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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Kitchen Tip: I used these cupcake liners, this piping tip, and this mixer in the video for this recipe.
Strawberry Frosting Recipe
- 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.
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
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
Nutrition
{originally published 3/31/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/19/21}
Want a peek behind the scenes? (FYI – he calls cupcake liners “skins,” so don’t freak out on me, ok?)
Anonymous says
I made this frosting to put on top of cupcakes and it turned out wrong. It was lumpy and had clumps of powder sugar and butter in it. This recipe didn't work out to well for me.
Mary says
It sounds like you might have added the berry puree before the butter was creamed with the powdered sugar. I can't imagine how else you wound up with lumps of butter. Without being in your kitchen with you, it's hard to guess what might have gone wrong. This is a recipe I've made numerous times without any issues at all.
Emily says
I have make this frosting along with banana cupcakes for my daughter every year for her birthday and have also made the combo on several other occasion by request! Everybody loves these! I do add a bit less sugar than it calls for but I do that with almost every frosting recipe I use so maybe I'm just weird!
Stacey says
I simply could not put in enough powdered sugar to make this stiffen up. Was a runny mess. I used it as a glaze.
Mary says
Without being in your kitchen, I have no way of telling what might have gone wrong. It sounds as if you might have simply had too much puree or other liquid in the frosting. I can't even imagine what else could've caused it to be runny enough for a glaze!
Nichole says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I've been using it every Valentine's Day for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes and it is phenomenal! It taste so fresh unlike store-bought or buttercream and it's so flavorful 🙂
Zane Trively says
This recipe is horrible. I used frozen strawberries but i used three quarters of a pound trying to make up for the extra water in frozen strawberries. The result? Strawberry juice with butter and sugar. Wasted five bucks.
Mary says
The RECIPE is not horrible at all. You did not make the recipe as written. Frozen berries will not work in this recipe. I've made it countless times with fresh berries and it works beautifully every single time.
Denise says
Wayyy too runny. I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with a syrupy sauce. I ended up doubling the powdered sugar and it was STILL too runny.
Mary says
I have no idea why this frosting would have turned out syrupy for you. Were you using fresh berries? Was your butter soft, but not melted? I’ve made this frosting countless times (as have so many other people) and I’ve never run into that problem. I’d love to help you figure it out. I’m sorry you were frustrated with it not working for you. I hate when that happens!
Valerie says
Once blended.. the next day I realized I wanted a little more strawberry puree in it. Can i add more and blend it without ruining it?
Thank you
Mary says
I think you could probably stir in a bit of puree, but I wouldn’t try blending it again. The additional puree will definitely thin it.
KT says
Sadly, it came out really thin, even with almost a full cup of extra sugar. I think a cream cheese based frosting would have held up better and reducing the strawberries down by simmering them would have been helpful.
The flavor was really strawberry-licious and without any changes, would have been very nice as a dip of some sort.
Yvonne says
is there any specific way that you are supposed to add the ingredients together
Stefanie says
This is absolutely the best frosting recipe!! I paired it with a really good, light & fluffy 3 layer cake…it’s to die for!! And I’m a big chocolate fan, so that says a lot!!
Quelle says
When I first made this the frosting turned into this weird scary looking sauce. The butter and powder sugar were not mixing with the puree. I tried it again but added the strawberry puree *very* slowly. It turned out wonderful and my mom loved it on her birthday cake. If you’re running into the same problem I had most likely you’re adding too much puree or adding it too fast.
Lita Waston says
Can i use cream cheese, butter and vanilla extracts to make that strawberry frosting? If yes, what should i note to make that frosting as good as possible?
Mary says
I haven’t tried this with cream cheese myself, but you should be able to substitute half the butter for cream cheese without any issues. Let me know how it works out if you do try it!