Fresh Strawberry Frosting

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Fresh strawberries are one of my favorite fruits and this frosting is absolutely bursting with strawberry flavor. I crammed almost a full pound of fresh berries into this fresh Strawberry Frosting and you can taste the berries in every bite.

Sweet, but not too sweet, and versatile for all sorts of cakes and decorating purposes. The frosting thickens nicely for a pipeable frosting and it thins out beautifully for a strawberry icing that can be poured over a cake.

Fresh Strawberry Frosting is everyone's favorite! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Strawberry Icing

Truth told, I made a few different batches of the icing, just to get it right, you know. It was torture to eat graham crackers covered in that frosting several times last week and it’s probably a good thing the frosting is gone now!

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But for future reference, this frosting is pretty amazing on crackers anytime you don’t feel like baking a cake. (It’s also irresistible right off the spoon. Just saying.)

When the baby of the family turns four, it’s a pretty big deal. And when his cousin turns five and chooses to share a birthday party with him, it’s an even bigger deal. (It’s hard to believe those cousins are turning 11 and 12 this week!)

Strawberry Frosting

The cake requested was “super-extra-strawberry-cake-with-lots-of-strawberries-on-top.” If you say it fast enough and with enough excitement, you just might grasp how excited he was to choose his cake this year.

I’m happy to say that the cake was a huge hit and everyone raved over both the cake and the frosting! (Click HERE for the best Gluten Free White Cake recipe to go with this frosting!)

We’ve also topped the Crazy Cake with Strawberry Frosting. And it’s delicious over these Sugar Cookie Bars.

For a variation, this works beautifully as Blueberry Frosting too!

Best Ever Fresh Strawberry Frosting

Updated to add: We’ve been making this frosting for every possible occasion for seven years now. “Cake with the strawberry frosting” is the special request for most birthdays and no one can resist a spoonful of this Fresh Strawberry Frosting when we make it.

The frosting is so easy to make, it just might be your new favorite in record time.

For a laugh, scroll down to the bottom of the post and watch the outtake clip from behind the scenes in our kitchen yesterday. There’s nothing funnier than a 7-year-old’s opinion on cake decorating.

fresh strawberry frosting recipe

How To Make Strawberry Frosting

The directions for this recipe will make more berry puree than you will need in order to make this frosting. I haven’t found any way around this, simply because it requires a minimum amount of berries in order for the blender to puree them.

Do NOT dump all of the puree into the butter/sugar mixture or you will have a soupy mixture on your hands.

I save the leftover berry puree and add it to smoothies or stir it into oatmeal. You can also freeze the pureed berries in an ice cube tray and toss the cubes in a ziploc bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

Fresh Strawberry Frosting is irresistible! Get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Kitchen Tip: I used these cupcake liners, this piping tip, and this mixer in the video for this recipe.

Strawberry Frosting Recipe

  1. Place 1 ½ cups worth of the berries in the blender or food processor and puree until smooth, stop to scrape the sides as needed. This should only take a minute or two. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy, add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat again. Add 1 more cup of powdered sugar and beat to combine.
  2. SLOWLY add just ½ cup of strawberry puree (you will NOT use all of the berry puree) and beat again until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy.
  3. Add more strawberry puree ONLY as desired, for a creamier or pourable icing (the softer icing will only work for a sheet cake, it will need to be as described above for a layered cake) or add additional powdered sugar, for a thicker and more pipe-able frosting for decorating.
  4. Use the remaining berries to decorate the cake as desired. Store the decorated cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Fresh Strawberry Frosting is everyone's favorite! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Fresh Strawberry Frosting

4.89 from 17 votes
Sweet, but not too sweet, and versatile for all sorts of cakes and decorating purposes. The frosting thickens nicely for a pipeable frosting and it thins out beautifully for a strawberry icing that can be poured over a cake.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 32 servings (about 4 cups)

