In a 2 quart saucepan, heat the chopped strawberries over medium heat. Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
Use a potato masher to break down the strawberries as they cook. You want them to be as finely pureed as possible. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until nearly all liquid has evaporated.
Cook for about 10 minutes total, until the puree has reduced by half (you will have ½ cup of strawberry puree when done.)
Remove puree reduction from heat and cool to room temperature in the refrigerator before preparing frosting.
Frosting Instructions:
Beat together softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
Add in vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Beat in 5 cups of powdered sugar, working in batches to reduce the mess.
Beat in remaining cooled strawberry puree reduction.
Notes
When piping cupcakes, keep your batch of frosting in the fridge until you are ready to add it to the piping bag. This will keep it firm so it holds its shape.
If you are using the icing in between cake layers, freeze each layer first. This makes it easy for the crumb coat to go on and you don't waste frosting.
Can't get ahold of fresh strawberries? Use strawberry jam instead or thaw frozen strawberries.
*Nutrition facts represent a standardized 1 ½ Tablespoon serving size. Generally speaking, 1 cup of frosting will frost 12 cupcakes. The piped frosting here is quite a bit more than a standard serving size. You can frost about 2-3 dozen cupcakes with big swirls. The recipe yields 6 cups of frosting and is enough to cover a 2-3 layer, 8-inch round cake.