Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
One of our most popular recipes on Best Friends For Frosting is this Fluffy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting recipe. I posted about this way back in 2010 when Best Friends For Frosting first started, which means I used a low resolution camera to take the photos–eek! After so many comments and such positive feedback, I was confident this recipe was worthy of makeover photos. For those who have already tried this Fluffy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting recipe, rest assured, the recipe is the same, but the photos are new and improved. I embellished each cupcake with shiny, shimmery pink gumballs and edible striped straws for an extra special touch.
If you prefer your frosting on the sweet side and love strawberries, this recipe is for you. It easily pipes onto cupcakes and serves well as a cake filling, too. This is one of my top favorite frosting recipes!
Recipe developed by Melissa Johnson
–1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, room temperature
–1 teaspoon vanilla extract
–1/3 cup strawberry preserves
–2 cups powdered sugar
–1 drop of hot pink gel dye
- Beat butter with hand mixer for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated.
- Add strawberry preserves, and beat until incorporated.
- Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix until frosting is fluffy with medium peaks.
- Add 1 drop of hot pink gel dye. Mix until frosting color is fully incorporated.
Do you have a favorite frosting recipe? Tell us about it in the comments!
Photos for Best Friends For Frosting, photographed by Milou & Olin Photography.
Mmmm….strawberry buttercream…that sounds just lovely.
The Absolute BEST!!! Thank you for sharing this with us!! Definitely develop a recipe book!!
Thank you soooooo much!!!!
Thanks for sharing this AWESOME recipe! It whipped up nice and fluffy, not too sweet and really easy to pipe! The natural pink colour is darling!
Thanks for this recipe! I doubled it for my niece’s cupcakes and it was fantastic!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! I made some strawberry cream cupcakes and made this frosting to top it. DELICIOUS! BTW…I didn’t have any preserves, so I pureed some very ripe, fresh strawberries added a tiny bit of sugar and lemon juice (to cut the tartness), and I used that instead. It came out wonderful. I can’t wait to try this recipe with other berries! Thanks again for sharing!
thanks , your comment answered my question !!
My question too! I have fresh berries to use instead of preserves.
Absolutely go for it! Use a fork or food processor. It’s the best!
I tried Martha Stewarts recipe too and it came out too dough-like. I was really disappointed.
can i use fresh mashed strwberries instead?
Did you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? It sounds wonderful! Congrats on your original recipe!
OMG! i’ve looked everwhere for a strawberry buttercream that doesn’t look like it will melt. they normally call for 1tsp of whipping cream but it turns out runny. good for spreading, not for piping. going to definitely bookmark your site and i’m going to try this tomorrow!! thanks!!
Mine didn’t turn out:o( After fluffing the butter and adding the extract i put in the preserves but as i was mixing them the butter separated from the preserves and it stayed runny even after adding way more sugar…what did i do wrong? I followed the recipe to a T:o(
BTW, this is a fantastic strawberry cupcake recipe and i will never use another..
https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/real-strawberry-cupcakes/detail.aspx
I added a little extra strawberry puree to intensify the flavor, plus didn’t use the pudding. It is SO yummy! Best Cake Ever in my families opinion:o)
I also had a problem with the frosting separating. I used pureed ripe strawberries with a little sugar and lemon juice as suggested by another reader. I wonder if it would have worked better to completely make the buttercream, and then fold in the strawberries at the end?
I think it would have worked best to omit the lemon juice and fold in the puree. Sorry to hear you had troubles. That is always frustrating.
Hi Beth!
I am so sorry to hear that your recipe did not turn out. You only want to mix the butter and extract mixture with the preserves until it’s fully incorporated~ approximately for 10-20 seconds maximum. Next add your powdered sugar using one cup at a time. It sounds like the butter/preserves/extract were over mixed before it had a chance to hook up with the powdered sugar. Please feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for trying our recipe.
Happy baking! XOXO, Melissa
I want to make this recipe for cupcakes… if I make the icing the night before – how long will it stay fluffy? Can I ice them them and then refrigerate overnight?
