Pistachio Cupcakes
Bright and cheerful, with a light, sweet, nutty crumb. These Pistachio Cupcakes come adorned with a rich & creamy, only just sweet topping. The fanciest of cupcakes is yours for the taking.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Baking, Cake
Cuisine: Worldwide
Servings: 12
Calories: 385kcal
- 100g/ 3 ½oz caster sugar
- 100g/ 3 ½oz butter - softened
- 100g/ 3 ½oz plain (all purpose) flour
- 1 tsp (level) baking powder
- 60g/ 2oz ground pistachio nuts
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- green gel food colouring (optional)
For the topping
- 250g/ 9oz Mascarpone Cheese
- 400ml double cream (heavy)
- 3 tbsp Icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To Garnish
- Chopped/ ground pistachio nuts
- 12 fresh cherries (optional)
Preheat the oven to 170°C/ 325°F/ GM3 and line a 12-cup cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a small bowl. Add the ground pistachio nuts and stir briefly to combine
In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition
Beat in the milk and a little green colouring (if using) with a spoonful of the flour mixture
Mix in the remaining flour mix
Divide between 12 baking cases
Bake for 17-20 minutes until well risen and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean
Allow to cool completely
Make the topping
Beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth
Add the double cream, vanilla extract and the icing sugar and beat again until the icing holds a firm, but gentle peak
Spoon into a piping bag and pipe the cream onto the cupcakes using a 1 cm star nozzle
Scatter a few chopped pistachios on top and garnish with a cherry
I used a coffee grinder to grind my pistachios. If your food processor has a small bowl attachment, this would work well too. Grind in short bursts until medium fine - a little bit of texture is good. Don't overwork the nuts else they will end up moist and clumpy rather than fine and dry.
I recommend decorating these cupcakes just before serving since the icing contain so much cream and Mascarpone cheese. Once iced, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge - just bring out 30-45 minutes before serving to take the chill off the sponge cake
Un-iced cakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1048IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg