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This vanilla cake filling is the easiest and fastest cake filling you will ever make. It tastes like a cross between vanilla mousse cake filling and a cheesecake filling.
The creamy filling is very similar in flavor to the filling in the middle of Costo cakes.
You know that creamy vanilla mousse texture that everyone scoops out of the center of the cake before they even eat the cake? This is it.
Similar to Costco cake filling:
That Costco cake filling is addictive and everyone that has ever had a Costco cake wants to know how they make the filling.
This recipe is going to satisfy your cravings and you’re going to be amazed at how easy it is to make.
Not entirely from scratch:
I almost thought about apologizing for this recipe. This vanilla cake filling is so far from my typical style of cooking that I won’t be surprised if I get a few snarky emails about how far I have fallen from the ‘from-scratch’ bandwagon.
It has happened in the past when we have used store-bought cookies for things like this Mocha chocolate icebox cake and this Girl Scout Samoas Chocolate Lasagna.
Then there is this meatloaf recipe that calls for a package of onion soup mix. We get emails from readers that get pretty upset when we use pre-packaged store-bought ingredients in our recipes.
But I just can not apologize for this recipe. It tastes great and holds up very well on a long, hot summer day.
If you can’t stand the idea of using a package of instant pudding in your cake filling then we have plenty of cakes with creamy, dreamy, luscious, fillings that are made entirely from scratch.
This coconut cake roll has a creamy filling with coconut essence. Then there is this lemon meringue cake that is filled with luscious lemon curd. So good! Or this Chocolate Guinness cake that I filled and frosted with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting.
You won’t be disappointed with our from-scratch recipes but this recipe serves some useful purposes.
A great filling for cake carving:
It is great for layering in a cake that you plan to carve.
Normally if you are going to carve a cake, a thick, stiff buttercream is the best thing to put between the layers. But I like putting yummy, creamy, luscious fillings between my cake layers.
The problem with putting creamy fillings between the layers of a cake you plan to carve is that it creates ‘slippage’.
When you start carving a cake, the layers have a tendency to slide if the filling is smooth and creamy.
This filling will hold the layers together as you carve the cake (as long as you don’t slather it on super thick).
I recently made a Barbie Cake where the cake was the gown for a Barbie doll. There were 8 layers of cake filled with this vanilla cake filling.
The filling did not slip and slide when I used a serrated knife to shape the cake layers to form the gown.
This filling holds cake layers together very well, so carve away.
A great cake filling for hot weather.
This cake filling will hold up in long, hot, humid weather. That isn’t always a problem where I live in the Pacific Northwest. But we do have a few days of pretty intense heat in our summer months.
Nothing will destroy a cake more surreptitiously than a hot, humid day. One moment the cake looks perfect, then an hour later, you’re thinking “is that cake leaning?” And an hour after that, the cake is almost on the ground.
But not with this filling. This vanilla cake filling will keep your cake layers intact on those hot days.
And, if you are wondering.. does cream cheese frosting go with chocolate cake? Well, it does. It also goes with coconut cake, or whatever your heart desires.
Storing Cake Filling
You can make the filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
Just make sure you keep it in freezer proof containers if you plan to store it in the freezer.
Some Other Recipes You Will Love:
Try this all-butter yellow cake with this vanilla cake filling. It goes well with the chocolate frosting or with this fluffy vanilla buttercream.
Vanilla and chocolate go together perfectly. Fill this gluten-free chocolate cake with this vanilla mousse cake filling.
Squirt some vanilla cake filling into the center of red velvet cupcakes before you add the frosting. It will be a delightful surprise.
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Easy Vanilla Cake Filling
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 2½ cups heavy cream
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix, not prepared; use the dry powdered mix
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated then turn the speed up and beat until smooth.
- Slowly add 2 cups cream and whip on slow until it is well incorporated and smooth.
- Slowly pour in the powdered instant pudding mix. Increase the speed and whip for 2 to 3 minutes until it is thick. If the filling gets too thick, slowly beat in ¼ to ½ cup more cream until you get the consistency you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
Thanks Ronak
2 cups of heavy cream how much it will be in gram or ounce?
By weight, it will be 8.4 ounces or 238 grams
@Dahn Boquist, 238 grams for 1 cup of the heavy cream or 2 cups.?
Yes, 1 cup of heavy cream weighs about 238 grams or about 8.4 ounces. The volume is a standard U.S. measuring cup but the weight is 238 grams. The weight of an ingredient will always vary depending on what the ingredient is. Cream is fairly dense and heavy. 238 grams for 1 cup is correct
@Dahn Boquist, Thanks for the quick response.! Just tried making the filling and my oh my it is so yummy! Perfect balance of everything. Thanks for sharing..
I’m so glad you like it. Thanks for the comment
Hi, I was wondering can we use mascarpone cream cheese? And is it alright to crumb coat a cake with this filling and later coat the cake with buttercream for final finished look and decoration ?
Mascarpone cream will work as long as it isn’t too moist. Some brands are a little more ‘wet’.
You can crumb coat the cake with this but I don’t know how well buttercream will adhere to it. I haven’t tried it but I would be concerned that the buttercream could ‘slip’ off the cake after a while
I’m so excited to try this as is, but also wondering – if I wanted to make a lemon filling, would you suggest using lemon instant pudding or adding lemon extract/zest?
Either of those options would work fine. Adding a drop of lemon oil would also brighten the lemon flavor quite a bit. Lemon oil is much more potent than lemon extract though so you have to add it one small drop at a time.
Can I replace instant vanilla pudding with vanilla custard?
As long as it is an instant custard it should work. It won’t work it is the kind that you have to cook.
I love this filling but I always have to much left. Do you think I could freeze it?
Yes, it freezes very well! Leftovers are also great as a fruit dip 😉
Hi there! This looks delicious! I am planning to use this filling for my son’s birthday cake. How far in advance can I fill the cake? His party is on Saturday. Can I fill and crumb coat the cake on Thursday? Or would that be too early? Thank you!!
Thursday would work just fine. You can even decorate it that far in advance 😉
Hi Dahn! I have so enjoyed looking at all the gorgeous cakes you’ve made . Thank you for posting!
I am hoping to do a semi naked cake for a friend of mine and was wondering if I could use your Vanilla frosting using the instant podding mix to do the semi naked cover ? Would be grateful for any additional tips as well ! Thank you!
Thanks, Mariann. Yes, you can use this cake filling inside a naked cake just fine. It holds up very well. It will not spread the same way that traditional buttercream spreads though so if you want to give the outside of the naked cake an unfinished wisp of frosting then you won’t get that look with this filling. If you want to have a thin smear of frosting covering the naked cake then I would make a regular buttercream for that part of the decoration.
Hope that helps
This is a great filling! I made a turtle filling by changing to an instant cheesecake pudding, adding 5 tablespoons of good cocoa and then once I spread it On the layers I added toasted pecans on top of the filling and then homemade caramel. Amazing!!! Thank you for sharing. It is so versatile.
Oh wow, that sounds so good!! Thank YOU for sharing 😉
Any chance that this would work good with a marble cake? Also could I substitute 2% milk for the heavy cream? Or what else?
This will definitely work great with a marble cake. If you don’t have cream it CAN work with milk but it won’t be as thick. Use less milk and pour the milk in just a little at a time until you get the consistency you want