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!
