A couple weeks ago I made a salted caramel apple cake, and the real star of the show was its apple cake filling!

It’s perfectly sweet, full of warm spices, and the perfect consistency to fill a cake.

The cake recipe was pretty detailed, so I wanted to make a post sharing just the apple filling. I also hope this will encourage people to get creative and use this filling with their favorite cake and cupcake recipes.

This filling would be incredible with my vanilla cake recipe or even my cinnamon cupcake recipe. The sky’s the limit!!

What Type of Apples Should I Use in this Recipe?

There isn’t really a single right answer to this question! I personally love using Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples in this apple cake filling recipe, but that’s mostly because they’re my favorite apples to eat.

In general, as long as it’s a firmer apple variety (like Red Delicious, Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious) it should work great!

You can even mix and match the apples you use in this recipe! The most important thing is that you use 4 large, firm apples that weigh about 800 grams or about 1.75 lbs.

Getting the Consistency Just Right For a Cake

While cooking down the apples does thicken the mixture, it doesn’t make it quite thick enough to add to cake.

If you’ve ever tried to add a bunch of jam between the layers of a tall cake, you know that you need a thick filling or else your cake layers slide all over the place!

I like to call it the slip and slide, and it makes cake decorating a nightmare.

You also need a cake filling to be thick to ensure it won’t ooze out the sides of your cake once it’s stacked and frosted.

Even with the help of a piped ring of frosting (i.e. a frosting dam), the filling can still ooze out as the cake settles.

Trust me, I’ve had my share of oozing fruit-filled cakes, and nothing is worse!!

Thickening this Apple Cake Filling with Cornstarch

This recipe is designed to make a really thick filling once it’s fully cooked and has cooled.

It ends up being just about as thick as jelly. The secret to making this apple cake filling so thick is cornstarch!

This recipe adds a cornstarch slurry (a mixture of cornstarch and water) to the partially cooked down apple mixture.

Using a slurry rather than adding cornstarch directly into the filling makes it so much easier to incorporate the cornstarch into the filling.

My Secret Ingredient – Fresh Lemon Juice

Whenever I make fruit filling, I love to incorporate a bit of fresh lemon juice. I think it really enhances the flavor of the apples, and adds a bright pop of flavor.

Just be sure you a fresh lemon! Pre-squeezed lemon juice doesn’t have the same impact.

The lemon really just acts an accent, and isn’t a dominant flavor in the filling.

Tips for Making the Best Apple Cake Filling:

• Dice your apples into 1 cm, uniformly-sized pieces. It makes them easier to cook down.
• Don’t over-cook your apples! You want them to be soft, but not falling apart. If they get too soft the mixture will start to resemble apple sauce and that is not what we’re after with this recipe.
• Make the apple cake filling at least a day in advance to allow it to properly thicken and develop its flavor.
• Be sure to use fresh lemon juice to enhance the flavor of the apples.
• Save leftover filling to fill cupcakes, add to thumbprint cookies, or even to top ice cream!

Making This Cake Filling in Advance and Storage Tips:

• This apple cake filling can be made up to a week in advance if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• I don’t recommend freezing this filling, it gives it a strange texture.
• Give the filling a stir with a rubber spatula before adding it to your cake to make it easier to spread.

Let Me Know What You Think

If you try this apple cake filling recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating below, and a comment to let me know your thoughts 🙂