RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting made with butter, powder sugar, and raspberry jam which gives the frosting a lovely pink color & bright raspberry flavor!

Read on for how to make buttercream frosting at home and make sure to check out our helpful tips too!

Raspberry jam buttercream is a delightful addition to any dessert, bringing a burst of flavor that you are sure to love. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a rich and creamy frosting that perfectly complements cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more! 

Helpful tips for making homemade frosting

Making frosting at home is a really easy task with a few simple tips. Follow these guidelines and you will be golden!

• Mixing: Use an electric mixer, if possible. This will ensure a lovely smooth frosting texture. Start mixing at a low speed to avoid powdered sugar clouds, then increase to high for fluffy results.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Start with room temperature butter, not softened, this helps achieve a creamy texture. Try to think ahead and set the butter out about an hour beforehand, you won’t regret it!
• Ingredient additions: Cream the butter completely and then start adding in the other ingredients. This is a super important step to follow for wonderful creamy frosting!

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

Butter: You need ½ cup of butter, softened, to create a nice rich frosting. I use salted butter whenever I make buttercream frostings because I love the depth of flavor that the salt gives. If you only have unsalted butter on hand, I would strongly suggest adding a tiny pinch of salt to the recipe.

Powdered Sugar: For the base of this frosting recipe, you will need 3 cups of powder sugar. This is a must for making homemade frosting, no way to substitute this one.

Milk: Adding in 1 TBSP of milk will help create a great frosting consistency. The fat content isn’t as important, anything from skim to whole to half n half would work well.

Vanilla extract: Use ½ tsp of vanilla extract to give this frosting amazing flavor.

Raspberry Jam: To give this frosting the best flavor, add in 3 TBSP of raspberry jam, homemade or store bought. I like to purchase the seedless raspberry jam at my local grocery store which results in a smooth frosting without seeds.

Key Steps for Making Raspberry Frosting

1. Fully cream the Butter: A critical step in making this homemade jam frosting has to do with the butter. It is important that it is room temperature, hopefully you remembered to put it out an hour or so beforehand. Then cream the butter with an electric mixer until it is pale before adding any other ingredients.
2. Adjusting Consistency: Once you’ve started adding the other ingredients, alternating powder sugar, then jam, and so on and so forth…If the frosting feels too thick, you can adjust the amount of milk. Be careful not to add too much, a little goes a long way.
3. Final Touches: Saving the best part for last, taste test!! Be sure to taste the frosting and adjust the sweetness if necessary. Adding an additional tablespoon of jam for an extra fruity base, or thin the frosting out with a little extra milk. Just make sure any addition is balanced with a little powder sugar as well to keep the consistency intact.

How long is this frosting good for? How do you store it?

You can store leftover frosting at room temperature for 2-3 days, but if you are wanting to extend the life of the frosting to about a week, I highly recommend keeping it in the fridge.

Pull the frosting out about 30 minutes prior to using to allow it to come to room temperate. You may need to whip it a little bit with you mixer to achieve the original texture.

Do I need a mixer to make homemade frosting?

Using a mixer like pictured above definitely makes this recipe much easier and much faster, although it is not required. If all you have is a electric hand mixer, you will be able to successfully make this recipe, too.

If you don’t have either of those, you can use a whisk/silicone spatula, just make sure your butter is room temperature and soft. You will need to use a bit more milk to be able to work with the frosting, so the taste would still be amazing, it would be hard to get it to piping consistency, though.

Is it possible to create a dairy-free version of raspberry frosting?

Yes, a dairy-free version can be made by substituting the butter with a dairy-free alternative, such as vegan butter or coconut oil. The milk can also be replaced with a plant-based milk like almond or coconut milk. These substitutions will help in creating a deliciously creamy frosting without any dairy.

Does homemade frosting need to be refrigerated?

This is a question a lot of people have, the short answer is: no. The long answer is: No, because there is so much sugar in this recipe it stabilizes the small amount of milk that is in the recipe causing it to not spoil. Once your treat is frosted, it can safely be kept at room temperature for a few days.

Can I make raspberry frosting using fresh raspberries?

Fresh raspberries can be used, but they will change the texture and consistency of the frosting. They contain more moisture, which might require adjusting the amount of powdered sugar. To achieve a smooth and spreadable frosting, it’s best to puree the raspberries first and strain out the seeds.

What should I use my Raspberry Frosting on?

This raspberry frosting is delicious on so many treats!! Below are a few of my favorites.

• Sugar cookies
• Sugar cookie bars
• Sweet rolls
• Cupcakes
• Cakes
• Sandwich cookies
• Brownies

Try more of our favorite homemade frosting recipes here:

• For a delightful tropical flavor, make this coconut buttercream frosting. Serve up some coconut cupcakes at your next summer luau!
• When it’s strawberry season, buy a flat and make this incredibly delicious strawberry buttercream recipe!
• Switch up the flavor with a unique twist, our marshmallow buttercream frosting is like nothing you’ve had before!
• I can’t leave this one out, this recipe for lemon marshmallow frosting is simply heavenly. You can make the banana cupcakes or now, but don’t miss out on this cupcake topping!

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting is made with only 5 simple ingredients: butter, powder sugar, milk, vanilla, and jam. This buttercream frosting recipe is a great for topping for many types of treats, cakes, cupcakes, or sweet rolls to name a few!