Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a thick cherry filling built from canned cherries and their own syrup, set with modified starch and sharpened with a little citric acid. It cooks to a glossy, spoonable compote that holds its shape once cold, with whole cherries suspended through it rather than sinking or bleeding.
Because it is thick rather than runny, it sits happily between sponge layers without soaking them or sliding out under the weight of the cake. Use it as a filling for layer cakes and tortes, as a topping for cheesecakes and cream desserts, or spooned into tart shells and choux buns.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 1905
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of thick cherry filling, about 1.9 kg
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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750 |
3.2 cups
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Canned Fruit Syrup
Canned fruit syrup is the sweet liquid that canned fruit is packed in. Drain it off tinned cherries or other tinned fruit and keep it; it carries both flavour and sugar, so it makes a better base for a compote than plain water.
drained from the canned cherries
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cold |
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B
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75 |
2.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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C
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75 |
2.6 ounces
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Modified Starch
Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
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D
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5 |
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Citric Acid
Citric acid is the natural acid found in lemons and other citrus fruit, sold as fine white crystals or powder. A small pinch sharpens the flavour of sugar syrups and helps stop them crystallising during storage.
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E
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1000 |
2.2 pounds
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Canned Cherries
Canned cherries are pitted cherries preserved in syrup or juice. They are already soft and ready to use, so they only need draining and a gentle fold through the hot thickened syrup at the end.
pitted
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drained |
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1905
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Drain E (canned cherries) well through a colander set over a bowl, keeping the syrup. Measure out A (canned fruit syrup) from the collected liquid, topping up with water if you are a little short. |
Cherries well drained so they do not thin the finished compote |
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2 |
Mix |
In a small bowl, whisk B and C (caster sugar and modified starch) together while dry. |
Evenly blended, so the starch will not lump |
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3 |
Whisk |
Pour the cold A (canned fruit syrup) into a saucepan and whisk in the sugar and starch mixture. |
Completely smooth, no dry specks or lumps |
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4 |
Cook |
Place the pan over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a whisk or spatula, scraping the base of the pan. |
Thick, glossy and translucent; it should coat the back of a spoon heavily |
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5 |
Add |
Stir in D (citric acid) and cook for a few seconds more. |
Fully dissolved; the mixture tastes bright rather than flat |
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6 |
Fold |
Take the pan off the heat and gently fold in the drained E (canned cherries). |
Cherries evenly coated and still whole, not crushed |
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7 |
Cool |
Spread the compote into a shallow tray or bowl, press a sheet of cling film onto the surface and cool. |
Set firm and spoonable once cold; no skin on top |
Important Notes
The half batch given here makes about 1.9 kg of thick compote, enough to fill and top two home-sized layer cakes. Cover and keep it refrigerated and use within about a week; stir it smooth before using. If the drained syrup does not reach the weight you need, make it up with water. The compote must be completely cold and set before it goes near sponge, or it will soak into the layers. Different modified starches behave differently: most need to be brought to the boil to thicken, but some cold-swelling types thicken without cooking, so check the packet. The costing sheet also lists red colouring with no quantity; add a drop or two only if you want a deeper red, and leave it out otherwise.
Tools & Arrangements
Colander and bowl, kitchen scales, medium heavy-based saucepan, whisk, heatproof spatula, shallow tray or bowl for cooling, cling film, airtight storage container
