Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Strawberry buttercream frosting is an American-style buttercream flavored and colored with ground freeze-dried strawberries instead of fresh fruit. One batch takes 15 minutes and uses 1 cup of butter, 3 to 3½ cups of powdered sugar and ½ cup of freeze-dried strawberries. It frosts 12 to 15 cupcakes or one 8 inch layer cake.

The berries go in dry, as a powder, so you get real strawberry flavor and a soft natural pink without adding water that would split the butter. It spreads smoothly. It pipes, too.

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Freeze-Dried, Fresh, or Frozen Strawberries in Buttercream

Buttercream is fat holding a little liquid. Fresh strawberries are mostly water, and once you mash them into butter it cannot hold the juice, so the frosting turns curdled, weepy and too soft to pipe, especially on a warm day. Frozen berries are worse, because thawing breaks them down and releases even more juice.

Freeze-dried strawberries have that water removed. Ground to a powder they add concentrated flavor and color, and they even soak up a little moisture, which helps the frosting stay firm. I grind whole freeze-dried berries myself rather than buying ready-made powder, since some commercial powders taste flat once mixed in.

If fresh berries are all you have, cook a puree down until it is as thick as jam, cool it completely, and beat in a spoonful or two at the end. The flavor is softer and the frosting less stable. For a fresh fruit layer, a strawberry cake filling between the layers is the better job for fresh strawberries.

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Butter, Powdered Sugar, and Berry Amounts for One Batch

• Unsalted butter, 1 cup (2 sticks), softened: it should dent easily when pressed but still look matte, not shiny or melting.
• Powdered sugar, 3 to 3½ cups, sifted: start with 3 cups and add the last half cup only if you need a stiffer frosting for piping.
• Freeze-dried strawberries, ½ cup: ground to a fine powder.
• Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon, and a pinch of salt: the salt does not make it salty. It sharpens the berry flavor and takes the edge off the sweetness.
• Heavy cream or milk, 1 to 2 tablespoons: cream gives a silkier frosting that holds its shape longer on warm days. Milk makes it a little softer, which is fine for spreading.
• Pink gel food coloring, 1 small drop (optional): only if you want a stronger pink than the berries give on their own.

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Grinding Freeze-Dried Strawberries Fine Enough to Pipe

Blend the freeze-dried strawberries in a blender or food processor until they look like pink powdered sugar, with no chunks left. Under a minute. Then shake the powder through a fine sieve. The seeds and fibrous bits that stay behind are what clog a small piping tip and make the frosting feel gritty.

Keep the berries sealed until you grind them, since the powder pulls moisture from the air and clumps if it sits out on the counter for long. Cover the bowl.

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Beating Strawberry Buttercream to a Pipeable Texture

Beat the butter on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl now and then. Add the strawberry powder and beat until it is evenly pink and smells like jam.

Add the sifted powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, beating well after each one, because if it goes in all at once it puffs out of the bowl in a cloud and the frosting turns stiff long before it is smooth. Patience pays here. Then beat in the vanilla, the salt and 1 tablespoon of cream. Add the second tablespoon only if it still feels too thick to spread.

If you are using gel color, add one small drop now. Finish by whipping on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the frosting turns lighter in color and holds a soft peak on the spatula. Let it sit for 5 minutes before you decide it needs more cream or sugar, because the berry powder keeps soaking up moisture and firms it a little.

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Too Soft, Too Stiff, Grainy, or Curdled

• Too soft to hold a swirl: the butter was too warm or there is too much cream. Chill the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes, then whip again, or beat in the last ½ cup of powdered sugar.
• Too stiff to spread: add cream a teaspoon at a time. A whole tablespoon can tip it from stiff to runny.
• Grainy or speckled with bits: the berries were not ground fine enough or the sugar was not sifted. Next time sieve both.
• Lumpy or curdled: the butter was too cold. Warm the outside of the bowl with a warm towel for a few seconds and beat again until smooth.
• Pale pink: that is the natural color. Add a drop of gel color rather than more powder, which only makes the frosting thicker.

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Frosting for Strawberry Cake and Cupcakes

This is the buttercream I use when the cake itself is strawberry, because it tastes of the same fruit without making the layers damp. It goes on a strawberry vanilla cake, a simple vanilla cake, or chocolate cupcakes where the fruit cuts the richness. I have also used it on a chocolate cake with this chocolate buttercream frosting on the outside and strawberry in the middle.

One batch covers 12 to 15 cupcakes with a medium swirl, or one 8 inch layer cake. For a filled and frosted 2 layer cake with piped borders or rosettes, make 1½ batches so you are not scraping the bowl.

Want a different texture? A whipped cream frosting is lighter, a raspberry buttercream frosting is tarter, and a plain vanilla buttercream frosting goes with any cake flavor.

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Keeping It a Week in the Fridge or a Month in the Freezer

Store the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen frosting overnight in the fridge. Either way, let it come to room temperature and whip it again for a few minutes before using. That brings back the fluffy texture, and a teaspoon or two of cream loosens it if it is still stiff.

A frosted cake or cupcakes can sit out for about a day in a cool room. In a warm kitchen the butter softens quickly, so keep them in the fridge and take them out an hour before serving.

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Quick Answers on Strawberry Icing

Can I use fresh strawberries in buttercream?

Not straight in. The juice splits the butter. Cook fresh berries into a thick, cooled reduction first, or use freeze-dried strawberries as in this recipe.

Can I use strawberry jam instead?

A spoonful of thick jam adds flavor, but more than that makes the frosting soft and very sweet. Freeze-dried powder gives stronger flavor with no extra liquid.