Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
A fluffy and light easy to make vanilla buttercream infused with real strawberries for a burst of fresh strawberry flavor.
Ingredients
Strawberry Paste
- 200 g strawberries cleaned and halved
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 350 g unsalted butter softened (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 300 g powdered sugar
Instructions
Strawberry Paste
- Prepare strawberries - Clean your strawberries, then cut the tops off and slice in half.
- Puree strawberries - add the strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until completely smooth. No lumps!
- Cook strawberries - Transfer the strawberry puree to a large non-stick saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously for 5-10 minutes until it thickens, turns red, and becomes paste-like, almost like jam. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cool to room temperature. Make ahead option: Store in the fridge for 1-2 days and thaw for 10-15 minutes before use.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Cream butter - Add your softened butter, salt and vanilla extract to a large bowl. If using a stand mixer fit it with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. You will want to scrape down the bowl halfway through with a spatula to ensure everything beats together evenly!
- Add sugar - Scrape the bowl down using a spatula and add all of the sifted powdered sugar. Begin beating on low speed at first. When no dry ingredients are showing, turn the speed up to medium high speed again and beat for 5 minutes.
- Add strawberry paste - finish by adding all of the cooled strawberry paste. Beat in on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until well combined and smooth. Scrape the bowl down using a spatula halfway through.
Notes
How to soften your butter
Make sure your butter is softened for this recipe. It’ll help with the structural integrity of the frosting. I have a full guide on how to properly soften butter on the blog, but for reference, softened butter is 18C / 65F on a thermometer. Cut it into cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it reaches this temperature to until it’s soft enough that when you press on it with your finger, it leaves an indent with some resistance.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
For Cupcakes - This recipe makes enough frosting for about 10-12 cupcakes with a nice medium-sized swirl on top. If you prefer smaller swirls or just a thin layer of frosting, it will stretch further.
For Cakes - You’ll want to triple the recipe if you’re filling and frosting an 8-inch, 3-4 layer cake, including a thin crumb coat. The exact amount will depend on how much frosting you like between the layers and on the outside, but doubling it gives you plenty to work with! For a two layered, 8-inch cake, this will be more than enough frosting.
Why I use less sugar in my buttercream frosting than other recipes
This recipe uses less powdered sugar than most traditional American Buttercream recipes to create a smoother, less sweet frosting. If you prefer a stiffer frosting for piping or need more structure for warmer conditions, you can add an extra 100 - 200g of powdered sugar without making it overly sweet. Just keep in mind, more sugar means a firmer texture a little less smooth.
Storage - Frosting can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days. To re-whip, add half of the frosting to a heatproof bowl and microwave for 10 seconds (no more than that!). Mix using a spatula. The frosting should be jiggly, not melted. Add to the rest of the frosting and beat on medium speed for a couple minutes until smooth and fluffy.
Why is my frosting melting?
The most obvious reason is heat! If it’s a warm day, your frosting will melt because its most made of fat which melts when heated. Frost your desserts and chill them in the fridge. It’s the only way to stop the frosting from melting. This is especially important for layer cakes. It might have also melted if the strawberry paste was added to the frosting while it was too warm. If this happens, pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and then re-whip until smooth.
Nutrition – is an approximate and is based on per one batch. Obviously, you won’t be eating an entire batch of frosting.
A note on measurements – This recipe uses weight measurements for the most accurate results. Cup measurements can vary depending on where you are, which affects the precision needed for a recipe like this. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition
Calories:3781kcal | Carbohydrates:317g | Protein:4g | Fat:285g | Saturated Fat:180g | Polyunsaturated Fat:11g | Monounsaturated Fat:74g | Trans Fat:11g | Cholesterol:753mg | Sodium:1211mg | Potassium:417mg | Fiber:4g | Sugar:305g | Vitamin A:8771IU | Vitamin C:118mg | Calcium:121mg | Iron:1mg
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