Chocolate Pistachio Cupcakes
Indulge in these eggless Chocolate Pistachio Cupcakes ultra soft, moist, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, filled with smooth pistachio cream and topped with a cloud of chocolate frosting! You can make them dairy-free. A perfect treat for any Occasion or Festive celebration Diwali - Christmas - New Year's Eve!
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 180 ml Milk room temp; see notes for options
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice or white vinegar
- 90 g Light Brown Sugar
- 90 g Cane Sugar or castor sugar
- 90 ml Oil sunflower or vegetable
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 190 g All Purpose Flour
- 40 g Cocoa Powder
- 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 120 ml Freshly Brewed Coffee or boiling water
Homemade Pistachio Cream (or use store bought link above)
- 200 g Store Bought Pistachio Cream or use homemade with recipe below
- 200 g Pistachios shelled and unsalted
- 2-3 tbsp Oil sunflower / grapeseed / light olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp Powdered Sugar Icing Sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Tahini or Melted Cocoa Butter optional to adjust consistency
- 1-2 tsp Matcha Powder optional to enhance color
- 55g g Pistachios roasted and chopped for filling and topping
- 120 g Toasted Kataifi Dough for Dubai Chocolate Flavor Optional
Chocolate Frosting
- 150 g Butter cut in cubes; see notes for options
- 150 g Powdered Sugar or icing sugar; sifted
- 45 g Cocoa Powder sifted
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 40 ml Whipping Cream room temperature
Instructions
For Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners or lightly grease each cup.
- In a medium bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Let sit for 5minutes to curdle slightly.
- Add both sugars, oil, and vanilla to the milk mixture. Use a whisk to mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Use a whisk to mix until smooth and lump-free.
- Pour in the hot brewed coffee or boiling water and mix until fully incorporated using the whisk. Gently tap the cupcake batter to remove some air bubbles.
- Fill each cupcake liner almost full with the batter using a ladle or ice cream scoop.
- Bake for 13–15 minutes or until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Homemade Pistachio Cream ( or Use store bought link above)
- Boil raw pistachios for 1 minute, then immediately strain into a bowl. Peel off the skins (this step gives your paste a brighter green color).
- Use a high speed blender or food processor to blend the peeled pistachios, slowly add neutral oil and mix until smooth. Add powdered sugar and tahini or melted cocoa butter and blend until smooth.
- You can add 2 tsps of Matcha Powder to enhance color naturally. Blend again until the mixture is creamy and spreadable.
- Store your homemade pistachio cream in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- For assembling cupcakes, mix toasted & chopped pistachios with the pistachio cream for best flavor or mix toasted kataifi dough in butter / shredded and baked phyllo for Dubai chocolate twist.
For Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Use an electric whisk or stand mixer to beat the butter for 2minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and sifted cocoa powder. Beat on low speed at first to combine, then increase to medium-high and beat for 4–5minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add room temperature cream and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2–3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.
Decorating the Cupcakes
- After the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a small knife or cupcake corer to remove a small portion from the center of each cupcake.
- Fill each cavity with a spoonful of pistachio cream mixed with chopped pistachios.
- Pipe a generous swirl of chocolate frosting on top of each cupcake, covering the filled center. Top it with a tsp of pistachio cream
- For a decorative touch sprinkle chopped pistachios on top of each frosted cupcake.
Notes
- Cup vs weighing scale: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams.
- Before you start to make any recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the process will go smoothly and easily.
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with for accuracy.
- Milk: You can use any dairy-free unsweetened milk (like almond, soy, oat) or regular whole milk.
- Butter: Dairy-free butter sticks will work or use any butter of your choice.
- Sugar: Cane sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar or castor sugar. Ensure the sugar is vegan-friendly (some sugars are processed with bone char) or use organic cane sugar.
- Whipping Cream: Unsweetened Dairy-free Whipping Cream or use Canned Coconut Cream at room temperature for vegan version or any plain whipping cream of your choice.