Pistachio Cupcakes with Whipped Honey Mascarpone

With flavours reminiscent of baklava, these pistachio cupcakes are subtly sweet, delightfully nutty, and topped with light clouds of whipped honey mascarpone. Made from scratch with natural ingredients (no artificial colours or flavourings), they’re the ultimate springtime treat you didn’t know you needed.

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I love a nutty dessert, and pistachios are among my favourite of all the nuts. Yep, I’ve been a loyal fan since well before the Dubai chocolate craze (and that’s all I’ll be saying about that trend 🤨).

Pistachios have quite a delicate flavour in baking, so this recipe uses whole, shelled pistachios which are then toasted and ground to get as much flavour out of them as possible. I’ve paired them with almond, vanilla and honey to complement their natural earthiness.

These cupcakes are beautifully light and not overly sweet, but somehow still feel indulgent. Share them at springtime gatherings, or enjoy them all to yourself for afternoon tea ☕️

Butter vs. Oil in Cupcakes

I tested these pistachio cupcakes both ways. First with all butter, then half butter and half oil.

Oil usually keeps cakes moister and works well in certain recipes, like my Italian lemon olive oil cake. But for this recipe, all butter gave the best results, hands down. The all-butter cupcakes were richer, more melt-in-your-mouth and formed a lovely golden crust in the oven. Whereas, the part-oil cupcakes turned out paler, spongier, and milder in flavour.

I’ve compensated for the loss of moisture by adding buttermilk, which keeps these buttery cupcakes tender without compromising on flavour.

What You’ll Need

For the cupcake batter

1. Pistachios are first toasted to maximise their nutty flavour, then ground into a course powder, which gets combined with the dry ingredients. Use shelled, unsalted pistachios, and ensure they are fresh (ideally purchased within the last 6 months). Don’t use stale, old pistachios from the depths of your pantry!
2. Cake flour: ground nuts can weigh things down, so I opt for cake flour here. It has a lower protein content than plain flour and helps to give these cupcakes a light, delicate crumb. If you don’t have cake flour at home, you can make your own by mixing plain flour with a bit of cornflour. More on this in the recipe notes below.
3. Baking powder helps the cupcakes rise evenly in the oven.
4. Baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to give the cupcakes some extra lift.
5. Salt — standard baking practice to enhance the flavours. Omit if using salted butter.
6. Butter: it’s important to use softened butter for this recipe. If you’re forgetful like me and didn’t plan ahead, cut the butter into small cubes and it will come to room temperature much faster than a big, solid block.
7. Granulated Sugar: any standard white sugar will do.
8. Egg + egg whites: one egg gets added to the wet ingredients as a binding agent, while the two egg whites get whipped to stiff peaks and folded into the cake batter at the end to give it one final lift.
9. Vanilla extract — because vanilla and nuts go very well together.
10. Almond extract: it may seem counterintuitive, but pistachio cake actually gets a lot of its flavour from almond extract. Pistachios have quite a delicate, earthy flavour which can easily get lost in baking, and the almond helps give it a subtle boost.
11. Buttermilk: the acidity in buttermilk helps to keep these cupcakes soft and moist. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute by combining milk with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar.

For the whipped topping

1. Thickened cream (aka heavy cream or whipping cream): make sure it’s full fat or it won’t whip.
2. Honey is the sole sweetener in this icing. The better quality the honey, the stronger the honey flavour. But honestly, you can use just about any honey for this.
3. Vanilla extract adds a warm, sweet depth.
4. Salt — again, to enhance the flavours (do I sound like broken record yet?).
5. Mascarpone: use a high quality mascarpone (like La Cassa Del Formaggio or Montefiore here in Australia). Cheaper home-brands tend to be more prone to splitting and curdling. This is coming from someone who’s ruined many a batch of icing with a tub of Woolies mascarpone.

*For precise measurements, please refer to the recipe card below

Step-By-Step: Pistachio Cupcakes

1. Prep – Start by preheating your oven to 160℃ (140℃ fan/325℉). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Roast the pistachios – Spread the shelled pistachios out onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Once the oven comes to temperature, roast them on the middle rack for 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re lightly golden and have a fragrant, nutty aroma. Allow to cool on the tray.

3. Grind them up – Place the cooled pistachios in a small food processor or blender and pulse in short bursts until they resemble a course flour. Be careful not to overdo it, or you’ll end up with pistachio paste. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this in a mortar and pestle, but it will take some elbow grease!

4. Combine the dry ingredients – Place the ground pistachios in a medium mixing bowl along with the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine, making sure there are no clumps of ground pistachios. Set aside for now.

5. Combine the wet ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer, or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, to whip the softened butter until pale and creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy (another 2-3 minutes). Then, add the whole egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until combined.

Note: Do not add the two egg whites yet. We’ll fold these in later!

6. Add the wet to the dry – With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. Mix each addition until just combined to avoid overworking the batter. Repeat this process two more times, until everything is incorporated.

7. Whip and fold in your egg whites – Take a separate, clean bowl and ensure your whisk attachments are also clean — any traces of oils or fats (including egg yolk) will prevent the egg whites from whipping. Whip the egg whites on medium to high speed until they reach stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into your cupcake batter. You want to use as few folds as possible while also ensuring the egg whites are fully incorporated and there are no white streaks.

8. Divide and Bake – Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the cupcake batter among the cupcake liners, filling them only 2/3 of the way. This batter rises quite a bit, so anything more might lead to some overflow. Firmly tap the muffin tin on your countertop a couple of times to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out mostly clean.

How to Make Whipped Honey Mascarpone

1. Keep everything cold – Seriously, leave the cream and mascarpone in the fridge until you’re ready to use them! Room temperature dairy products will make your icing runny. As an extra precautionary measure, place your mixing bowl and whisk attachments in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes before whipping.

2. Whip the cream and flavourings – In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream, honey, vanilla extract and salt. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until soft peaks form.

3. Add the mascarpone – Take the mascarpone out of the fridge and add to the whipped cream. Continue whipping until the mixture starts to thicken. Stop as soon as stiff peaks form! It should hold its shape, but still look smooth and creamy (see photo above).

4. Decorate your cupcakes – You can either spread the icing onto the cupcakes or pipe it for a more polished look. I’ve piped mine into rosettes using a Wilton 1M piping tip. Finish with a sprinkle of roughly chopped pistachios, and drizzle with some more honey right before serving (if you wish).

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