I’m always on the hunt for flavorful, yet lower sugar frostings for cupcakes and cakes and this Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is my new favorite. It’s easy, SO intensely strawberry flavored, and a lot less sweet than traditional buttercream. And it’s such a pretty color!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
When trying to serve up lower sugar baked goods at home, it can be hard to make a frosting that tastes as good as the kind you’d get at the bakery. This one though, it totally passes muster. It’s sweet from strawberries, is creamy from cream cheese and butter, and it’s a perfect match for vanilla or chocolate cupcakes or cake.
Ingredients in Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
To make this easy frosting recipe you’ll need:
- Freeze-dried strawberries
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Maple syrup
TIP: I use freeze-dried strawberries here since their flavor is intense and they don’t add any extra moisture to the frosting. Look for them at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Target, and Amazon.
How to Make Strawberry Frosting Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the process involved in this recipe. See the full recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Grind the strawberries into a powder.
- Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix with a hand held electric mixer.
- Place into a zip top bag and seal. Cut off one bottom corner to use as a piping bag.
TIP: You can make the frosting up to 24 hours ahead. Store in the bag in the fridge (without cutting off a corner) until ready to use.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
We love to pair this frosting with my lower sugar Vanilla Cupcakes. It would also be great with chocolate cupcakes!
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting- Let the cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature for a few hours so it’s very soft to the touch. This will help it mix up smoothly.
- Grind the strawberries to form a fine powder.
- Add 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar to make the frosting sweeter if you’d like. (I sometimes do this if serving to older kids and/or adult who may expect a sweeter frosting.)
- Top with sprinkles if desired.
- Use freeze-dried blueberries in place of the strawberries if you’d like a different flavor.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
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PinDescription
You can make this up to 24 hours ahead and store in a plastic zip top bag in the fridge until ready to use.
Ingredients
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 8 ounces cream cheese (I like full fat), softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), softened at room temperature
- 2–3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, optional
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Place the strawberries into a blender or clean spice grinder. Grind into a fine powder.
- Add to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend well using a hand held electric mixer on high speed to make a fluffy frosting.
- Transfer to a zip top quart size bag. Seal. Cut off one bottom corner and pipe onto cupcakes. (You can also just use a spatula to frost onto a cake.)
Notes
Let the cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature for a few hours so it’s very soft to the touch. This will help it mix up smoothly.
Grind the strawberries to form a fine powder.
Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar to make the frosting sweeter if you’d like. (I sometimes do this if serving to older kids and/or adult who may expect a sweeter frosting.)
Top with sprinkles if desired.
Use freeze-dried blueberries in place of the strawberries if you’d like a different flavor.
