I used to steer clear of using fresh strawberries in buttercream recipes simply because I believe using freeze dried berries yields the best consistency and most flavorful buttercream. I still think it’s much easier to use freeze dried fruit when flavoring buttercream, but after years of chatting with people making my recipes all over the world, I realize that not everyone has access to it. So, I took to the kitchen determined to find the best way to make strawberry buttercream with fresh or frozen berries. And guess what? I came up with a recipe that is flavorful and easy to work with for filling, frosting, and decorating cakes and cupcakes. Plus, just look at this naturally beautiful color!

How to Use Fresh or Frozen Strawberries for Buttercream

Fresh and frozen berries contain a lot of liquid. That’s why you can’t just blend them up and add them into your buttercream – it will ruin the consistency to the point of no return! Instead, the secret to creating the best flavor + consistency is to first purèe the strawberries and then reduce them into a jam-like consistency over the stove. This reduction process keeps all the flavor intact while getting rid of the unnecessary liquid content. 

Making the reduction is super simple, but does take a little time. You’ll purèe the strawberries using a food processor, then transfer them to a small saucepan set over medium heat and bring them to a boil. Once this happens, turn the burner down to low and simmer the strawberries for 10-15 minutes, until the majority of the liquid content evaporates from the rest of the purèe. This leaves you with a jam-like consistency that you can add right into the buttercream to flavor it (once it’s room temperature, that is). 

Why Reduce the Pureè?

After purèeing your strawberries, they will be extremely liquid in consistency. Adding too much liquid to your buttercream causes it to curdle and thin to the point where it’s soupy and unusable. By cooking that purèe to the point of reduction, you’ll be able to remove as much liquid from the strawberries as possible and amplify the flavor of the berries by getting rid of all that extra water. This yields a much smoother, more flavorful buttercream in the end. 

Best Cake Pairings for Strawberry Buttercream

This strawberry buttercream goes perfectly with pretty much any cake flavor. Here are some of my favorite flavor pairings to date: 

• Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake 
• Chocolate Cake
• Vanilla Cake 
• Lemon Cake 
• Funfetti Cake
• Matcha Cake 

Whatever you end up pairing it with, I hope you love this fresh strawberry buttercream as much as I do!

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Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

A silky smooth strawberry buttercream made with fresh or frozen berries. Perfect for pairing with layer cakes, cupcakes, macarons, and more!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 3 Cups

Ingredients

• 5 Oz (1 Cup) fresh strawberries, chopped* see notes if using frozen berries
• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the Reduced Strawberry Purèe

• Using a food processor, purèe the chopped strawberries (you’ll end up with about ½ Cup after this). Add the strawberry purèe into a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until it becomes jam-like and has reduced by half. You’ll end up with about ¼ Cup of reduced purèe after this step. Let it cool completely to room temperature (either in the refrigerator or on the counter) before moving on in the recipe.

Make the Strawberry Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy, about 5 minutes. 
• Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time and mix on low speed, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
• Add the (room temperature!) reduced strawberry purèe and a pinch of salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully incorporated and smooth, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed, 1-2 minutes.

Notes

*Frozen Berries: if using frozen berries, thaw and dry them completely before purèeing in a food processor. Because of the extra liquid content the ice adds, you may need to cook the purèe for slightly longer than 10-15 minutes to get it to a jam-like consistency. 

Make Ahead Tips: This buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer on low speed to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 

Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:

• Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
• Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake
• To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

Did you make this fresh raspberry buttercream? I want to know what you paired it with and what you think! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

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