Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This fresh strawberry buttercream frosting recipe is ultra-easy with a real and natural strawberry flavor and is the perfect frosting not only for decorating your cupcakes but also for filling and decorating a strawberry cake, like this delicious strawberry buttercream cake.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients You Need
• How to Make The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
• Serving Suggestions
• Tips for this recipe
• Storage instructions
• Variations & Substitutions
• Recipe Questions
• More Buttercream Frosting Recipes
• Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This strawberry buttercream frosting made with real and fresh strawberries is the recipe to keep in mind for decorating all your homemade desserts, from layer cakes to cupcakes, you'll have a delightfully sweet and fragrant fresh strawberry frosting.

Whipped Buttercream is a frosting made mainly with butter and powdered sugar. It's the easiest buttercream recipe next to Swiss meringue buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream.

This homemade strawberry frosting is made with real strawberries, we use fresh or frozen berries to make the purée that flavors the buttercream, giving it a more delicious texture than simply using artificial strawberry flavoring or freeze-dried strawberries.

Craving for more strawberry recipes? Give these a try: Strawberry swirl cheesecake, Strawberry whipped cream cake, Strawberry macarons, Strawberry coffee cake and Strawberry Fraisier

Ingredients You Need

You need these ingredients to make this Strawberry buttercream frosting:

• Butter: For buttercream, always use unsalted butter with at least 80% fat content. It should be softened but not too much, so take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start the recipe.
• Powdered sugar: Essential, powdered sugar cannot be replaced by granulated sugar, even if it's extra fine. (Powdered sugar is the same as icing sugar and confectioners sugar)
• Heavy Cream: Full-fat heavy cream adds moisture to the frosting, to prevent it from crusting in the air, and a creamier texture.
• Strawberry purée: No strawberry coulis, but a homemade strawberry purée made with fresh or frozen strawberries following my recipe for strawberry compote for a delicious fresh strawberry flavor.
• Vanilla: Liquid pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds.
• Food coloring: The strawberry concentrate is enough to add a lovely pink color to your icing, but you can enhance it with a pinch of prerence gel food coloring.

How to Make The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!

Step 1: Place the fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries in a saucepan with the granulated sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat for around 10-15 minutes, until the texture is thick and still contains pieces of strawberry.

Step 2: Blend the strawberry purée in a food processor or with a hand mixer until smooth and allow the strawberry purée to cool completely before using.

Step 3: Place the softened butter pieces in a large bowl or in the miwing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy, and lighter in color.

Step 4: Add the sifted powdered sugar in several batches, keeping the mixer running at low speed, and add the vanilla extract once incorporated, continue mixing at high speed for a further 5 minutes.

Step 5: Add the cooled strawberry puree to the mixer bowl with the full-fat heavy cream and whisk again for about 3 minutes, until you have a pink frosting with a smooth, creamy texture.

Mix at slow speed for a few minutes with the paddle attachment to smooth out and evacuate frosting bubbles.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some ideas for using this whipped strawberry buttercream recipe in your desserts and cakes:

• Frosting for cupcakes: Spread or pipe strawberry buttercream on top of cupcakes like in these strawberry cupcakes, on vanilla cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes.
• Filling for cakes: Use strawberry buttercream between cake layers like in this strawberry layer cake, in a chocolate birthday cake, or in a vanilla cake recipe like this vanilla birthday cake.
• Topping for desserts: Dollop strawberry buttercream on desserts like brownies or cheesecake for a burst of strawberry goodness.

Storage instructions

In the fridge: This strawberry icing can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge under cling film or in an airtight container.

How to freeze: Place the fresh strawberry buttercream in an airtight container or storage bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to return gently to room temperature before whipping again.

Is it stable at room temperature? American buttercream is known to be stable at room temperature for up to 48 hours in a cool place. But as this recipe contains a larger amount of heavy cream and fruit purée, it should always be kept in a cool place.

Recipe Questions

Can I reduce the powdered sugar?

No, it's not possible to use less powdered sugar or you'll end up with a buttery taste and an excessively greasy texture. In classic buttercream recipes, there's often 3 to 4 times more sugar than butter, but here there's just about 2 times more.

Can I replace strawberry purée with freeze-dried strawberries?

Yes, it's possible to use freeze-dried strawberry powder instead of strawberry puree to flavor the frosting.

Can strawberry puree be replaced by strawberry jam?

Technically, it's possible to use strawberry jam, but note that jam is composed of half fruit and half sugar, so you won't get the flavor of the reduced strawberry, which is ultra-concentrated.

Does strawberry buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?

You can use it immediately once it's ready, or leave it in the fridge for a short time to firm up its texture. It should then be kept in the fridge for up to a week, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Buttercream Frosting Recipes

I hope you love this strawberry frosting recipe. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!

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