I was asked to make a yellow cake with strawberry icing for a Strawberry Shortcake themed cake. Is there a way to make one without using an extract? I usually use Lorann's but not sure if I have time to make it to cake store to purchase.

I will be making a PS based American style buttercream. What can I add to make it strawberry flavor, without giving it a wonky texture. Keep in mind I am placing fondant accents on the iced cake.

Wish they went with a strawberry cake and vanilla icing...oh well.

Icing fruit:

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/product.aspx?T=1&productId=619093

http://www.thebakerskitchen.net/icing_fruit.aspx

HTH

Thanks for the tip JanH. I have wanted to try the icing fruit, but unfortunately time is not on my side for online orders either. My friend just told me today he wanted this for his daughter and my schedule is packed but I may just have to make that drive to the cake store. Does McCormick's make a strawberry extract that I can just pick up at the grocery store?

I take it you don't want to use fresh strawberries or a strawberry jam...how about strawberry jello or kool aid into the buttercream....IDK, just throwing ideas out there.

Those are the ideas I am looking for. Will jello give it a funny texture? How do you use kool aid? I am looking for any tried and true idea, that can be purchased easily at a grocery store. But I need recipes/proportions since this is all new territory to me.

I am wary of using fresh strawberries in the icing, maybe the filling but not icing. I don't want any fruit lumps or seeds showing in the icing. I need it to be uniform in color and texture.

could you puree the strawberries then pass thru fine mesh strainer/cheesecloth? I do that with raspberries and blackberries all the time...no lumps there...fresh, wonderful taste.

if it was me, i would talk to them about having strawberry filling, which ever way you want to make it. then just your smooth b/c for the frosting. the sleeve filling that you see on different cake sites. and the filling that janH mentioned . they are great fillings. add them to your b/c , or put right between the layers. strawberry spread at the local groceries are good. like the all fruit kind. a c/cer tells she makes her strawberry filling, using the strawberry jam, spread, preserves, mixes it with strawberry jello. mixes it really good. lets set up for a bit. says it is is delicious. haven,t tried it. but want to. even that would be good mixed with your regular b/c for filling. than , again. use your reg. b/c for frosting. again, i would speak to the client about it first. good luck.you can still use the butter cake.

I use jello. Just heat it up a little with just a little water until it dissolves then add slowly to the buttercream, to taste. Since you can use any of jello's flavors there is a quite a lot of possibilities with jello buttercreams. I also make different flavored cakes with their jellos. Hope this helps!

The grocery store has strawberry extract, made by McCormick I think. It's red but makes pink buttercream. It actually tastes a lot better than Lorann's strawberry, less like chemicals.

Texas Rose that is exactly what I wanted to hear, hope I can find it easily.
However that jello idea intrigues me...is there a specific recipe somewhere?

Thanks for everyone's ideas! If you have any more please post!

This is for a friend who expects a lot on a little budget (has never even covered my expenses, but that is my fault for not speaking up) so I want to make it as easy on my time and pocket as possible.

I have used kool-aid before. I just added a little at a time until I got the flavor I wanted. Word of caution though, if you use kool-aid, let the icing sit for an hour or two and remix. You will get little dots of concentrated color when you mix up the koolaid. By allowing to sit and remix you get the color distributed evenly. I love using this for filling between layers.

I have a good one if you can get it... freeze dried strawberries.. run them through your food processor to a fine crumb and swirl into your BC... delicious to the max with full of real strawberry flavor and color!

i add strawberry jam to mine

it turns it a nice pink, with no colouring. And I like the little bits of strawberry in it.... it looks more... "fresh" i was to say?

I just boiled frozen strawberries with sugar until I have a thick syrup, strain it and used that for liquid in my buttercream. It tasted like fresh strawberries.

My tiny little Walmart has started carrying Lorann extracts. I don't know what they normally run, but here there $2 for two little bottles. They are with the Wilton supplies.

I guess I really meant to ask if there was a way to flavor the icing with grocery store products. I didn't realize Mccormick made a decent strawberry extract, I had always used Lorann's but had no time to get to cake store or order it. I had only checked one grocery store and only saw raspberry. After a few searches I found the Mccormick's strawberry, yay!

These were all great ideas, and I want to experiment with jello or kool aid. I also will order some icing fruit next time I place an order. I had that on my things to try list and forgot until this post.

Thanks everyone for your help!

if you want lorann oils check your local drug store back by the pharmacy! They use them to flavor cough syrups and antibiotics!

Eek gads! is that what they use? Ewwww! Who wants to use those then? If kids hate their meds and the cake will have an Erie strange and yucky flavor. In this case I will stay far away from the lorann cherry, grape, bubblegum and strawberry!

Actually , I've used the Lorann strawberry for strawberry icing. It turned out really delicious.

I used 1/8 tsp. for three cups of icing.

But I have used the key lime, orange and butter rum flavors and they are great! So don't not buy them because of that. And some may even like the medicine flavored with lorann. But the medicine flavor thing will be the deal breaker here.

well, add what you want to the medicine it's STILL nasty.........even lorann oils can't fix that! lol

I use the raspberry all the time for white choc. raspberry cake.....it's soooooo yummy!

Does anyone know where i can find a Kool-aid strawberry Flavor cake. I am doing a Cake this weekend for a Man that loves Kool-Aid and the wife wanted to get him a Kool-Aid Man Cake with a strawberry flavor cake. it would be great if i can make the cake with the strawberry kool-aid flavor mix in the cake mix. Can someone help me by sharing how you do it or were can i find a recipe for it

Thank you ahead of time.
the cake is for this Friday so I will start on it tomorrow.

Shaddi