Did you know that most pistachio flavored things are actually flavored with almond extract? Not here friends, not today or ever.
My friend Teresa at Keenan Farms hooked me up with some amazing pistachios. Keenan Farms are local to central California. They are family owned and operated. Keenan Farms has been in business longer than any other California pistachio processor.
Who doesn’t love to support local family business? You can find Keenan Farms Pistachios on Amazon here.
Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream for Keenan Farms Pistachios
Easy and delicious, sweet and a touch savory. This Pistachio cupcake pairs perfectly with a fresh raspberry buttercream.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Stand Mixer
- Sift
Ingredients
- 2 cups shelled pistachios unsalted
- 2.5 cups cake flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1.5 sticks salted butter at room temperature
- 1.75 cup granulated sugar
- 5 egg whites at room tempurature
- 1/2 cup whole fat greek yogurt at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature
Instructions
- First, you will want to grind up about two cups of raw, unsalted and shelled, pistachios. Pulse them in a food processor until you have a fine crumb. Some pieces will be bigger than others, but that is okay if you ask me. It adds texture, and I like a few bigger crumbs in the cake batter. This should yield 1 & 1/2 cups of crumb with a little extra for garnishing later.
- Set your oven to preheat at 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl (not your stand mixer bowl) sift 2 & 1/2 cups of cake flour. Measure by spooning and leveling, then sift. Next add salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk together until combined. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add room temperature egg whites, one at a time until each is incorporated. Add vanilla extract. No almond extract in this recipe. Add in room temperature greek yogurt.
- Measure out your whole milk. If you want to dissolve a couple of drops of light green food coloring into your milk, I won’t judge you. I like color, but this step is totally optional.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the sugar/egg mixture with your speed on low. Do not over mix. When just combined, take the bowl off of your mixer and fold in the pistachio crumbs.
- Fill lined cupcake cavities 2/3 of the way. I recommend only baking one sheet of cupcakes at a time, per oven. If your oven does not cook evenly you can gently rotate the cupcakes halfway through the bake. But gently. Gently, and super fast so you don’t lose too much heat. I know, it is hard. You have to really want to do this step, but skipping it is usually just fine too.
- Bake for 18-22 min, depending on your oven. They are done when the top springs back to a light touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Side Note: Before we get to the frosting, lets talk about all these “room temperature” requirements. When baking, all of your ingredients should be room temperature. This allows things to combine totally, and cook evenly. You can cheat a little with butter by microwaving it in very short intervals. You only want to be able to leave a finger print in the butter through the paper. Microwave at 5 second intervals to avoid going too far. No runny butter allowed. For milk, eggs and yogurt you can cheat by adding closed containers to a sink or bowl of warm to hot water in order to speed the process. I don’t recommend microwaving milk. It often goes sour. Yes, that was a pun. You’re welcome.
Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of salted butter room temperature
- 4 cups of sifted icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
- 1 small carton of fresh raspberries
- 1 Tbl whole milk if needed to thin frosting
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter until creamy. On low, slowly add icing sugar. Make sure to do this on low or you will be wearing, and inhaling a your sugar.
- When combined and creamy, add vanilla and lemon. Then break up berries by hand and drop them into the mixer while it runs on low. This will flavor and color the frosting. Just remember to use a large opening piping tip when frosting because the seeds can clog small tips.
- When cupcakes are totally and completely cooled, frost. Add whole and/or crushed pistachios for garnish, as well as some whole raspberries.
This recipe was developed in partnership with Keenan Farms Pistachios.
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy this Rice Pudding with Pistachio and Wild Rice from California Grown.