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries stems removed and sliced
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Place 1 ½ cups worth of the berries in the blender or food processor and puree until smooth, stop to scrape the sides as needed. This should only take a minute or two. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy, add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat again. Add 1 more cup of powdered sugar and beat to combine. 
  • SLOWLY add just ½ cup of strawberry puree (you will NOT use all of the berry puree) and beat again until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. 
  • Add more strawberry puree ONLY as desired, for a creamier or pourable icing (the softer icing will only work for a sheet cake, it will need to be as described above for a layered cake) or add additional powdered sugar, for a thicker and more pipe-able frosting for decorating.
  • Use the remaining berries to decorate the cake as desired. Store the decorated cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: The directions for this recipe will make more berry puree than you will need in order to make this frosting. I haven’t found any way around this, simply because it requires a minimum amount of berries in order for the blender to puree them. Do NOT dump all of the puree into the butter/sugar mixture or you will have a soupy mixture on your hands. 
I save the leftover berry puree and add it to smoothies or stir it into oatmeal. You can also freeze the pureed berries in an ice cube tray and toss the cubes in a ziploc bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them. 

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal · Carbohydrates: 14g · Fat: 5g · Saturated Fat: 3g · Cholesterol: 15mg · Sodium: 51mg · Potassium: 23mg · Sugar: 13g · Vitamin A: 180IU · Vitamin C: 8.3mg · Calcium: 4mg · Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 3/31/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/19/21}

Fresh Strawberry Frosting is a strawberry lover's dream come true! Get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Want a peek behind the scenes? (FYI – he calls cupcake liners “skins,” so don’t freak out on me, ok?)

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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    • Mary says

      I'm sure you could make this a cream cheese frosting without any problems. Either half butter/half cream cheese or maybe even fully swapping cream cheese for the butter might work. Have fun with it!

  1. Kim Honeycutt says

    I think I could just eat it with a spoon! I like the graham cracker idea! Can't wait for local, fresh strawberries! How sweet for the cousins to share that way. Pinning!

  2. Kathy0414 says

    Thanks, Mary! I was thinking I could, just wasn't sure how to adjust the butter/cream cheese ratio. The recipe I have for my carrot cakes uses 1 stick butter to 1-8oz box cream cheese and 4 c. 10x sugar. I guess this would be equal to the 1 c. butter above, right? I have this on my list to do for Easter – IF I can wait that long!

    • Mary says

      Absolutely. It will keep fine for at least a week. Just thaw it at room temperature until it is soft enough to frost the cake.

  3. Anonymous says

    What kind of cake would go best with this icing? White, chocolate, angel food cake? I want to try to make thins for Easter!

    • Mary says

      I think it will depend on the frozen berries. Unfortunately, I've found that a lot of frozen strawberries don't have anywhere near as much flavor as fresh ones. If the berries are flavorful and sweet, frozen ones should work great.

  4. Missie says

    Made this frosting for mother's day on a white sheet cake, it was absolutely fantastic and got rave reviews!! It's even better the next day and great chilled. I bet it would great with raspberries too! Thanks for the recipe, it's definitely a keeper.5 stars

    • Mary says

      I imagine it would, though if there are thicker skins or seeds (i.e. blackberries or blueberries) you will probably want to strain the mixture after pureeing it. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

  5. Kiley Efrain says

    A friend's birthday is coming up soon and I am so glad that I came across this recipe. I am a huge fan of homemade vs bought and this is absolutely yummy! Thanks for the post~5 stars

  6. Anonymous says

    This is perfect for my granddaughter who can not have red food dyes. (Red 40 is in everything!) She loves this, thank you.5 stars

  7. Anonymous says

    Made this frosting tonight and it came out all wrong. When i added the strawberry puree to the mixer, the butter/powdered sugar mixture and the puree did not mix 'until smooth' at any point. I tried adding extra powdered sugar to remedy the situation but it still stayed a lumpy strawberry sauce. I was just wondering what went wrong?

    • Mary says

      Did you add just a 1/2 cup of puree and blend that until smooth? And then gradually add more? I'm not sure why it was lumpy, but it shouldn't have been saucy at all, unless there was just too much strawberry puree. Without being in your kitchen with you, it's very hard to guess what might have gone wrong.