Cranberry Frosting

Pretty vanilla cupcakes frosted with holiday berry frosting.

5 from 1 review

Tart and not-too-sweet cranberry buttercream frosting with a bright, naturally pink color. Fresh cranberries cook into a jam, then blend with cream cheese and butter for a smooth frosting ready in about 20 minutes. Enough for 6 cupcakes or a small 6-inch cake, and it is easily doubled.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cups (approx.)

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Erin Cernich

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons water
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

In a small saucepan, add the cranberries and water. Cook the cranberries over medium-low heat until they start to burst, and the mixture gets jammy. This may take about 5 minutes. It should be thick and not watery.
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, 2 tablespoons water
Over a small bowl, push the cranberry sauce through a fine mesh strainer with a spatula to remove the seeds and pulp. Be sure to scrape the underside of the strainer to get all of the sauce - you should get about 2 tablespoons. Put in the refrigerator to cool. Note - If you prefer a chunky frosting, you can skip straining the cranberry sauce and add about 1 to 2 tablespoons to the frosting.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Use a hand mixer with beater attachments to mix until smooth and creamy. Note - See the Notes section for using your stand mixer.
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Add the vanilla and salt. Then, in increments (to avoid spraying powdered sugar), sift the powdered sugar over the butter mix, beating after each addition. Tip - Sifting the powdered sugar will avoid grainy frosting.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt
With the last addition of powdered sugar, add 1.5 tablespoons of the cranberry sauce and switch to the whisk attachments. Mix the frosting for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Taste the frosting, and if you prefer a stronger cranberry flavor, add more in teaspoon increments. Careful not to add too much, or the frosting will become loose, and you will need to add more powdered sugar.
Tip - If the frosting seems loose, it may need to chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to thicken. Mix it again for about 30 to 60 seconds after it comes out of the fridge to fluff it. The cream cheese can release moisture as it mixes, so be careful not to mix the frosting for too long.
The frosting is ready to use right away or can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week. Give it a mix to fluff it after refrigerating.

Notes

Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe that can be doubled. This recipe will yield enough frosting for 4 to 6 cupcakes (depending on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes) or 1 6-inch cake (single or double layer).
Cream Cheese - Use full-fat cream cheese for the best results. Low-fat and spreadable carton cream cheese will result in a runny frosting.
Cranberries - I prefer to use fresh cranberries for pure cranberry flavor. However, you can use leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays. I don't recommend canned cranberries because they will contain too much moisture.
Stand Mixer – You can use your standard tilt-head stand mixer and attachments with a small 3-quart mixing bowl. Note that when creaming the butter, you will want to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Even though it is a smaller bowl, the butter may want to stick to the sides.

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