Pistachio Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

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

I initially revealed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new images and extra success suggestions.

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 best way, do you know that pistachio ice cream is normally flavored with almond extract? It enhances the pistachio taste.

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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 if you happen to’d like, however I really like the sunshine pistachio, scrumptious almond, and robust vanilla taste steadiness within the recipe as written beneath. Add the depth of the strawberry taste and your tastebuds will definitely thanks!
• Texture: I used my vanilla cupcakes as the start line for this recipe, and if you happen to’ve ever tried these earlier than, you understand at present’s further flavored model will style further buttery and tender. 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 fundamental cupcake recipe—whisk dry components, beat sugar, butter, egg whites, and extracts. The additional step right here will probably 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 Substances

• Pistachios: We’ll grind shelled (out of shell), unsalted pistachios up into tremendous little crumbs and pour these into the dry components. That is how we begin pistachio cookies, too. After grinding, you’re on the lookout for a powdery consistency with a couple of small chunks.
• Cake Flour: Cake flour helps promise an additional tender and cake-like crumb. I exploit it in a number of cake recipes as a result of it retains every part mild and ethereal. In case you can’t discover it, use this straightforward cake flour substitute. 
• Egg Whites + Bitter Cream: These two energy components, 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 essential 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 tremendous and can add a stunning candy/salty taste. Roasted pistachios work as nicely, however these are normally 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 stunning shade of muted inexperienced.

Do I Add Meals Coloring?

You don’t need to. The pictured cupcake batter didn’t embrace inexperienced meals coloring, which is why it’s a bit yellow. If you need a extra vibrant shade of inexperienced, add a small drop of inexperienced gel meals coloring.

Fill the cupcake pan solely round 2/3 of the best way full, to stop the cupcakes from spilling over the perimeters. This recipe yields round 15.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This colourful cupcake options considered one of my favourite frostings on the planet: strawberry buttercream. It’s made with strawberry mud aka freeze-dried strawberries floor up right into a powder. It’s unbelievable!

I knew this strawberry frosting can be excellent for these pistachio cupcakes since you want a meals processor for the nuts anyway. The explanation we’ll use freeze-dried strawberries on this strawberry frosting is as a result of they ship probably the most intense (and pure) strawberry taste whereas, on the identical 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 all the time discover them at main grocery shops within the dried fruit part or you possibly can strive 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 suggestions tutorial with a video tutorial and plenty of visuals.

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

Thrilling Cupcake Flavors

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