Instructions

1. Bring strawberry puree to room temperature. Strain the puree using a colander to eliminate some of the excess water.

2. Scoop store-bought buttercream into a mixing bowl, or prepare your favorite buttercream recipe in a stand mixer or by using a hand mixer and bowl. The texture should be light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed, so that all the buttercream is in the bottom.

3. Add half of the strawberry puree and a few drops of the vanilla and optional strawberry liqueur. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest setting and beat the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes or until incorporated. Too much puree all at once can make the buttercream overly runny.

4. Add additional puree, vanilla and liqueur to achieve the desire taste and color. Beat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Don't overbeat, or the buttercream will have too much added air and be too light to spread. The texture should resemble a fluffy strawberry ice cream.

5. Let the strawberry buttercream rest for a few minutes. It will continue to firm up after you stop beating.

6. Frost your cake or cupcakes and decorate with extra strawberries, if desired. If during icing the cake, the icing isn't thick enough, refrigerate the icing bowl for about 10 to 15 minutes or place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.