Pistachio Cupcakes with Orange Mascarpone Frosting
These pistachio cupcakes are light, nutty, and perfectly moist, topped with a fluffy orange mascarpone frosting. The fresh citrus taste goes so well with the pistachios. They really are little bites of heaven!
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup ground raw pistachio nut 130 g, plus more for topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 135 g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 149 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cardamom reduce to ⅛-¼ tsp for freshly ground
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil 98 g
- ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature, 180 g
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold, 240 g
- 8 ounce mascarpone cheese room temperature, 226 g
- ½ cup powdered sugar divided, 50 g
- 1 teaspoon orange zest zest of half an orange
Instructions
To make cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a regular size muffin pan with paper liners.
- Ground a generous cup of raw pistachio in a food processor or blender. Measure out 1 cup of ground pistachio to use in the cupcake batter, reserve the remainder for topping.
- In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of ground pistachios, ¾ of granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of cardamom, and mix thoroughly with a whisk to distribute evenly.
- Add 2 whole eggs, ¾ cup of buttermilk, ½ cup of vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix until just combined.
- Divide batter equally into the previously prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for 19 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.
- Take cupcakes out of the muffin pan and let cool on the wire rack completely.
To make frosting:
- Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream along with ¼ cup of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of orange zest to a stand mixer bowl, beat until stiff peak forms.
- In small bowl, mix the mascarpone with the other ¼ cup of powdered sugar with a hand whisk until combined.
- Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. This will help the frosting firm up and make it easier to pipe.
To assemble cupcakes:
- When the cupcakes cool completely, generously pipe frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Sprinkle extra ground pistachios over the frosting and enjoy.
Notes
- Cardamom is a very strong spice, especially freshly ground cardamom. Adjust the amount of cardamom in this recipe to your taste.
- If you don't have cardamom or don't want to use it, you can either omit it all together or use a little bit of cinnamon combined with either nutmeg, ginger or clove as a substitute.
- This frosting is in a way stabilized whipped cream thanks to the mascarpone, it will hold up under refrigeration for a few days.
Nutrition
Serving: 110g | Calories: 393kcal
