Spring Buttercream Board

The Spring Buttercream Board is a dessert-lover’s dream, featuring three luscious buttercreams – classic vanilla, zesty lemon-orange, and fresh strawberry – beautifully spread out to be enjoyed alongside cake slices, cookies, fresh fruit, and more. It’s the perfect way to indulge in your favorite treats all season long.

There’s just something about spring that makes me go into “host mode”. Maybe it’s the warmer weather, the longer days, or just needing an excuse to bring people together over good food after those long, Iowa winters. But, as much as I love a well-planned menu, I also love a low-effort, high-impact dish that makes me look like I have my life together. Enter the Spring Buttercream Board.

This board has everything I want in a springtime dessert: bright, citrusy flavors, creamy vanilla sweetness, and a pop of fresh strawberries all accompanied by a variety of sweet and salty snacks. It’s indulgent yet light enough that you can still justify going back for another serving (or five). Just like a charcuterie board, but for dessert, it invites guests to dip, spread, and build their own perfect bite.

So, whether you’re looking for something exciting to include at your Mother’s Day brunch, a get together with friends, or just want a fun excuse to eat buttercream by the spoonful (no judgement! Why do you think I made this in the first place?), this Spring Buttercream Board is the way to go.

More Charcuterie Board Recipes

What You’ll Need

• Stand mixer or hand mixer: to combine the ingredients for your three buttercreams. For the strawberry buttercream, we recommend using a paddle attachment with your stand mixer.
• Large charcuterie board: to place your buttercreams and dipping treats on. Be sure to pick one that is big enough for all of your ingredients.
• Offset spatula: to add your buttercreams to the charcuterie board. The size of the offset spatula is perfect if you want to create a design with your buttercream. You could also use piping bags.

Storage Information

This all depends on what you choose to include on your Spring Buttercream Board. Cookies, crackers, and pretzels can go back in the containers they came in. The cake roll slices should be placed back in their clamshells and refrigerated. The buttercream should be placed in an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator. The buttercream can stay refrigerated for up to a week.

Tips for Making a Spring Buttercream Board

• Choose items with a variety of flavors, textures, and colors. This will allow your board to be enjoyed by the greatest number of people while also making it appear fun and vibrant.
• To help balance your board, avoid putting too many similar items next to each other. This allows you to create contrast in color and texture thus maximizing the visual appeal of your board.
• Feel free to move and adjust items as you go. Tweak and alter the placement of items as you add more to your board until you achieve the look you want. Also, keep in mind that you can have items slightly hanging over the edge of the board to achieve a more natural and effortless look.

How to Build a Spring Buttercream Board

Servings: This board is perfect for parties as you can easily stock it to serve as many people as you’d like. The amounts we used will serve approximately 10+ people.

Ingredients

Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Lemon-Orange Buttercream:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• Zest from 1 orange
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Strawberry Buttercream:

• 1 c. salted butter, softened
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, chopped

Additional Treats:

• 1 Dutch Apron® Bakery Strawberry Cheesecake Cake Roll, sliced
• 1 Dutch Apron® Bakery Lemon Crème Cake Roll, sliced
• Sugar cookies
• Graham crackers
• Vanilla wafers
• Fresh fruit
• Pretzels

Instructions

Create the Vanilla Buttercream

1. In a large mixing bowl (or in your stand mixer), beat the butter and vanilla on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 c. at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add milk and salt. Beat until smooth then set aside.

Make the Lemon-Orange Buttercream

4. Beat butter, orange zest, and lemon zest together for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy.
5. Gradually, mix in the powdered sugar, alternating with lemon and orange juice. Mix at low speed after each addition.
6. If the consistency is too thick, add 1 tbsp. more juice, 1 tsp. at a time, until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the Strawberry Buttercream

7. In a large mixing bowl (or in your stand mixer), beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute, or until creamy.
8. Gradually, add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and chopped strawberries. Mix until creamy.
9. Increase to medium-high speed and beat until light and fluffy.

Assemble the Buttercream Board

10. Spoon each different buttercream onto the board in different sections, spread them out with an offset spatula or use piping bags to create a more detailed design.
11. Garnish the buttercream with fresh fruit slices, citrus zest, or extra chopped strawberries for an elegant finish.
12. Add your larger dipping treats, like cookies, graham crackers, and cake roll slices. Place them at various spots around the board. You’ll want at least a few on each side to ensure your board is balanced.
13. Fill in the remaining gaps with your smaller items like wafers, fruits, and pretzels.