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Strawberry Frosting {With Fresh Strawberries)

Quick and easy fresh strawberry frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. This berry buttercream icing is smooth, creamy, easy to spread and pipe.

Strawberry frosting is not something that ever blew me away until I made this fresh version. When chilled, this frosting tastes like ice cream and it’s so good that you want to eat it by the spoonfuls! One of my favorite desserts is a strawberry buttercream cake, which is a yellow cake loaded with this frosting and chopped strawberries, yum! This version is very stable, making it great for piping on cakes and cupcakes. For all things strawberry, take a look at these delicious Strawberry Cupcakes {Soft & Moist}, How to Make Strawberry Pie Filling, and Strawberry Cookies.

Fresh Strawberry Frosting on a Whisk  With Black Background

How to make strawberry frosting recipe from scratch with fresh strawberries?

  1. Puree strawberries– Until smooth. Strain the seeds.
  2. Reduce puree– Until it is reduced by half.
  3. Chill puree– In the freezer.
  4. Cream butter and shortening– In a mixing bowl.
  5. Add ingredients– Including powdered sugar, strawberry, and vanilla extracts and mix again.
  6. Frost your cakes and cupcakes– Enjoy!
Collage Image With Step by Step Pictures on How to Make Fresh Strawberry Frosting

What to pair with this berry icing? 

Cookies

Brownies

Cakes

Cupcakes

Variations for strawberry buttercream

Make with cool whip or whipped cream– Just add 2 tbsp strawberry syrup to a container of Cool Whip and mix it together. If you are not using Cool Whip, prepare homemade whipped cream (I use 1 pint heavy cream) and add 2 tbsp strawberry syrup and mix it together. Add pink gel food coloring if you like.

Make it with jam– Replace strawberry puree with 1/2 cup of the best quality of seedless strawberry jam you can find. My Homemade Strawberry Jam is the best.

Use shortening– You can omit the butter and use all shortening. However, butter adds so much flavor and richness to this recipe that the flavor will change slightly.

Make a bigger batch– By doubling the recipe ingredients.

Add pink gel coloring– Add it at the end to enhance the color.

Homemade Strawberry Buttercream Icing

Tips and techniques for strawberry icing

This frosting is not the same as a strawberry icing glaze– Glaze is much thinner and used on donuts and bundt cakes.

Use unsalted butter at room temperature– There is nothing worse than using salted butter in a frosting, yuck!

Fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries can be used in this recipe– Just make sure the frozen strawberries have thawed a bit so that it’s easier to blend them into a puree.

Don’t forget to strain the strawberry puree– Because your frosting will be very seedy.

If possible, rest it in the fridge for 2 days– I have noticed the flavor of this frosting gets deeper after it has a chance to rest.

How much frosting does this make? This frosting is enough to fill and frost a 6×2 round cake or 18 cupcakes.

Chill it for 20-30 minutes– This makes piping the frosting much easier.

Use ripe strawberries– If they are not ripe and slightly bland, I highly suggest mixing in 1-2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder.

How to thicken frosting? This is the rule of thumb, If the frosting is too thick, add water to thin it out. If the frosting is too thin, add powdered sugar to thicken it.

What is a strawberry puree? Strawberry puree is made by blending fresh strawberries into a paste and then straining it to remove seeds and chunks.

How do you puree frozen strawberries? How to make strawberry frosting with frozen strawberries? Let them thaw and soften a bit before processing them in a blender. Use the same instructions but replace fresh strawberries with frozen strawberries.

How to make frosting without powdered sugar? Whenever I post a frosting recipe, I get a few messages asking me if it’s possible to do this. Honestly, I I don’t think that’s possible with my recipe. Powdered sugar helps to thicken the frosting and give it the thick consistency.

Why is my icing runny? How to thicken icing? This means there is probably too much liquid from the puree, simply add more powdered sugar to thicken it.

How to make icing thinner? Add in a little milk until it reaches desired consistency.

Storage of homemade icing

Refrigerate– In a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Freeze– In a sealed container for up to 1 month. Thaw in fridge overnight and then whip it to make it fluffy again.

More homemade fruit-based icing recipes

More strawberry desserts

Easy Strawberry Frosting With Fresh Strawberries on Whisk With Black Background
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Strawberry Frosting (With Fresh Strawberries)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Quick and easy fresh strawberry frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. This berry buttercream icing is smooth, creamy, easy to spread and pipe.
Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Strawberries, Fresh or frozen, Must be ripe
  • 1 cup Butter, Unsalted
  • 1/4 cup Shortening
  • 4-5 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Strawberry Extract, Optional
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions 

  • Add strawberries in a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Strain to remove all the seeds and any leftover chunks. 
  • Pour the puree in a saucepan and cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes until the puree is reduced by half.
  • Chill puree the freezer so that it cools down quickly.
  • While puree is cooling down, cream together butter and shortening in a mixing bowl.
  • Add powdered sugar, alternating with strawberry puree and continue mixing until mixture is smooth and creamy. 
  • Add strawberry and vanilla extracts and mix again. Frost your cakes and cupcakes and enjoy! 

Notes

  • Read all my tips above.
  • Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 1341kcal, Carbohydrates: 165g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 79g, Saturated Fat: 43g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 23g, Trans Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 163mg, Sodium: 491mg, Potassium: 133mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 160g, Vitamin A: 1900IU, Vitamin C: 42mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 1341
Author: Abeer Rizvi

19 comments on “Strawberry Frosting {With Fresh Strawberries)”

  1. @Angelina…you guys are gonna love this frosting! Shortening is similar to butter. You can use only butter instead of shortening . It would still taste good.

  2. I made this tonight. It definitely needs the strawberry flavoring. Right now it just tastes like pink crisco and sugar. Have to go on the hunt again tomorrow for the flavoring. Haven’t been able to find it anywhere and I need the frosting for my niece’s bday cake for tomorrow night.

    • You really need to use the flavoring coz sometimes the strawberries are just so flavorless and sour, especially if they are out of season. I have used McCormick brand’s of strawberry extract, which is usually available at Target or Jewel-Osco. But I love the ones by Olive Nation and Frontier. They really intensify the strawberry flavor. I order my extracts from Amazon.

  3. I hope this is good

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