Frosted Strawberry Bread Recipe – An Italian in my Kitchen

This frosted strawberry is moist, tender and full of sweet and juicy fresh strawberries. Topped with a creamy strawberry frosting, this quick bread is perfect for using your abundance of summer berries! 

Making bread with fresh strawberries is such a delicious and easy summer dessert recipe! This frosted strawberry bread could also be a breakfast or snack, but it’s so good you will want it for dessert, too! 

 

I love making treats with fresh seasonal produce and when strawberry season is in full swing, I make not only fresh strawberry bread, but other strawberry recipes like homemade strawberry liqueur and strawberry cookies, too. 

This bread has the best tender crumb from mascarpone! With a sweet taste it’s easily an Italian plum cake just like my Italian lemon plumcake, although there are no plums in sight in either of these sweet bread recipes!

Why You Will Love This Fresh Strawberry Bread

• Tastes like summer: This bread uses fresh strawberries for the best strawberry flavor and summer taste! It has a fragrant berry smell yet a delicate light taste.
• Easy to make: Like most quick bread recipes, the ingredients are simple and the bread comes together quickly for breakfast, snack or dessert.

Easy Strawberry Bread Recipe Ingredients

• Baking staples: All-purpose flour or cake flour if you prefer, baking powder and salt.
• Mascarpone cheese: This really adds a creamy texture to the bread. Try making your own homemade mascarpone if you can’t find it to purchase.
• Granulated sugar: White granulated sugar adds sweet taste.
• Eggs: Three large eggs at room temperature are needed for binding the ingredients.
• Vegetable oil: I like how vegetable oil adds a tender crumb. I often use corn oil or sunflower oil. Melted butter also works for a rich taste.
• Fresh strawberries: Look for plump, juicy ripe strawberries. They will need to be finely chopped into small pieces. 
• Strawberry frosting: Pureed strawberries, cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Substitution And Variations

• Other berries: Yes! Try blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or even cranberries. A combination of berries can also be used. Adjust sugar added as need if you use a tart berry.
  Nuts: Add up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans or another kind of nut to the bread. 
• Warm spice: Add up to a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter for a warm taste.
• Zest: A little lemon zest or orange zest would add a little citrus taste. 
• Glaze: Instead of the strawberry frosting, try a vanilla glaze, strawberry glaze or a simple dusting of powdered sugar. 

How To Make Strawberry Bread

To start, in a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients including flour, baking powder and salt. 

Next, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone and sugar until creamy, add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine after each one. Add the oil and beat to combine. 

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in the diced strawberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until done, test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool in pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the strawberry loaf cools, puree strawberries and sugar in a blender. Pour into a bowl then add the softened cream cheese and whisk to combine. Add heavy cream to make it as thin or thick as you want. Spread onto the cooled bread. If you prefer you can dust it with powdered sugar instead of frosting.

Baking Tips

• Prevent bread sinking in the middle: It’s tempting to peek at this bread while it bakes! Opening the oven door, though, allows cool air to enter the oven and you risk the bread sinking in the middle.
• Toss berries in flour: This will help prevent the strawberries from sinking the bread! 
• Remove excess moisture from berries: I like to place my chopped strawberries on a few paper towels after washing and while making the rest of the quick bread batter. 
• Cover top with foil: If you find your bread is browning too quickly near the end of baking time, cover with foil so the inside will finish baking properly until done. 

Storage

• Store: Due to the fresh strawberries which are high in moisture and frosting which contains cream cheese, I would recommend storing this strawberry bread in the fridge. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap or an airtight container and it should keep for up to 4-5 days.
• Freeze: You can freeze either the whole loaf or individual slices. Cool completely then wrap slices or bread in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw bread while still wrapped overnight in the fridge. 

Can I Use A Different Sized Loaf Pan?

Yes! Whether you have a mini loaf pan, smaller loaf pans or a large loaf pan, you can make this fresh strawberry bread. The time will need to be adjusted accordingly. For a mini loaf pan, try 25 minutes, for a small loaf pan start checking for doneness at 30-35 minutes and for a larger loaf pan start checking at 45 minutes. 

How Can I Make This Into Strawberry Muffins?

I usually just make my strawberry cupcakes, but you can make this recipe into muffins if you would like. Fill a 12 cup muffin pan and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes then check for doneness. 

Can I Use Frozen Berries?

Unfortunately not. Frozen strawberries will release too much moisture and make this already moist quick bread mushy. Try my creamy strawberry semifreddo or strawberry mousse both can be made with frozen strawberries! 

How To Tell When My Quick Bread Is Done Baking?

This is sometimes the hardest part when making quick bread! Often the center will not be done baking but the top of the loaf will be golden brown. Check the center of the loaf with a toothpick and if it comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs, it is done. If the toothpick has wet batter, it needs to bake longer. 

More Quick Bread Recipes

Whether you have it for dessert, snack or a slice with your morning coffee I hope you enjoy it!

Updated from July 15, 2018

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