Pistachio Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

These pistachio cupcakes with strawberry buttercream are a go-to after I need one thing just a little completely different from the same old cupcake flavors. They’re at all times a crowd-pleaser! Many readers have even used this similar batter to make a 6-inch cake, too. The buttery pistachios mix superbly with hints of vanilla and almond, all wrapped up in a smooth and fluffy cake crumb.

I initially revealed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new pictures and extra success ideas.

One reader, Katie, commented: “The strawberry/pistachio mixture is sensible. I’ve made these two years in a row for my husband’s birthday and they’re our favourite cupcakes ★★★★★”

Pistachio is an underrated taste within the dessert world. The nuts are definitely scrumptious cracked open and eaten on their very own, however even higher after they shine as the principle taste in ice cream. Or pistachio cake, or pistachio cookies! Or, better of all, cupcakes.

By the way in which, do you know that pistachio ice cream is often flavored with almond extract? It enhances the pistachio taste.

Inform Me About These Pistachio Cupcakes

• Taste: The pistachio taste isn’t tremendous sturdy and that’s as a result of we’re counting on the precise nuts and never synthetic pistachio taste. You possibly can definitely add synthetic taste when you’d like, however I like the sunshine pistachio, scrumptious almond, and powerful vanilla taste stability within the recipe as written beneath. Add the depth of the true strawberry taste and your tastebuds will definitely thanks!
• Texture: I used my vanilla cupcakes as the place to begin for this recipe, and when you’ve ever tried these earlier than, you already know as we speak’s pistachio-flavored model will style additional buttery and smooth. You’ll add floor pistachios to the batter, however don’t get nervous about that texture—the tiny pistachio items style creamy and chewy within the cupcake when baked.
• Ease: It is a primary cupcake recipe—whisk dry substances; beat sugar, butter, egg whites, and extracts. The additional step right here will likely be processing the pistachio nuts, which takes a couple of seconds. Identical applies to the frosting, the place you’ll pulse the freeze-dried strawberries first.

Selecting the Proper Components

• Pistachios: We’ll grind shelled (out of shell), unsalted pistachios into fantastic little crumbs and pour these into the dry substances. That is how we begin pistachio cookies, too. After grinding, you’re in search of a powdery consistency with a couple of small chunks.
• Cake Flour: Cake flour helps promise an additional smooth and cake-like crumb. I exploit it in lots of cake recipes as a result of it retains all the things mild and ethereal. In case you can’t discover it, use this simple cake flour substitute. 
• Egg Whites + Bitter Cream: These two energy substances, together with cake flour, attribute to the cupcake’s mild and fluffy texture. Egg yolks weigh the crumb down, so that you’ll use solely the egg whites. And bitter cream provides pure moisture, which is vital in a batter with plenty of powdery nuts. I promise you’ve by no means tasted a cupcake like this.

Can I Use Salted Pistachios? Sure, salted pistachios are completely fantastic and can add a beautiful candy/salty taste. Roasted pistachios work as effectively, however these are often browner than uncooked pistachios, which can have an effect on the colour of the batter.

Grind the pistachios right down to a crumbly powder, like this:

They’ll flip the cupcake batter a beautiful shade of muted inexperienced.

Do I Add Meals Coloring?

You don’t must. The pictured cupcake batter didn’t embody inexperienced meals coloring, which is why it’s a bit yellow. In order for you a extra vibrant shade of inexperienced, add a small drop of inexperienced gel meals coloring.

Fill the cupcake liners solely 2/3 of the way in which full, to stop the cupcakes from spilling over the edges. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

I knew this strawberry frosting can be excellent for these pistachio cupcakes since you want a meals processor for the nuts anyway. The rationale we’ll use freeze-dried strawberries on this strawberry frosting is as a result of they ship essentially the most intense (and pure) strawberry taste whereas, on the similar time, do not alter the feel of the particular frosting. Actual strawberries can find yourself curdling your fairly frosting.