Dear Joy,
Pipe the frosting on your cupcakes and refrigerate them night before. Take the cupcakes out 1 hour prior to your event and they should be at room temperature. The frosting will hold it’s shape. Can’t wait to hear how they turn out! =)
By strawberry preserves you just mean a seedless strawberry jam right? Also, I’m going to try making this for a friends 2 level 8″ cake with a little bit of decorating, so will this be enough? Or do I have to make more? And thanks, I was a little worried because I couldn’t find any good recipes! Hope this turns out well!
Does this recipe work well for icing a cake? Does it get the little crust that a meringue buttercream gets? Or I guess I could probably just add some meringue powder to the recipe? I’m wanting to use this for a smash cake, that will have ganache drizzled over the top.
Thanks!
I made this icing for cupcakes this weekend and it turned out perfect! Super easy, tastes great and everyone was asking if I bought them from a fancy cupcake shop. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Hello,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried this and it turned out great! I made a two layer, eight inch cake and felt like I didn’t have enough frosting. How can I make this so there is enough without it being too sweet? Also, the frosting did’t crust at all, very soft to the touch, which didn’t allow me to decorate it…I felt it wouldn’t hold. Thank you.
I made Marthas strawberry cupcakes too, they were sooo disappointing ! I get what you mean about pancakes gone bad, I thought the same. And they were a weird dense texture. I made my own buttercream too, alot like yours but I pureed my own strawberries, and it’s so good!
Beth C- make sure your butter is room temp. Not brought down by the microwave either ( I did that, and mine separated) I did that with both strawberry and blueberry buttercream. After researching why… it seems as though your butter has to be a certain temp. Leave it out for an hour before making the cupcakes, it should help! Also use a good quality preserve.
Btw- I just looked through this website and LOVE it !! I bookmarked 5 cupcake recipes so far :)
i tried these with the Billy’s Bakery Vanilla, Vanilla cupcakes and they’re divine. Pureed some really ripe strawberries and the tartiness contrasted with the sweetness along with the lovely creamy texture made these cupcakes the best i’ve ever done! So thank you lovely ladies for coming up with such an amazing recipe! best ever!
I, too, tried Martha’s recipe and it not only failed (too thin) but tasted terrible. I enjoyed this. Admittedly, I am not a butter cream fan (I think because of the powdered sugar) so I wonder if you could use another sugar instead…any thoughts?
Again, vast improvement over Martha (and nice light pink color, too)!
md
I used your recipe to ice a double layer chocolate cake for my niece’s 1st birthday. It tasted amazing. I had no strawberry preserves on hand but did have some very ripe strawberries, so I just pureed about a cup and it turned out fantastic. Thanks for such a great recipe! I will definitely be using this for cupcakes I have to bake this weekend. In fact I suspect it will become a new favourite.
Made this tonight (a half batch)! It was so creamy and just the right amount of strawberry. This is a great recipe. Thank you! A half batch covered 8 cupcakes for me, a normal swirl, not too low, not too high.
I just made this for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes & it’s absolutely delicious!! This will be my go-to strawberry buttercream frosting now :D I will substitude the strawberry jelly with raspberry or blueberry at times also. Thank you for the recipe ^^! I love butter btw.
I’m going to try this icing recipie with a lemon cake/cupcakes for Easter dinner . Has anyone tried this before? I’m hoping it works out.
I was just about start on Martha’s strawberry buttercream when I came across yours and after reading your review of Martha’s buttercream, I decided to try this one out instead and all I can say is FABULOUS! I used to work for a bakery that had what I thought was the best strawberry buttercream, but after tasting your recipe I would have to say that one has some competition. I used pureed strawberry and added a touch more sugar to make up for all the liquid in the fresh strawberries, but the texture was still perfect.
Thanks for the delightful recipe!
