Fresh Strawberry Frosting
This fresh strawberry frosting is rich, creamy, and full of real strawberry flavor. It’s got a secret ingredient! Mascarpone cheese makes it silky smooth and keeps the sweetness just right, so it tastes decadent but not cloyingly sweet. If you prefer homemade frosting with real berry flavor rather than artificial flavors, you’ll love this recipe.
I adore this fresh strawberry frosting because it is light, creamy, and fluffy, with lots of real strawberry flavor. While I love making cream cheese frosting, using mascarpone cheese gives a mild, buttery flavor instead of the tanginess of cream cheese. The result is a rich frosting with a silky-smooth texture that has just the right amount of sweetness. It spreads easily, pipes well, and goes with everything from cupcakes and layer cakes to brownies, blondies, and cookies. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to make with simple ingredients.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with real fresh strawberries and not too sweet.
- Uses mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese for a super creamy texture.
- Perfect for birthdays, holidays, baby showers, and spring desserts.
Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries: Fresh berries give this frosting its bright strawberry flavor and pretty pink color. Puree the berries in a food processor until smooth, then add them to the frosting. Fresh strawberries taste the sweetest, but there are easy substitutions if you need them.
- Mascarpone Cheese: This is the secret to this frosting’s smooth, satiny texture and rich taste. It keeps the sweetness balanced, so the frosting tastes light and luxurious instead of just buttery and sugary. Once you make frosting with mascarpone instead of cream cheese, you’ll be totally hooked! For the best texture, let the mascarpone sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before mixing.
- Unsalted Butter: While we’re using mascarpone cheese, this is still a buttercream frosting. Butter gives the frosting structure and helps make it fluffy. Using unsalted butter lets you control the salt, which brings out the fresh strawberry flavor. Make sure the butter is softened before you begin so it creams smoothly with the mascarpone.
- Powdered sugar: (also known as confectioners’ sugar), sweetens the frosting and makes it silky smooth. Sift it first to remove lumps for a smoother frosting that pipes well. Add the sugar gradually while mixing to blend evenly.
- Depending on how juicy your strawberries are, you might need to add a little milk or heavy cream to get the right consistency.
- Milk: If your frosting feels too thick, add just a teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired texture. You can also use light or heavy cream.
- Salt: I like to use a pinch of salt to help balance the sweetness in this frosting. It also helps to bring out the fresh strawberry flavor. Once your frosting is fully beaten together, taste it and add a little more if needed.
This is a brief overview of our strawberry frosting recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
Recipe Variations:
One of the best parts of this recipe is how easy it is to customize it.
- Swap in thawed frozen berries when fresh fruit is out of season. Thaw them completely, drain off any excess liquid, then make your puree.
- Strawberry jam is a great shortcut. Use about 2 tablespoons of jam instead of the pureed strawberries for a concentrated strawberry flavor. Keep in mind that jam is sweet, so it will also make the frosting sweeter.
- Try fresh raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries for a fun twist on this recipe.
Storage
To Store: Because this fresh strawberry frosting is made with mascarpone and fresh strawberries, it should be refrigerated. Keep it in an airtight container, and it will last for up to 4 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
Before using it again, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes, then give it a quick stir or whip with your stand mixer for 30 to 60 seconds to bring back its light, fluffy texture.
If you’ve already frosted a cake or cupcakes, store the finished dessert covered in the refrigerator. For the best flavor and texture, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead Tips
This frosting is a great make-ahead option for parties and holidays. You can prepare it 1 to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated and covered until you’re ready to decorate.
Serving Suggestions
This frosting is perfect on our banana cupcakes and a fun addition to our lemon cupcakes or lemon cake, too. Serve a dollop piped on top of slices of yogurt cake, or cookie bars. It spreads like a dream on sugar cookies, too.
To Make a Creamy Fruit Dip: fold an 8-ounce container of Cool Whip Topping into the frosting and serve with pieces of fresh fruit, pretzels, or graham crackers. This is great for parties!
This creamy strawberry frosting is too good to make just once! Save the recipe, share it with your favorite baking buddy, and when you’ve had a chance to make it, come back and leave a comment and a 5-star rating. I’d love to hear what you frosted with it!
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
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Ingredients
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 4 ounces butter room temperature
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and halved
- dash milk or cream if needed to thin frosting
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Remove the butter from the refrigerator about 1 hour beforeand the mascarpone about 20-30 minutes before preparing the frosting.4 ounces mascarpone cheese, 4 ounces butter
- Puree the prepared strawberries until smooth.1 cup fresh strawberries
- Beat together the mascarpone and butter until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and then mix in the strawberry puree and salt.pinch salt
- With the mixer speed on low, slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar.2-3 cups powdered sugar
- You may or may not want a dash of milk depending on the consistency.dash milk or cream
- Taste and add additional salt as needed to balance the flavors.
Equipment
- hand-held electric mixer a stand mixer also works great
Notes
Ang’s Recipe Tips
