The Secret To The Most Potent Strawberry Flavor For Your Baked Goods

What's the phrase? "Now we're cooking with gas." Well, now we're cooking with strawberries. Or, rather, now we're baking with strawberries. As with ice cream, vanilla and chocolate tend to take the cake when it comes to baking. However, we really should give strawberries their flowers (or flour), as strawberries might just be the flavor you've been missing in your cakes, muffins, and donuts. But herein lies the problem. How does one go about infusing baked goods with strawberry flavor? You could use strawberry extract, though it often doesn't carry a true, concentrated strawberry flavor. Fresh strawberries, meanwhile, can add too much moisture to a recipe, causing baked goods to not properly rise or set. This is where freeze-dried strawberries come in. 

So what is freeze drying? Simply put, freeze drying is the process by which foods are dehydrated in a way that moves the water content of an item from solid to gas without it first reaching the liquid state, and the result is a better retention of flavor and color. It should be noted that freeze-dried fruits are not the same as dehydrated fruits, so make sure you're using freeze-dried fruits. 

Freeze-dried strawberries are dry, crunchy, brittle, and easily reduced to powder. The berries also have a concentrated, true to berry taste that works very well in baked goods and desserts, or enjoyed on their own. Their intense flavor makes them a great choice for flavoring baked goods, as they give an authentic, sweet-sour taste that is far above that of fake strawberry flavor. They might also be the secret to perfecting your next batch of strawberry muffins or macarons. 

There are many ways to add a bit of concentrated, freeze-dried flavor to your baked goods. Probably the most convenient is to blend your freeze-dried berries into a powder before adding to your batter or dough. You can also chop your freeze-dried berries into small pieces and mix them into your batter if you want a bit of chewy strawberry texture. The strawberry bits will rehydrate during baking and will give your muffin or cake a bit of textural interest. Now, you'll also want to be mindful about the amount of freeze-dried strawberries you use. Though the flavors of the freeze-dried fruit are more concentrated than fresh berries, you will have to use more freeze-dried berries than, say, strawberry extract. 

For cakes, you should use around 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberry powder per single 8-inch cake layer. If you're making icing or frostings, many recipes call for 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries per 12 icing servings (so, a batch large enough for one dozen cupcakes). You can also add in chopped freeze-dried strawberries to your baked goods. If you're making strawberry muffins with chopped freeze-dried fruit, you can add about 30 to 60 grams of the fruit, which is about 1 to 2 ounces. If you're using a recipe that calls for a specific amount of freeze-dried fruit, it's best to stick to your recipe's instructions.

While freeze-dried strawberries work well in many recipes, there are some case in which it might not be the best option for your particular project. For example, if you're baking something such as a tart or a pie, where strawberries are used as a filling, freeze-dried strawberries simply won't work. Additionally, if you're hoping for a more subtle, mellow strawberry flavor, or to make a strawberry syrup (perfect for a fresh and springy matcha latte), you might want to use fresh strawberries. There are also situations in which using freeze-dried or fresh is simply a matter of personal preference, rather than one working better than the other. 

Cakes and muffins, for example, can be made with either fresh strawberries or freeze-dried. Cakes made with fresh berries will be softer (thanks to the berries' water content), but will also have a less vibrant color. Meanwhile, freeze-dried berries will give you a true strawberry flavor, pink color, and slightly tangy edge. Then there are some baking projects, such as the delicate and delicious macaron, which have a finicky batter (seriously, macarons are so fussy that even weather can impact how they turn out). This batter could separate or come undone if fresh strawberries are added, so the freeze-dried version works best in this context. Similarly, icings and frostings will yield a more consistent texture with freeze-dried berries.