There are so many reasons why I love these Pistachio Cupcakes, starting with their nostalgic bygone green and red appearance (perfect for any Bridgerton party!) and ending with how delicious they are!
This recipe is for buttery fluffy cupcakes that have been flavored with real pistachios and vanilla. The cupcakes are cored out after baking and filled with a raspberry purée before being swirled high with a fluffy cream cheese and pistachio frosting.
If you love trying out new cupcake favours then have a look at this recipe for Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes, or this recipe for Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes.
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Ingredients
To make these delicious pistachio and raspberry cupcakes you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Caster sugar
- Extra-large eggs
- Cake flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Chopped pistachios
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Pistachio butter
- Raspberries
- Lemon juice
- Green food coloring
Unsalted butter – butter is used in the cupcake batter as well as the frosting, make sure you are using unsalted room-temperature butter for the best results.
Castor sugar – this recipe uses superfine sugar in the cupcake batter for a fine crumb as well as in the raspberry filling.
Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams. If you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Cake Flour - use cake flour to make these cupcakes or all-purpose flour.
Vanilla extract – choose a good quality vanilla extract for this recipe, if you don’t have vanilla essence will also work. You can also choose to use vanilla bean paste instead.
Sour cream – choose a full-fat sour cream for this recipe, it adds richness and moistness to these pistachio cupcakes. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use full-fat Greek yogurt instead.
Cream cheese - choose a full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. There are lots of different brands to choose from but I like using Philadelphia cream cheese.
Pistachio butter – I used store-bought smooth pistachio butter, which is also called pure pistachio paste. If you have a high-powered food processor, you can attempt to make your own pistachio paste using shelled pistachios if you can’t find any.
Green food coloring – since this recipe is made with natural pistachio flavor and not instant pistachio pudding mix it doesn’t have a deep green color, for aesthetics you can choose to add a touch of green food coloring.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the simple steps below to make these pistachio cupcakes. First, you will be making the cupcakes, the raspberry filling, and then the pistachio buttercream frosting.
Instructions for cupcakes
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 22 cupcake liners into two 12-hole cupcake pans.
STEP 2: Combine sugar and lemon zest. Add the superfine sugar and lemon zest to a small bowl and use the tips of your fingers to massage the lemon zest into the sugar.
STEP 3: Cream butter and sugar. Add the butter and lemon sugar mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes.
STEP 4: Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar mixture one at a time, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between each addition. Add the vanilla and beat again.
STEP 5: Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
STEP 6: Add dry and wet ingredients. Add the sour cream, and flour mixture to the cupcake batter by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the sour cream.
STEP 7: Add pistachios. Add the pistachios to the cupcake batter and mix through with a rubber spatula.
STEP 8: Bake. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners two-thirds of the way up the liner. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
instructions for raspberry filling
STEP 1: Heat castor sugar, lemon juice, and raspberries. In a small saucepan set over medium heat add the fresh raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt. Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help them break down if needed.
STEP 2: Cool the puree. Once the sugar is melted and the purée has thickened, allow the mashed raspberry purée to cool to room temperature. Add this to a piping bag.
Instructions for buttercream
STEP 1: Beat icing sugar and butter. Add the icing sugar and softened butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Add the pistachio butter and vanilla. Add the pistachio butter and vanilla extract to the frosting and beat again until combined.
STEP 4: Add food coloring. Add a tiny drop of green food coloring to the frosting and beat again. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle.
STEP 5: Decorate. Use a cupcake or apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake, fill the center with the raspberry puree, and then pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with crushed pistachios and fresh raspberries.
Hint: All good cupcakes and buttercreams start with room temperature butter, do not underestimate the importance of this.
Variations
This recipe for pistachio cupcakes is delicious as outlined in this post, but if you’d like to try different variations have a look at these buttercream recipes below and use them to create your own version of this recipe.
Equipment
For these buttery moist cupcakes, you will need x2 12-hole cupcake tins, 22x paper liners, a cooling rack, a cupcake corer, two disposable piping bags, a piping nozzle, and an electric mixer.
I always use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate kitchen scale when baking.
Storage
Cupcakes cool quickly and dry out just as quickly so try to frost them the same day they are baked. If you don’t have time to decorate the cupcakes the same day as baking them, store them in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap until the next day.
For any leftover filled and frosted cupcakes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Choose to store these cupcakes in the fridge because of the fresh fruit inside and on top of the cupcakes.
To freeze these delicious raspberry and pistachio cupcakes, remove the fruit from the cupcakes and then place any leftover cupcakes in a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze them for up to three months. Defrost properly before consuming them.
Top tip
Follow my top baking tips below to ensure that your cupcakes come out perfectly.
- Use an oven thermometer to check the true temperature of your oven.
- Don’t overfill the cupcake cases as this can lead to mishappen cupcakes.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature before starting this recipe.
- Ensure the cupcakes have cooled properly before frosting them.
FAQ
The eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Check your oven's temperature and ensure you haven’t overfilled the cupcake cases. Overfilling the cases can result in misshapen cupcakes.
Wait - having room-temperature butter is the most important step in a successful batter and frosting. Choose to wait until the butter has reached room temperature before making this recipe, or cube the butter and heat it gently in the microwave, being careful to not melt it.
I always recommend using a kitchen scale rather than cups when baking, this way you can ensure you’ve measured properly and that your baked goodies come out perfectly.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
These easy pistachio cupcakes taste even better than they look and will be a great addition to the next time you have someone over for a tea party! Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe!
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pistachio Cupcakes
- 175 g castor sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 175 g unsalted butter
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 230 g cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 140 g sour cream
- 70 g pistachios chopped
Raspberry Filling
- 280 g raspberries
- 40 g castor sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pistachio Buttercream
- 600 g icing sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 250 g cream cheese
- 3 tablespoon pistchio butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food colouring optional
- raspberries to decorate
- crushed pistachios to decorate
Instructions
Pistachio Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 22 cupcake liners into two 12-hole cupcake pans.
- Add the superfine sugar and lemon zest to a small bowl and use the tips of your fingers to massage the lemon zest into the sugar.
- Add the butter and lemon sugar mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar mixture one at a time, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between each addition. Add the vanilla and beat again.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sour cream, and flour mixture to the cupcake batter by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the sour cream.
- Add the chopped pistachios to the cupcake batter and mix through with a rubber spatula.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners two-thirds of the way up the liner. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Raspberry Filling
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat add the fresh raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt. Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help them break down if needed.
- Once the sugar is melted and the purée has thickened, allow the mashed raspberry purée to cool to room temperature. Add this to a piping bag.
Pistachio Buttercream
- Add the icing sugar and softened butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.
- Add the pistachio butter and vanilla extract to the frosting and beat again until combined.
- Add a tiny drop of green food coloring to the frosting and beat again. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle.
- Use a cupcake or apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake, fill the center with the raspberry puree, and then pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with crushed pistachios and fresh raspberries.
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