My new boss is crazy about her birthday. One birthday celebration lasts until the next birthday. That kind of partying calls for the fanciest of cupcakes, especially when the birthday girl loves cake as much as I do.
I know she loves her birthday, and I know she loves cake. But there was one small problem: I wasn’t sure what kind of cake. With aspirations of fanciness, I couldn’t settle for just chocolate. So, through Facebook, I sent her boyfriend on a covert op to find out, and he reported back the results: pistachio.
I found a lot of easy recipes for pistachio cupcakes, using white cake mix and pistachio pudding. That might cut it for some, but where’s the fun in that? I was raised to bake from scratch, and this festive occasion was certainly no exception. I want to bake pistachio cupcakes from scratch.
Some made-from-scratch recipes for pistachio cupcakes use pistachio extract or pistachio oil, and I don’t even know where to find those. I was considering substitutions until I finally tracked down this recipe that incorporates ground pistachios and almond extract, which tastes nutty just the same.
So, Pistachio Cupcake Recipe from Scratch, here we go. The directions for baking these cupcakes start from the top down, with this recipe for Pink Champagne Frosting, which I found paired with pistachio cupcakes here.
Champagne Frosting Recipe:
- 2 1/2 sticks butter
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 cup half + half
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons champagne extract
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
In a saucepan, whisk half + half, extracts and flour until the lumps disappear. (Instead of half + half, I mixed heavy whipping cream and 2% milk after teaching myself the substitutionality of dairy.) Then, heat the saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until it boils. Keep whisking and cooking until it thickens. Remove from heat and stick in fridge.
I recommend making the cupcakes now while this cools. We’ll come back to the rest of the frosting directions at the end.
Pistachio Cupcake Recipe from Scratch:
- 2 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/3 cup ground pistachios