Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) bag frozen strawberries, unsweetened
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup butter, room temperature (not too soft)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Defrost 1 (20 ounce) bag of frozen strawberries in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator. Place the strawberries and their juice in a colander suspended over a deep mixing bowl. With a rubber spatula, press the thawed berries to force juice into the bowl. Strain the juice if it contains pieces of strawberries.
2. Pour the berry juice from the bowl into a saucepan and boil the juice until it reduces to 1/4 cup. Transfer the reduced berry juice to a heat-proof container.
3. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree the remaining strawberries. Use a fine strainer to remove all the seeds.
4. Stir the pureed strawberries, reduced berry juice, and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice together and set aside.
5. Place 5 tablespoons of flour in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of whole milk a little at a time, stirring well to remove lumps. Heat the mixture until it becomes very thick, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly on the milk/flour mixture to prevent a film from forming on its surface. Allow to cool to room temperature.
6. While the mixture is cooling, cream 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt at the stage.
7. Add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until no graininess remains from the sugar.
8. Mix in 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree until combined, reserving the remaining puree for another use.