You guys. Pistachio and strawberry? I couldn’t decide if this combo would go well together- but I wanted to do some kind of fruity icing to pair with the cake itself since I thought the pistachio flavor would be mild at best. As it turns out, the strawberry added just a hint of fruit and it was perfect! (Plus, I make all my icings with liqueurs so you can’t go wrong when there is booze involved!)
I actually made these after losing a bet with my boss. We played golf last year and we both just happen to love pistachio desserts. I can’t even remember what the bet was now- but I said I would make some pistachio cupcakes if I lost. Well, it took me nine months to pay up but here I am!
Last, if you’ve never tried this cookbook, “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World,” I highly recommend it. I’ve made a million cupcakes and this book really delivers the best cupcakes! Of course you don’t always have to make them vegan- for example most of the time I use real butter in my icing instead of their recommended shortening- but the guidelines are great! I use recipe as a guideline and add in my own goodies, liqueurs, fruits etc. This is where I get the bones for my icings! The buttercream is my favorite because it’s so easy to modify! So, here’s my rendition of the recipe below- not the same as the book but it’s great for getting ideas (or it’s super wonderful if you’re vegan- tastes just as good as regular cupcakes!)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/3 cup almond milk
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 package pistachio Jell-o pudding mix
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 cups room temperature butter or non-hydrogenated shortening or margarine
- 1/2 cup fresh pureed strawberries
- 1 Tbsp chambord
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar (you might need to add more depending on consistency and water content of your strawberry puree)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, mix yogurt, oil, milk, sugar, vanilla, sugar and pudding mix until well blended.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Slowly incorporate dry mix into wet ingredients until well incorporated.
- Using an ice scream scoop, spoon batter into cupcake liners until 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
- Let cool completely before icing.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth.
- Add strawberry puree, vanilla and chambord and mix until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift powdered sugar to remove lumps.
- Add sugar into mixing bowl in batches until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios.
- You might want to add more powdered sugar depending on the consistency you like your icing. I like mine soft and fluffy, but if you like a stiffer, "prettier" peak- feel free to add more!
I’m sure it’s not secret- but sometimes I like to add a packet of pudding mix to my cakes- it keeps ’em unbelievably moist!
Bon apetit!
YUM!! I love pistachio so I can’t even imagine how delicious is it combined with strawberry…definitely pinning this recipe for later!!
xoxo, Kacie
RegallySoled.com
These look so good. I love pistachio anything! I recently has pistachio ice cream with raspberry sauce, and it was a great combination. My liquor stash is pathetic, and I’m sure I’ll have to share these with my bairns. What do you recommend instead of chambord? Or just leave it out?
Oops, had
Hi Rachel, Spread between 24 cupcakes the amount of chambord in each cupcake will be minimal- however if you want to omit it- I recommend raspberry jam! You can also use this instead of the fresh strawberries. Jam does wonders to jazz up a boring buttercream! Good luck I hope the babes like them! 🙂
xo Kelli
oh my god !!!! jump in my belly!