Thank you so much Diana! That is by far the best compliment I have ever received. I am tickled pink that you enjoyed the recipe just as much as I did. Thank you so much again for the positivbe feedback! OX
Diana, I used frozen strawberry puree and naturally there’s too much liquid. I ended up adding another 2+ cups of sugar (stopped counting out of frustration) and then remember something I’ve been taught… I threw in about two tablespoons of regular Crisco and it is stiffens any icing up nicely. I actually discovered this trick agree being frustrated before with strawberry buttercreams and all the wasting of ingredients. I make a traditional cake icing with Crisco, powder sugar and drops of water…stiff but smooth enough to icing birthday cakes. I had a bit of that left over and a huge bowl of strawberry buttercream. I got brave and mixed the two. I was so happy after that!!!!!
So, I’m not sure if this would be recommended by Melissa but I’ll for sure be using Crisco as my thickening agent. Thanks ladies.
I was searching for a strawberry buttercream frosting and I came upon yours! I didn’t like the other recipes and I love that yours is simple and easy to make. I am going to make it today! Thank you!
Awwwwww~! Thank you Sarah! Let us know if you have any questions. We are here for ya!
I have used this recipe twice and each time, everyone raved about the frosting and asked me to put it on everything I bake! It’s also the perfect consistency for piping. It’s sturdy enough to hold shape but it doesn’t get rock hard in the refrigerator. Thank you so much for a perfect recipe :)
Kelsy
Thank you so much for the positive feedback Kelsy! It was one of the very first frosting recipes I developed. It makes me so proud! =)
Hi, I really want to try this recipe as a filling for my son’s birthday cake. Maybe with some sliced strawberries. Do you think this would be a good idea? I am new to baking and I would like to know if it would go well as a filling or if I should try something else.
Thanks!
Hi Erica! I am so happy to hear you will be trying this recipe. I think using freshly sliced strawberries will intensify the strawberry flavor- which should make the cake a remarkable success. I would love to hear how it turned out for you. Happy baking!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted butter but either one will work!
Can u use strawberry jam instead of preserves
Absolutely!
How would i use the jam. Boil it with some water and sugar?
I wanted to make this recipe for my baby shower. How many cups of strawberry preserves for a batch of 80 Cupcakes.
Hello! Tks very much for sharing! I’m writing from Portugal! I need to make a fondant decorated cake with strwaberry shortcake theme. Mummy asked me chocolate cake with some great pink filling! I was looking for strawberry buttercream recipes and i read yours…. Can I use it to fill and cover a double layered cake and then cover it with fondant? Tky very much!
Hi there,
I just tried to make this frosting but used pureed strawberries instead. Once added, the buttercream started to separate, any solutions?
Thanks!
Yikes! Sorry to hear your troubles. Did you fold them in or beat them in? Were the measurements of pureed strawberries exact?
It’s going to seperate for a while but you just have to keep mixing it and over time, it’ll all come back together!
Me and my sister just made this frosting- totally delicious!
I am beyond thrilled that it worked out so well for you & sis! Thanks for the feedback. =)
I just put some cupcakes in the oven(glorious treats perfect vanilla cupcakes) and I am making the frosting now. Cant wait to see how it turns out!! Wish me luck.
Fantastic! Please be sure to come back and let me know how it works out for you. =)
100% delicious! Made a batch and a half for a double layer vanilla cake. Used preserves in the frosting, but minced a few strawberries and sprinkled them in between layers. I had problems with another recipe which used fresh berries in the frosting – it separated and got all gloppy. Absolutely no problems with this recipe (except keeping my daughters from eating it while the cakes cooled!) Bravo!
Thank you Jaci for the fantastic feedback. I am thrilled to hear this frosting recipe was a success.
Hi there! :) I made this frosting a few days ago. But I used strawberry jam instead. The texture was great! it was really smooth and fluffy. But I didn’t actually taste the strawberry…like at all. It just tasted like buttercream. Is it because i used jam instead? What can I do to make it taste more like strawberries?
Hi Mariya! I found using fresh strawberries gave the frosting a fantastic flavor. If you would like to enhance the strawberry flavor, try using strawberry extract.
Thanks for this awesome recipe. I was looking for an alternative to a more complicated buttercream and this was perfect for my cupcakes. :)
I made it a cream cheese strawberry frosting by subbing one stick of butter for 4 oz of cream cheese. Divine! Thanks!
I am so glad it worked out for you Clarice! Wishing you a wonderful summer.
