These pistachio cupcakes with strawberry buttercream are a go-to once I need one thing just a little totally different from the standard cupcake flavors. They’re all the time 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 delicate and fluffy cake crumb.

I initially printed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photographs and extra success ideas.

One reader, Katie, commented: “The strawberry/pistachio mixture is good. 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 actually scrumptious cracked open and eaten on their very own, however even higher after they shine as the primary 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 often flavored with almond extract? It enhances the pistachio taste.

Inform Me About These Pistachio Cupcakes

• Taste: The pistachio taste isn’t tremendous robust and that’s as a result of we’re counting on the precise nuts and never synthetic pistachio taste. You’ll be able to actually add synthetic taste in case you’d like, however I really like the sunshine pistachio, scrumptious almond, and robust vanilla taste stability within the recipe as written under. Add the depth of the actual strawberry taste and your tastebuds will definitely thanks!
• Texture: I used my vanilla cupcakes as the start line for this recipe, and in case you’ve ever tried these earlier than, you realize at present’s pistachio-flavored model will style further buttery and delicate. 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 substances; beat sugar, butter, egg whites, and extracts. The additional step right here will probably be processing the pistachio nuts, which takes a number 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 wonderful little crumbs and pour these into the dry substances. That is how we begin pistachio cookies, too. After grinding, you’re on the lookout for a powdery consistency with a number of small chunks.
• Cake Flour: Cake flour helps promise an additional delicate and cake-like crumb. I take advantage of it in lots of cake recipes as a result of it retains every little thing mild and ethereal. If you happen to can’t discover it, use this straightforward 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 essential in a batter with a number 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 wonderful and can add a stunning candy/salty taste. Roasted pistachios work as properly, 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 stunning 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. If you’d like a extra vibrant shade of inexperienced, add a small drop of inexperienced gel meals coloring.

Fill the cupcake liners solely 2/3 of the best way full, to forestall the cupcakes from spilling over the perimeters. 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 probably 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 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. If you happen to’re new to cupcake adorning, right here’s my piping ideas tutorial with a video tutorial and many visuals.

You’ll be able to as an alternative, after all, unfold it on with an icing spatula or knife. Scrumptious any which approach you prime 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 most effective pistachios to make use of, and the way 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 wonderful 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 easy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Cease and scrape down the perimeters 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 perimeters 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 must whisk all of it by hand to verify there are not any lumps on the backside of the bowl. The batter will probably be barely thick.
5. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling solely 2/3 full to keep away from spilling over the perimeters.
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. Permit 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 need to 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 provider for storing and transporting embellished cupcakes.

Notes

1. Make Forward Directions: Cupcakes will be made 1 day prematurely, coated, and saved at room temperature. Frosting can be made 1 day prematurely, coated, and saved within the fridge till prepared to make use of. Unfrosted cupcakes will 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: If you happen to 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 beneficial for the most effective style and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work as an alternative, although the cupcakes is probably not as mild. Identical goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You’ll be able to substitute 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 in case 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. If you’d like 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 observe my directions for a 6-inch cake.
9. Make sure to try my 10 ideas for baking the BEST cupcakes earlier than you start.