Roasted Strawberry Cardamom Brown Butter Frosting

Background: 

What Valentine's day is without a delicious dessert? This recipe jazzes up a standard boxed cake by leaning into the flavors of browned butter and roasting fruit. This roasted strawberry brown butter frosting is perfect for cupcakes and cakes as it is light and creamy yet not too sweet. If by chance you don’t have strawberries, you can use either frozen or fresh cherries (with the pits removed.) The roasted strawberries not only add a beautiful natural pink color to the frosting, it also brings a touch of tartness that balances the sweetness. The sprinkling of cardamom also gives a touch of Indian flavor to this frosting. The combination of the brown butter, the roasted strawberries and the cardamom make this recipe unique and immediately elevates whatever you are frosting.

Ingredients Roasted Strawberries:

• 10 oz frozen whole strawberries, thawed
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• sprinkle of salt

   

Ingredients Roasted Strawberries:

• 2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• tiny pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp cardamom seeds, powdered

   

Directions For Strawberries: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, before placing thawed strawberries in the middle. Sprinkle the strawberries with brown sugar and salt and drizzle with the olive oil. 
3. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Take out and let cool on the baking sheet until ready to use.

Instructions for Making Brown Butter Frosting

1. Place both sticks of butter in a pan on medium low heat and melt. Once the butter is melted, stay close stirring often until the butter changes color to a light golden brown. 

2. You will first see the butter beginning to foam as the milk solids rise to the top. Keep stirring, watching for the butter to change color. Once you notice the color becoming more golden, you may want to remove it from the heat so it doesn’t burn. Let cool slightly, then pour the browned butter into a container and chill in the refrigerator until it sets, approximately 30-45 minutes.

3. Remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The brown butter should still be solid, but the chill from the refrigerator should be gone. 

4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream 3 oz. of softened cream cheese with a hand blender. Then, add the softened browned butter and whip together. 

5. Next, add 1 ½ cup powdered sugar, a little at a time blending until combined, followed by the vanilla extract, powdered cardamom, and a tiny pinch of salt.  Blend on medium until frosting is whipped and creamy. 

6. Place the roasted strawberries along with its juices in the bowl and blend to combine everything. Taste and add more salt if necessary. 

7. This recipe will make enough to frost a 2 layer cake, with some remaining if you are light with the frosting. 

Veda Sankaran 

Recipe Developer - Owner Jalsa By Veda

Veda is an Indian American mom, wife, teacher, and business woman living in Pittsburgh. Her professional background is in education, but she developed a love of food after 20+ years of cooking for her family. She cooks traditional Indian food, and her strength lies in creativity. She can take spices and flavors of Indian cuisine and use them to create new and unique recipes. Through constant recipe development and creating menus for local pop up dinners in Pittsburgh, she gives reigns to her creativity to use food as a medium for exploring the many facets of identity.

Find her on instagram @jalsabyveda