All you need are four ingredients, and it uses frozen raspberries, so you can make it any time of the year! A 1x batch will fill one 6" three-layer cake or about 14 cupcakes and a 2x batch will fill one 8" three-layer cake or about 28 cupcakes.
👩🍳 For the most accurate baking results, use the grams measurements with a kitchen scale.
Ingredients
Thickener Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Instant Clearjel or 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Cornstarch (See Note # 1 for the differences)
- 133 grams (⅔ cup) Sugar
Remaining Raspberry Compote Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227 grams, around 2 cups) Frozen Raspberries (unsweetened)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice (I use bottled)
Instructions
- Whisk the sugar and your choice of 3 Tablespoons Instant Clearjel or 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Cornstarch together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the frozen raspberries and lemon juice in a nonstick skillet or saucepan.
When using Instant Clearjel
- If you're using Instant Clearjel, cook the frozen raspberries and lemon juice on medium heat until the berries are fully thawed and the liquid begins to simmer. Using a sturdy spatula, cut any large berries into very small pieces (around ¼ inch pieces) as they simmer. The berries should be soft enough that they are easy to cut with the spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the berries are softened and you are happy with their size.
- Remove from heat and immediately add the Instant Clearjel/Sugar mixture and stir in quickly until it dissolves. The compote will thicken immediately, and continue to thicken as it cools. *Reminder--make sure you are using INSTANT clearjel. Cooktype and original clearjel do not work the same as Instant and require heat to thicken like the cornstarch method*
When Using Cornstarch
- If you're using Cornstarch, add the cornstarch/sugar mixture to the pan of frozen raspberries and lemon juice and stir. Cook on medium heat until the berries are fully thawed and the liquid begins to simmer. Using a sturdy spatula, cut any large berries into very small pieces (around ¼ inch pieces) as they simmer. The berries should be soft enough that they are easy to cut with the spatula. Cook for about 10-15 minutes as the mixture boils, scraping the pan frequently with a sturdy spatula. The compote is finished when it is thick and coats your spatula and the berries are soft.
How to Store it
- Chill the raspberry compote in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. It may be used from cold as a cake or cupcake filling (See Note #2). Enjoy!
Notes
* ½ Tablespoon= 1 ½ teaspoons (in case you don't own a measuring spoon set with a ½ Tablespoon)
- Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before being added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. Cornstarch works great as well--the difference is that the Instant Clearjel option will be slightly thicker and glossier, and unused compote made with cornstarch can separate slightly the longer it sits in the fridge--simply stir before using.
- When using raspberry compote as a cake filling, pipe a 1-2" tall ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake, then spoon the compote in the middle of the buttercream ring (as shown in my Vanilla Bean cake with Raspberry Filling). This will prevent the compote from spilling out of the cake. You can also spread a thin layer of buttercream before adding the ring of buttercream and compote to lessen the compote discoloring the cake.
Sam says
Can you use fresh raspberry and how much to frozen
Amy says
Hi Sam, yes you can use fresh raspberries in equal parts--I'd recommend using the grams measurements. However, fresh fruit can make a thicker compote (as frozen fruit tends to have more juice as it thaws). You may want to decrease your thickener (cornstarch or instant clearjel) slightly to accommodate for that.