The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting with Freeze-dried Strawberries.
I’m so glad we live in a world with strawberries.
I always go back and forth on whether to keep cake flavors tied strictly to their seasons—like only making strawberry cake when strawberries are in season. I love growing them in my garden and picking them at our local strawberry farm. Just as the French shop and bake with the seasons, I try to do the same.
However, as a self-proclaimed millennial baker, I love that we can get the most delicious Argentine strawberries at the grocery store—even in the middle of winter. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my childlike love for freeze-dried foods. As a kid, we called it space food!
Enter freeze-dried strawberries. You can find them at just about any grocery store, and they are so much fun to add to buttercream frosting. Not only do they pack an incredible punch of strawberry flavor, but they also create the most beautiful pink hue and help strengthen the frosting for piping.
I’ve made this recipe at least five or six times since creating it, and I know you’re going to love it! It’s been a favorite among my family, friends, and my local community—affectionately known as my Cake Lovers.
Want to learn more about baking a cake from scratch?
My e-book ‘Cake for Beginners: Lessons in Learning to Bake Cake from Scratch’ is my comprehensive guide to help you feel more confident creating a joy-filled, delicious-every-time cake - and includes two baseline cake and frosting recipes! Trust me, even seasoned baker’s love this compilation of tips and tricks.
Hope you enjoy!
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
This strawberry buttercream recipe is a perfectly balanced blend of creamy butter, rich vanilla bean paste, and a vibrant punch of freeze-dried strawberries. Makes enough to frost one 3 layer 8" cake, multiply by 1.5 for extra piping!
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Powdered Sugar / 680 g
- 2 Cups Unsalted Butter (4 sticks, room temperature) / 450 g
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream / 60 g
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste / 20 g
- 1 Pinch of Salt (heaping) / 3 - 5 g
- 1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Strawberries, Crushed/Blended 85g
Instructions
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until paste-like, then increase to medium-high and mix for 4–6 minutes until the color changes from yellow to white.
- While mixing, sift the powdered sugar using a fine-mesh sieve or sifter into a separate bowl.
- Crush or blend Freeze-dried Strawberries
- Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar in 1–2 cup increments, mixing on low speed after each addition until fully incorporated. This prevents a sugar cloud.
- Add the heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract and freeze-dried strawberries. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds to incorporate.
- Increase to medium-high speed and mix for 5–10 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the bowl.
- Remove any air bubbles by pressing and smoothing the frosting with a spatula or wooden spoon in a zig-zag motion prior to frosting your cake.
