This strawberry cream cheese frosting is a sweet and fruity way to top off your favorite cupcakes and cakes! Freeze-dried strawberries are mixed into the cream cheese buttercream to add both a light and refreshing flavor as well as a nice pink color! As an added bonus, you can enjoy it right away or store it in the freezer for later!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Recipe
I feel like strawberry is such an underrated flavor. Chocolate and vanilla always get to be the star of the show, but strawberry is just as deserving! Strawberry shortcake, Neapolitan ice cream, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberries and cream- you name it!
This cream cheese buttercream incorporates freeze-dried strawberries so that you can enjoy the flavor whenever you like! Plus, it tastes fantastic on cakes, cookies, and desserts that are chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla!
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Take a look at my guide on how to frost a cake for some super helpful tips and tricks!
🥘 Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
This simple frosting only requires 5 ingredients! Plus, they are all super easy to find at the grocery store!
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries - 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries. Make sure you are using freeze-dried ones and not ones that are just "dried", as they are chewy and would be hard to puree into a powder!
- Butter - 1 cup of room-temperature butter. Check out my guide on how to soften your butter here.
- Cream Cheese - 8 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese.
- Confectioners' Sugar - 4 cups of confectioners' sugar.
- Vanilla - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. You could also swap this out for strawberry extract if you have some on hand!
- Salt (optional) - A pinch of salt will help to add some depth and balance to the flavors.
- Almond Extract (optional) - ¼ teaspoon of almond extract is a nice touch.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🍴 Equipment Needed To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
There are a few tools you'll want to have on hand for this frosting. First, you'll need a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet to pulse your freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder.
Of course you can place the freeze dried strawberries in a zip lock type bag and use a rolling pin or something heavy to crush them.
Next, you'll want to grab your stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat it all together. Of course, if you don't have a stand mixer, a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer will work just as well!
🔪 How To Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting truly is as easy as just mixing it all together! If you are using it to frost a cake, make sure the cake is completely cool before you start!
You can use this recipe to lightly frost 18 cupcakes or frost 12 cupcakes with a heavy hand. It is also enough to coat a 9x13 cake or an 8 or 9-inch two-tier cake!
- Puree strawberries. Use a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet to puree 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder. You can leave some small pieces if desired, but the larger any chunks of strawberry are the less likely that you will be able to pipe the frosting easily.
- Cream together. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the 1 cup of room-temperature butter and 8 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese together for 5-6 minutes, or until the mixture becomes creamy, smooth, and pale.
- Add. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon of almond extract (if using), and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar. Mix at medium speed then add the pureed strawberry powder and mix until smooth. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar until fully combined.
- Finish. Once all of the confectioners' sugar has been incorporated, continue whipping on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light, creamy and fluffy. Taste and add a pinch of salt to reduce sweetness if desired.
Spread this strawberry buttercream over some vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cake, or even fudge brownies! Try it on your favorite treats and let me know how it goes! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Mix in a ¼ teaspoon of almond extract for a nice and delicious undertone!
- Feel free to mix in a couple of drops of red food coloring if you want the color to be more vibrant, although I feel that it looks beautiful exactly as it is!
- Make sure to scrape down the sides and edges of the bowl as you go! This ensures all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
- This recipe yields enough frosting to lightly frost 18 cupcakes, or generously frost 12. You can also use it to frost a 9x13 cake, or a two-tier 8 or 9-inch cake.
🥡 Storing
Since cream cheese is perishable, you will need to keep your frosted cakes or cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Transfer your leftover frosting to a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It can be kept for up to one month.
This frosting freezes really well! Simply place it in a Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, allow it to defrost in the fridge overnight.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use fresh strawberries. However, it does require a bit more work. You will need about 1 cup of fresh strawberries. Go ahead and puree them in the blender. Then, you'll want to strain the mixture to get rid of seeds.
Pour the puree into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the strawberries to simmer for about 5 minutes in order to thicken up. Finally, let it cool to room temperature before mixing it into the frosting.
*If you add the puree without boiling it down, it will cause your frosting to be too runny.
Yes. Cream cheese is a dairy product that can spoil if left at room temperature for too long. However, it can remain at room temperature for up to 2 hours. After that, it will need to go into the fridge.
Yep! Make your frosting a few days in advance and store it in the fridge. Once ready, transfer the frosting to the counter for about 30 minutes so that it is easier to pipe or spread!
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📖 Recipe Card
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 oz freeze dried strawberries
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened, at room temperature)
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or strawberry extract)
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Use a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet to puree the freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder. You can leave some small pieces if desired, but the larger any chunks of strawberry are the less likely that you will be able to pipe the frosting easily.
- In a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl (with the paddle attachment), beat your slightly softened butter and cream cheese together for 5-6 minutes or until pale or light in color, smooth, and creamy.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar. Mix at medium speed then add the pureed strawberry powder and mix until smooth. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar until fully combined.
- Once all of the confectioners' sugar has been incorporated, continue whipping on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light, creamy and fluffy. Taste and add a pinch of salt to reduce sweetness if desired.
Notes
- Mix in a ¼ teaspoon of almond extract for a nice and delicious undertone!
- Feel free to mix in a couple of drops of red food coloring if you want the color to be more vibrant, although I feel that it looks beautiful exactly as it is!
- This recipe yields enough frosting to lightly frost 18 cupcakes, or generously frost 12. You can also use it to frost a 9x13 cake, or a two-tier 8 or 9-inch cake.
- To store: Since cream cheese is perishable, you will need to keep your frosted cakes or cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To store unused buttercream: Transfer your leftover frosting to a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It can be kept for up to one month.
- To freeze: This frosting freezes really well! Simply place it in a Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, allow it to defrost in the fridge overnight.
Carol Stone says
Made this recipe for the first time yesterday for a party. It was supposed to be for Christmas, so I used a couple of drops of red food coloring. It was just enough to brighten the color to red and not pink!anyway every woman there and a couple of the men, wanted to know what I had done to the frosting, they said within my hearing, that, that was one of the best cupcakes they had eaten.by the end of said party I had to promise I would print the recipe out and pass it along. I did tell them that to get the great taste of strawberry it would take a few extra steps. They all said the extra steps were worth it