The place to purchase freeze-dried strawberries? I at all times discover them at main grocery shops within the dried fruit part or you possibly can attempt Goal, Dealer Joe’s, or on-line right here or right here.

I embellished the cupcakes with a tall swirl utilizing Ateco #849 piping tip. In case you’re new to cupcake adorning, right here’s my piping ideas tutorial with a video tutorial and plenty of visuals.

You possibly can as an alternative, in fact, unfold it on with an icing spatula or knife. Scrumptious any which means you high them with this colourful frosting!

Thrilling Cupcake Flavors

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Description

These mild and fluffy pistachio cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry frosting are bursting with candy, nutty, and recent taste in each chunk! See recipe Notes for recommendations on the perfect pistachios to make use of, and easy methods to flip the batter right into a 6-inch cake.

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Cupcakes

Strawberry Buttercream

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1. Pulse the pistachios in a meals processor till floor into fantastic crumbs. See photograph above for a visible. Put aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 3 liners—this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes. Put aside.
3. Make the cupcakes: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and three/4 cup of pistachio crumbs collectively. Reserve the remainder of the pistachio crumbs for garnish.
4. Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar collectively on excessive velocity till clean and creamy, about 3 minutes. Cease and scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl with a silicone spatula as wanted. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high velocity till mixed, then beat within the bitter cream. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Add the dry substances after which, with the mixer working on low velocity, slowly pour within the milk (and the meals coloring, if utilizing). Beat till simply mixed—don’t over-mix. It’s possible you’ll have to whisk all of it by hand to verify there aren’t any lumps on the backside of the bowl. The batter will likely be barely thick.
5. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling solely 2/3 full to keep away from spilling over the edges.
6. Bake for 19–22 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear. For about 36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, similar oven temperature. Enable the cupcakes to chill fully earlier than frosting.
7. Make the frosting: Utilizing a blender or meals processor, course of the freeze-dried strawberries right into a powdery crumb. You must have about 1/2 cup. In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high velocity till creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, cream, and vanilla. Beat on low velocity for 30 seconds, then enhance to excessive velocity and beat for two minutes. Style. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
8. Frost cooled cupcakes and enhance with remaining pistachio crumbs (and strawberry slices, if desired). I used the Ateco #849 piping tip.
9. Cowl leftover cupcakes tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 3 days. I like to recommend a cupcake service for storing and transporting embellished cupcakes.

Notes

1. Make Forward Directions: Cupcakes could be made 1 day upfront, lined, and saved at room temperature. Frosting may also be made 1 day upfront, lined, and saved within the fridge till prepared to make use of. Unfrosted cupcakes could be frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge, then make the frosting and enhance.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Freeze-Dried Strawberries (like these or these) | Piping Luggage (Disposable or Reusable) | Ateco #849 Piping Tip | Cupcake Service (for storage)
3. Cake Flour: In case you can’t discover cake flour, you may make this selfmade cake flour substitute. I recommend doing this twice, mixing all of it up in 1 bowl, after which eradicating 1/4 cup because you want 1 and three/4 cups on this recipe.
4. Entire Milk & Bitter Cream: Entire milk and bitter cream are strongly advisable for the perfect style and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work as an alternative, although the cupcakes will not be as mild. Identical goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You possibly can exchange each the entire milk and bitter cream with buttermilk (1 cup; 240ml) if wanted.
5. Quantity of Batter: This recipe yields between 3–4 cups of batter, which is useful when you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions web page.
6. Leftover Egg Yolks? I’ve some recipe concepts for you!
7. Meals Coloring: The pictured cupcake batter didn’t embody inexperienced meals coloring, which is why it’s a bit yellow. In order for you a extra vibrant shade of inexperienced, add a small drop of inexperienced gel meals coloring.
8. Pistachio Cake: Right here is my pistachio cake recipe. For a smaller 6-inch cake, use the identical batter as these cupcakes and comply with my directions for a 6-inch cake.
9. Be sure you try my 10 ideas for baking the BEST cupcakes earlier than you start.