An easy and delicious strawberry buttercream that is bursting with strawberry flavors!
Cream 2 sticks of unsalted butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
In a food processor, blitz 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries until powder. Sift powder and remove any larger pieces. Set aside.
Measure and sift powdered sugar and set aside in a separate bowl.
Once the butter is creamed, add the powdered strawberries and one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Taste the frosting, if overly sweet for your taste, add a pinch of salt. See note below.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or extract and ¼ cup of strawberry preserves.
Beat on low speed until combined, then increase speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Set frosting aside and cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out until ready to use.
Note: If the frosting is too sweet, you can add a pinch of kosher salt or use 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter with 1/2 stick of salted butter instead of 2 sticks unsalted butter.
If the frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of whole milk at a time until the frosting reaches desired consistency.