Thanks for the great recipe, super easy and delicious strawberry flavour, was just what I was looking for.
So glad to hear Colleen. Thank you for the fantastic feedback. =)
This is SO freaking good. My family absolutely loved it on angel food cupcakes. My mom hugged me then took a nap after eating them haha.
Im going to put these in my French Macaroons!!! I’ll tell you how it goes! :3
i made the froasting, and it was just delish!!!! because its summer our air conditioner was on and it keep freezing my butter so at 4 in the morning i had to go out side and make the froasting!!! I hope my parents wernt to mad…. :)
I love how at first its really sweet but then you bite into the strw berries (used fresh one, only the ones that looked like they were going to go bad cuz their the sweetest) and then its like “wow. this is so good!”
well, im of to a Wisconsin teen party (just me and my 3 friends)!! hope they look good at a beach Par-ta!!!!
THANKYOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello!
I can’t wait to try this. I am making a number cake for a birthday party, and I am looking to use this as filling before I put fondant on. Do you think that will be ok? Also, how far in advance can I make it?
Can’t wait!
Thank you!
I just made this frosting for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes…wow, it came out soooo good! I had saved other recipes that I was going to use which called for much more sugar. So glad I found this recipe as it is sweet enough with a great texture. Thanks!
Best news ever! Thank you for taking the time out to give me positive feedback. I hope the party was a ball! XO
I was looking to use this frosting for decorating as well as frosting the cake. Will this frosting hold its form or do you think it is best that I make a batch of regular buttercream frosting to do the piping work?
I made this to fill a reveal cake! It taste great! And it’s pink so it worked great! Can’t wait for everyone to try it! I think there going to love it!
Thanks for this recipe! I am pinning it. I did not like it at first (I thought it too sweet), but when I added it to my chocolate cupcakes it was perfect! Thanks!
I’m making strawberry buttercream for the first time as part of my niece’s Strawberry Shortcake themed birthday cake, and it is absolutely WONDERFUL! So easy and doesn’t have that gross manufactured taste of jarred strawberry frostings. Thanks for sharing! :-)
Thrilled to hear about your success Heather! Wishing your niece a happy birthday.
Thank you for sharing.
It was soooooo good I was looking for a strawberry buttercream and I was not dissapointed. Loved it!!!!
Hi Melissa,
I found your site while looking for a strawberry buttercream. I am going to have a bake sale next week and thought this would be perfect pair for vanilla cupcakes. Do you think the buttercream will survive the outdoor condition where the temperature is around 75-80 degree? Thank you very much.
That’s fantastic! I think the buttercream will successfully last for 2 hours within those weather conditions. You may be able to get by with 3-4 hours but I am not certain as I have not tried that temp myself.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used it as a filler between white cake iced with white buttercream for a wedding cake I made for a friend. It was a huge hit! Thank you again!
I made your strawberry butter cream yesterday and it was absolute PERFECTION.
Very simple and quick to make and just the right amount of strawberry flavor (I used a store bought strawberry jam). Thanks for fabulous recipe!
So happy to hear! Thank you for the feedback.
I made pastry cream filled yellow cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party. When she asked for a strawberry buttercream icing, I went to Google. I found your recipe and, after reading all of the wonderful reviews, decided to try this recipe. It is a HUGE hit!! Everyone loved it. I ended up adding a little bit more preserves than what you called for and a little bit of strawberry extract (only because we LOVE strawberry flavor in our house.) Even with the slight changes, it has been an awesome hit!! I will ABSOLUTELY use this recipe again. (And again and again and again…lol!) Thank you!!
Hi! The cupcakes look amazing and I can’t wait to try the buttercream frosting recipe. I do have a small questions, where did you purchase the edible straws?! They are SUPER cute!
Can I refrigerate frosting or pipe immediately?
Either works!
Do you know if I could use fresh/frozen strawberries for this?
I have never tried it this way but I wonder if you pureed them if it would work? ;)
Amazing, delicious frosting! I used it on sugar cookie bars, and it was perfect. Thank you for this!
Wow its Awesome!!!
Nice recipe thanks for sharing
Awesome recipe thanks for sharing