25 Irresistible Cupcake Fillings That Will Instantly Upgrade Your Desserts
Icing is fine, but filling is better. If you want to know what to put inside those little treats, you’ve come to the right place for cupcake-filling ideas.
In short, if you want to make your cakes and cupcakes more fun and flavorful, these filling ideas are just what you need. Let’s find some sweet inspiration.
Easy Pudding Cake Filling
This rich and stable vanilla pudding is perfect for filling cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, donuts, and more. This quick method allows you to create a Bavarian cream-style filling in no time!
Rhubarb Curd
If you love lemon curd, you must try this rhubarb curd immediately! It’s simple to make, incredibly delicious, and super refreshing!
Buttercream Icing
This simple buttercream icing recipe is a timeless confectionery treat. Whip up this sweet, fluffy frosting to enhance your cakes and cupcakes.
Brown Butter Buttercream
Brown Butter Buttercream adds a delicious twist to the classic recipe with the rich flavor of browned butter. This takes your buttercream to a whole new level!
Easy Cheesecake Mousse
This indulgent yet easy cheesecake mousse is incredibly versatile. Use it as a filling for trifles, cupcakes, or a graham cracker pie crust topped with luscious whipped cream. It also makes a fantastic cake frosting, and you can even enjoy it on its own, just like a bowl of pudding. It’s especially perfect for layered and tiered cakes. Yum!
Fresh Lemon Mousse
This simple recipe creates a fluffy lemon mousse without gelatin or raw eggs. It’s creamy, tangy, and refreshing!
Chocolate Ganache
Ganache is a smooth blend of chopped chocolate and heavy cream, often used in French baking. It’s perfect for making chocolates, glazing cakes, creating truffles, or as a filling for pastries and many other delicious treats.
Instant Pot Dulce de Leche
Ever wanted a thick, creamy caramel for dipping apple slices that isn’t packed with strange ingredients? Or maybe you’ve been eager to make a caramel cheesecake or alfajores (caramel-filled shortbread cookies) for the holidays? Now you can with this super easy Instant Pot Dulce de Leche recipe.
Pastry Cream
With its warm vanilla flavor, this silky smooth, rich, and utterly delicious pastry cream is a custard-based treat that’s easy to make at home. It’s perfect for filling pastries, cakes, and more.
Raspberry Filling for Baked Treats
What I love about this recipe is how simple and quick it is. It usually only takes a few minutes to prepare, yet it greatly impacts our desserts.
Peanut Butter Frosting
This peanut butter frosting adds a delicious nutty flavor, holds its shape, pipes beautifully, and forms a perfect crust.
Coffee Mousse
With only four simple ingredients, this easy Coffee Mousse recipe is a dream for coffee lovers. It’s a quick way to create a delicious, fluffy dessert. Ready in just 10 minutes, it’s perfect for special occasions or as a delicious end to a dinner party.
Pumpkin Mousse
This delicious and light dessert pairs wonderfully with ginger cookies. It’s also a great filling for a no-bake pie with a graham cracker or crushed gingersnap crust. For a festive touch, try using it as a filling for Pumpkin Parfaits, layering it with crushed gingersnaps and whipped cream.
Lime Curd
Smooth and tangy, this easy lime curd is the perfect citrusy addition to your cakes, scones, tarts, and pastries.
Blackberry Curd
With the perfect balance of tart and sweet, this luscious blackberry curd is a perfect way to enjoy in-season blackberries.
Nutella Buttercream
This Nutella buttercream is incredibly smooth and light, featuring a lovely chocolate hazelnut flavor.
Coffee Buttercream
Coffee lovers will be captivated by this delicious Coffee Buttercream recipe! This buttercream perfectly complements many desserts with its smooth, creamy texture and robust coffee flavor. From cupcakes to layered cakes, it will impress your taste buds and guests!
Homemade Caramel Filling for Cupcakes and Cakes
This is undoubtedly the best homemade caramel filling for cupcakes, cakes, tartlets, brownies, pies, or other desserts. It’s sticky, buttery, and silky without turning hard, with a perfect sweetness balance thanks to the sugar’s added glucose syrup. Did you know you can make caramel in 5 minutes using only 4 simple ingredients? It’s super easy and quick, even for beginners!
Earl Grey Whipped Cream
Earl Grey Whipped Cream is an easy, three-ingredient, tea-infused whipped cream recipe that adds a delicate Earl Grey flavor to desserts and beverages.
German Buttercream
This easy German Buttercream recipe (Crème Mousseline) is absolutely divine and my favorite buttercream frosting. It starts with a simple pastry cream base enriched with butter, setting it apart from traditional, sugar-heavy buttercreams. Use Crème Mousseline on various desserts, from layer cakes and cupcakes to French macarons.
Marshmallow Fluff
Marshmallow fluff is a sweet, lush treat that’s also light on the tongue. Use it to top your favorite dessert or fill a freshly baked cupcake.
Strawberry Curd
This simple recipe shows that fresh strawberries and a few ingredients can create a delicious spread. You’ll love the flavor of this easy, homemade strawberry curd.
Old-fashioned Boiled Coconut Pecan Icing
Red velvet cake is often paired with cream cheese frosting these days, but it can’t compare to the traditional coconut pecan filling. My family’s Southern cake filling adds a fantastic, flavor-packed twist to this classic dessert, whether in cake or cupcake form!
Mascarpone Cream
Creamy mascarpone cream is the most delicious and luxurious filling for cakes, desserts, or as a spread on any sweet treat. This Mascarpone Frosting is made with heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla or almond extract.
Italian Pistachio Cream
Italian Pistachio Cream, or Crema al Pistacchio, is a thick and delicious spread made with pistachios and white chocolate. This versatile spread is perfect for topping cakes or fruit and takes less than 10 minutes to make!
I hope these cupcake-filling ideas have sparked your creativity and inspired you to try something new in the kitchen. From rich and decadent to light and fruity, there’s a filling here for every taste and occasion. Remember, the best part of baking is experimenting and making these recipes your own. So mix and match, and have fun creating delicious surprises for your cupcakes. Happy baking!
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.