Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Happy Spring! I love Spring because I love Strawberries. For years, this has been the time of year for me to make a large batch of strawberry jam; but this year, I am into Strawberry cake and frosting.
Because Strawberries have such a high water content, they can be difficult to bake into a cake. They release the water and then your cakes end up being too watery. The same can be said about frostings. Using flavors or extracts just doesn’t give that simple tart, sweetness like the real berry. That’s why I like to bake and mix mine with ground strawberry powder. It’s simple– dehydrated strawberry slices in a food processor.
This little step makes all the difference.
By adding the powder into the frosting, you are able to make a rich and firm frosting that gives you natural taste that can be piped and decorated with. Then mixing about 1/2 into your vanilla cake batter produces delicious results.
The plus is the beautiful color. By using ground strawberries you make artificial colors and gels unnecessary. You also managed to get a deep, rosy color that is not easy to get with food colors. It’s one of my favorite colors for a rose cupcake or a rose cake.
- 1 C Dehydrated Strawberry Pieces
- 1 C Butter, Softened
- 3 C Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
- Grind strawberry pieces in food processor until you have a fine powder.
- cream butter in standing mixer until smooth. Begin adding Sugar 1 C at a time until incorporated and firm. Add strawberry powder and mix until incorporated.
- Mix in liquids to soften a little at a time. Add more or less cream to get desired texture.
- If you soften the frosting too much, thicken with more strawberry powder.