Raspberry buttercream frosting is smooth and creamy, perfect for piping onto cakes and cupcakes. This raspberry buttercream recipe is made with real raspberries for a sweet and tart raspberry flavor. Pair this frosting with chocolate, vanilla, white, or lemon cake or cupcakes for the perfect bite!
Ingredients for Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature for easy creaming.
- Powdered sugar: Confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. No need to sift unless there are lumps.
- Raspberry reduction: Cook and puree frozen or fresh raspberries to create a concentrated raspberry sauce. Scroll down to see how to make it or check out this blog post on how to make raspberry reduction!
- Salt: A pinch of salt contrasts the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract rounds out the flavors in the buttercream.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream helps the buttercream become smooth and creamy.
Tools & Supplies for Making Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
How to Make Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Raspberry reduction
First things first – we need to make raspberry reduction! You can make raspberry reduction a day before making the buttercream or the day of, just be sure that it is at room temperature for best results.
To make the raspberry reduction, all you need is 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries.
- Add raspberries to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Use the spoon to mash and break up the raspberries as they cook and soften. The mixture will start to reduce and thicken slightly. After about 10 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Carefully use an immersion blender or transfer the raspberries to a food processor and pulse until smooth. The mixture will be very hot, so be careful.
- Once the raspberry mixture has a smooth consistency, run through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds. Then, transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool completely. Store the raspberry reduction in an airtight container.
This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of raspberry reduction. Two cups of frozen raspberries will typically yield about 1/2 cup of raspberry reduction, but be sure to measure it out when adding to the buttercream.
Raspberry buttercream frosting
To make the raspberry frosting, I recommend using a stand mixer (whisk or paddle attachment – your preference) or an electric hand mixer.
- Whip room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar in two additions, mixing on low in between each addition.
- Pour in cooled raspberry reduction and mix on low.
- Add in vanilla extract and salt.
- Drizzle in heavy cream while mixing on low.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe Tips
Make perfect buttercream frosting
Be sure to check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to learn simple tips and tricks to making the best buttercream frosting!
Strain the raspberry reduction to remove seeds
To create smooth and silky buttercream, I highly recommend running the raspberry reduction through a fine mesh strainer/sieve to remove any seeds. Because we are using an immersion blender to puree the cooked raspberries, most of the seeds will disappear, but running the raspberry puree through a strainer helps remove any excess seeds.
Yield
This recipe makes approximately 4 to 5 cups of frosting. This is typically enough frosting to ice 3 dozen cupcakes or frost a 3-layer 7-inch or 8-inch cake. This will vary depending on how much frosting you use.
Using raspberry buttercream frosting
This frosting recipe is very versatile! Use it to frost a chocolate layer cake or swirl onto chocolate raspberry cupcakes! It also pairs very well with white cake, vanilla cake, or lemon cake.
Storing and serving
Raspberry buttercream frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To use, bring to room temperature and rewhip with your mixer until smooth and creamy. To serve, bring the buttercream to room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze the buttercream?
Yes! The buttercream can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap in the freezer for up to three months! To use, bring the buttercream to room temperature and rewhip on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
Can I use raspberry jam in place of raspberry reduction?
For this recipe, I do not recommend using raspberry jam for two main reasons. Number one, raspberry jam is sweetened which will add additional sweetness to the berry buttercream which could make it too sweet. Number two, when using jam, the raspberry flavor will be a bit muted and less fresh tasting. If you use raspberry jam, I cannot guarantee this recipe will work well.
Could I tint the buttercream?
Sure! But don’t over do it! If you would like to add a drop of pink or red food coloring to the buttercream to enhance the color, stick with gel food coloring for best results.
How do I make strawberry buttercream frosting?
You can make strawberry buttercream frosting with the same process! Check out my recipe for strawberry buttercream frosting to see how it’s done! Instead of using raspberries to make a reduction, use strawberries!
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Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup raspberry reduction see blog post for more information
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.
- Add in raspberry reduction and continue to mix on low speed.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined.
- Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Turn the speed on the mixer to medium and whip for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.
Notes
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Comments & Reviews
Very good and pretty. I may try subbing out 8 oz of the butter for 8 oz cream cheese next time and see how that goes. I think the tang of cream cheese would go well with raspberry flavor. The raspberry flavor was muted, even though I had the full amount of raspberry reduction. I used it for lemon cupcakes (delicious).
Thank you for trying out the recipe! Adding cream cheese sounds like a delicious idea!
Can I use seedless raspberry preserve?
I wouldn’t recommend it if you are trying to get the exact results of this recipe. You can certainly use it if you would like, but it may not turn out the same! But I love experimenting!