Of course this strawberry frosting is amazing with fresh strawberry cupcakes, but when fresh berries are in season you might also want to try our fresh strawberry pie or make a batch of homemade strawberry ice cream.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
I wasn’t much of a frosting person as a kid, which is basically the opposite of most every child I know. I was the one kid at a party who would scrape the frosting off and only eat the cake part below. But I’ve changed my tune as a grown-up ever since I discovered how fabulous really GOOD frosting can be! I’ve got a whole bunch of amazing frosting recipes on the site and decided they needed their own category because they can be used in so many ways to make new and fabulous treats! I mean, obviously you can use this frosting for strawberry cake and cupcakes, but try it my chocolate salted caramel whoopie pies with this strawberry frosting and thinly sliced strawberries in place of the salted caramel frosting for an exceptional treat. Or use it to frost between two graham crackers or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, then dunk them in melted white chocolate. Or spread it on sugar cookies or brownies. I mean, the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients in strawberry frosting
Butter: I always use salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, go ahead and add ¼ teaspoon of salt to this frosting. Make sure to use room temperature butter so it beats up nice and creamy. Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, you will need 4 cups for this recipe that makes enough for 12-18 cupcakes or one 2-layer cake. Strawberries: It’s difficult to give a number for how many strawberries you need for this recipe since they can vary so much in size, but you will want to have at least ½ cup to ¾ cup of strawberry puree, which is about 1 ½ cups of chopped strawberries to start out with. This will get reduced on the stove to remove some of the liquid and concentrate the flavor. Vanilla extract: A little vanilla rounds out this frosting and compliments the strawberry flavor.
How to make strawberry frosting
You can use this strawberry frosting to cover layer cakes or sheet cakes, but if you have more than two layers or want enough to pipe around the edges, you will want to double the batch.
Make-ahead and freezing instructions
Like most buttercream frostings, you can make this homemade strawberry frosting in advance. It will keep in the fridge for about a week in an airtight container. Or you can even freeze it for up to 2 months. Just let it thaw completely in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to use the frosting, pull it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours to come to room temperature. I always beat it again with an electric mixer to make it nice and fluffy and spreadable before using on a dessert.
Using frozen strawberries to make frosting
If fresh strawberries aren’t available you can use frozen strawberries to make the strawberry puree that is used in both the cupcakes as well as the strawberry buttercream frosting. I recommend having them thawed a bit before pureeing to make it easier, but because of the added liquid and moisture, it might take a little longer to reduce them on the stove.
Delicious cake and cupcake ideas using strawberry frosting
Strawberry lemonade cupcakes: Make a batch of lemon cupcakes with lemon curd filling, then top them with this strawberry frosting and a fresh strawberry! Chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes: Pair strawberry frosting with these moist chocolate cupcakes and top each of them with a chocolate covered strawberry. Strawberry coconut cupcakes: Make my coconut cupcakes or my moist vanilla cupcakes and add 1 teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter. Then frost with strawberry frosting and sprinkle with some shredded sweetened coconut.
More frosting recipes you’ll love
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Oreo Frosting Salted Caramel Frosting Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Dragon Fruit Buttercream Frosting Cream Cheese Frosting Graham Cracker Frosting
Guava Frosting
Homemade Rainbow Chip Frosting Recipe
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
