Fresh Cherry Frosting

Name: Fresh Cherry Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (154g) cherries; 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup (130g) confectioner's sugar (sifted & divided); 1/8 tsp salt

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This luscious cherry frosting is made with real, fresh cherries whipped into a dreamy, fluffy buttercream frosting. The cherry flavour is rich from reducing the berries. I love the little flecks of berry reduction visible throughout the frosting, bursting with tastiness.

A cherry on top of a bowl of cherry buttercream frosting.

This frosting is easy to make and so versatile! It is simply heavenly when paired with desserts, such as chocolate cake or almond cookies. I used it on this loaf cake marbled with vanilla and chocolate swirls and the resulting flavour was divine.

Overhead of a marble loaf cake decorated with cherry frosting and fresh cherries.

I love that this frosting features natural colours. You should also see this matcha cream cheese frosting for another beautiful, naturally coloured icing option.

I was inspired to make this recipe after a visit to my friends who live in the Okanagan valley, which is full of fruit orchards. At a local farmers' market I picked up some amazing, deep red cherries. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

Ingredients

Cherries - The deeper the red of the cherries, the more vibrant the colour of the frosting will be. I used these amazing, dark red cherries from an orchard in the Okanagan Valley. They had a rich, almost plum-like colour.
Unsalted butter
Pure vanilla extract
Confectioner's sugar
Salt

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Instructions

Prepare the cherries by rinsing, de-stemming, halving, and pitting them.

Halved and pitted cherries on a cutting board.

Use a blender or food processor to purée the cherries.

Reduce the purée in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir frequently and cook it down until you have just a few tablespoons of jammy reduction remaining. It took me about 15 minutes. Be very careful to not let it burn. Remove the reduction from the pan and allow it to cool.

Whip the butter and half of the powdered sugar together for 5 minutes in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. This is to get the perfect fluffy texture and structure in the frosting.

Butter being whipped with confectioner's sugar in a stand mixer.

Add in the vanilla and half of the cherry reduction. Mix until just blended. Add the remaining half of the powdered sugar and mix. Finally, add remaining reduction and salt and mix to combine.

A hand holding a bowl of cherry frosting.

The end result is about a cup of luscious, fresh cherry frosting. You can use this on an endless variety of desserts.

Substitutions

Cherries - I prefer to use fresh berries in this recipe for a more vibrant flavour, however, you can use frozen in a pinch. Make sure to thaw before puréeing.

Other berries - feel free to swap out the cherries in this recipe for another kind of berry. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries..

A cherry-topped bowl of cherry frosting.

Equipment

To make this recipe, you will need a blender or food processor to purée the cherries. You will also need either a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the buttercream.

blender

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stand mixer

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Close up image of cherry frosting with a cherry on top.

Tips for success

For the fluffiest buttercream, make sure that you don't skimp on time when whipping the butter and sugar together.

If you are unable to get cherries with highly pigmented colour, you could supplement the colour of your frosting with a little bit of red gel food colour.

FAQ

How long does cherry frosting keep?

Fresh cherry frosting can be kept at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 day. To store in the fridge, store in an airtight container with minimal extra air space.

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