Whip up this lip-smacking, silky smooth strawberry frosting in a matter of minutes to serve on top of cupcakes, cakes, bars, and more. You will be shocked to know this particular recipe contains no refined sugars, artificial flavors, or artificial colors. The vibrant pink color comes merely from strawberries – that’s it! The end result is a light, smooth, flavorful, and perfectly sweet frosting that holds its shape beautifully.
I’ve briefly thought about experimenting with sugar for frostings. Since I prefer foods in their most natural state, using powdered (or confectioner’s) sugar isn’t ideal. While it makes frostings light and fluffy, it doesn’t make friends with the GI tract.
For some reason, I assumed using honey or maple syrup as the only sweetener would create a thin frosting unable to hold its shape. I mean what’s is more frustrating than putting time into making homemade frosting only to have it drip down the side of your dessert and look like an unattractive puddle of soupy topping?
I brainstormed ingredients to use that produce as little liquid as possible. Honey is thicker than maple syrup. Honey it is! I wanted a strawberry frosting and using fresh strawberries (or even worse – frozen strawberries) would add too much liquid. Using “strawberry flavoring” is not an option either. I add freeze-dried fruits often in yogurt, oatmeal, and smoothies. Why not try freeze-dried strawberries? There’s no liquid, and the ingredient is only strawberries (make sure you shop around for one that is only made with strawberries. A lot of companies add extra sugar and flavoring to their product. Scroll down to the notes section to see what I use). Freeze-dried strawberries it is!
What a delicious match made it heaven! Why was I ever so nervous about using honey? The frosting is sooooo thick and creamy, holding its shape beautifully. The vibrant pink color naturally comes from strawberries. The perfect amount of sweetness comes from honey. The creamy and smooth texture comes from butter. I use butter made from grass-fed cows because it adds a clean richness to the frosting that I LOVE!
If you prefer your frosting extra sweet, you can easily adjust the amount of honey and strawberry powder you add. If you do want more honey, I would also add more strawberry powder to counter the extra sweetness and liquid texture.
Strawberry Frosting (3 Ingredients)
Makes enough frosting to generously top 12 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup raw honey
- ½ cup strawberry powder (see notes)
METHOD
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl.
- Using either the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, beat butter on high speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Beat in honey and strawberry powder until smooth and well-combined.
- Set aside until ready to use.
NOTES:
- To make strawberry powder, simply blend freeze-dried strawberries in a blender or food processor until a thin powder forms. For this recipe, I used two of these 1/3 oz. bags of organic freeze-dried strawberries.
- Store frosting in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to 3 months
- Frosting is best enjoyed at room temperature – so, if you store cupcakes in the fridge, allow them to come to room temperature before eating (if you can wait that long).
