Strawberry Glaze (For Donuts, Cakes & Scones)
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A 4-ingredient strawberry glaze that serves a number of sweet purposes! Fresh (or frozen) strawberries are reduced to a thick sauce to deliver deep strawberry flavor. Mixed with powdered sugar, the creamy pink glaze is ready in 20 minutes and can be the literal icing on donuts, cakes, or any baked treat.
My favorite – a healthy drizzle of the glaze on a freshly baked batch of fresh strawberry scones. Or even use it as a cookie glaze for a small batch of strawberry biscuit cookies.
Home baker truth time – this recipe practically happened by accident. As I was testing a batch of breakfast treats (the scones I mention above), I had a small handful of leftover strawberries. Rather than toss them into my smoothie, I decided to combine them with a little powdered sugar and cream. And poof – the creamy strawberry glaze was born.
But there are a few more steps than that (which I walk you through below).😉 My main priority in developing this recipe was to make sure that the strawberry flavor would come through strong. And that is accomplished by reducing strawberry puree into a thick sauce. The same steps to make the base of my super creamy strawberry pudding.
From there, the steps are incredibly simple, and your fresh baked donuts will thank you for the speedy preparation!
How To Make The Glaze
I like to use fresh strawberries because of their bright flavor – but frozen will work if you are making this glaze off-season. Pulse the strawberries in a small blender until smooth.
Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer over a saucepan. Unless you are ok with seeds! Heat the puree over medium heat until it gets thick. Be careful not to overheat it, or it can turn into jelly or even scorch. No fun! Let the strawberry sauce cool for a few minutes.
I love to reduce my strawberries so much, I do the same thing in my refreshing strawberry lemonade to infuse bright flavor. And in the strawberry cupcakes for two to make sure the title ingredient shines.🍓
Mix the strawberry puree with powdered sugar, a little heavy cream, and a pinch of salt (to balance the sweetness), until creamy and smooth. Voila! Your glaze is ready to go.
You can manage the glaze consistency by either adding a little more cream (thinner), or powdered sugar (thicker). The glaze will harden slightly – but not as hard as royal icing. You can add more powdered – a little at a time – for a harder icing.
What did you drizzle (or dunk!) the glaze on? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, it will give me a few more ideas for how to use this pretty pink glaze. 🙂
Fresh Strawberry Glaze For Donuts, Cakes, and Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup (36 g) strawberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 teaspoons heavy cream
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. I recommend fresh strawberries if in season, otherwise frozen strawberries will work.1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
- Strain the strawberry puree through a mesh strainer set over a medium saucepan to remove the seeds (this is optional, if you are ok with seeds). Heat over medium heat until the puree thickens to a thick sauce. After reducing, you should be left with about 1/4 cup.
- Transfer the strawberry sauce to a bowl to cool.
- Add the powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of cream, and the salt. Whisk until the glaze is smooth. Add more cream (or powdered sugar), a teaspoon at a time, to reach your desired consistency.1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 to 4 teaspoons heavy cream, 1 pinch salt
- The glaze is ready to be used immediately on your favorite baked treat! Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature to use and, if needed, add a small splash of cream and stir to loosen. The glaze will harden at room temperature.
Notes
- Serving Size – The recipe is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled.
- Yield – As written, the glaze will be enough for 4 scones, small cake, or small batch of muffins. For a donut glaze, I recommend doubling the recipe to make sure you have enough to dunk the donut.
- Strawberry Reduction – Heating the strawberries removes extra moisture and leaves you with a deep strawberry flavor. You can choose to only puree the strawberries, if so, the glaze will be lighter in flavor.
- Glaze Consistency – The strawberry glaze will be thick and creamy, and will harden slightly at room temperature.
- Storage – Store the glaze in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I do not recommend freezing the glaze.
Nutrition Estimates
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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