Pistachio Cupcakes
These light and fluffy cupcakes are made with real pistachios for a pure pistachio flavor no box mix can replicate!
Ingredients
Pistachio Cupcakes
- 1 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios I used Wonderful Pistachios (145 grams)
- 1 ½ cups cake flour spooned & leveled (170 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature (180 ml)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 drops green liquid food coloring optional (I used 2 drops)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick; 113 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
Mascarpone Frosting
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream (240 ml)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces cool mascarpone cheese remove from the fridge about 15 minutes beforehand
Instructions
- To make the pistachio cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two standard cupcake/muffin pans with 17 to 18 cupcake liners and set aside.
- Place the shelled pistachios in a food processor or blender and process until you have fine crumbs. Make sure not to process the pistachios for too long! They can quickly go from crumbs to pistachio butter.1 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pistachio crumbs, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups cake flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Combine the buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and green food coloring in a separate mixing bowl or measuring cup and stir together. Set aside.¾ cup buttermilk, 1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 1 to 2 drops green liquid food coloring
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, then slowly mix in the granulated sugar. Once all of the sugar is added, increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 3 more minutes or until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until just combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Make sure to only mix in each addition until just combined to avoid over mixing the batter.
- In a separate clean mixing bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form (when you lift up the beaters, the peaks should stand straight up). Gently fold half of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.3 large egg whites
- Evenly distribute the batter between all of the cupcakes liners, only filling each one ⅔ of the way full. I usually get 18 cupcakes out of this recipe, but I scrape every last bit of batter out of the bowl.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the mascarpone frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Start mixing on low speed. Once the mixture starts to increase in volume, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until soft peaks form (the mixture will still be soft, but not runny, and the peaks will fold over when you lift your beaters up out of the bowl).1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the mascarpone cheese and continue mixing on low-medium speed until stiff peaks form. Make sure not to over mix or the mixture will start to curdle! You may see some small chunks of mascarpone as you’re mixing, but they will smooth out. If needed, you can stop a few times and fold the frosting with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together.8 ounces cool mascarpone cheese
- Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip and frost the cooled cupcakes.
Video
Notes
Storage Instructions: Frosted cupcakes may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes and frosting will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and mix the frosting well before frosting the cupcakes. If the frosting is too firm, let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.