Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

As I mentioned, I set aside a few chocolate cupcakes on which to perform experiments of a sweet ‘n’ sinister nature.

Well, consider this second post a crucial feature of any food blog: food failure.

I envisioned a chocolate-covered strawberry in cupcake form, a la Hello Cupcake‘s “Prima Donna.” My results were more akin to a faintly pink, sugary, semi-liquid mess. Like my face at our midnight breakfast, post-prom.

I used the same buttercream recipe, but substituted the mint and milk with a few tablespoons of pureed strawberries. Too much liquid, not enough thickener. (I added meringue powder, to no avail.) And yet, despite the puree overload, the flavor wasn’t nearly intense enough. I’ve tried strawberry jam in the past, but it’s equally disastrous and even more sweet.

Does anyone have a strawberry frosting recipe that doesn’t melt under pressure?