A moist cherry and vanilla cupcake topped with pistachio butter cream and decorated with pistachio nuts and topped with a cherry.
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Prep Time 20 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Refrigerate 1 dayd
Total Time 1 dayd40 minutesmins
Course Baking
Cuisine French
Servings 12
Calories 266kcal
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcake Mixture
1vanilla pod
3eggs
150gicing/confectioners' sugar
150g plain/all purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
150gbuttermelted
50gfinely chopped pistachiosplus extra to decorate
12glace/candied cherries
Pistachio Buttercream
180gicing/confectioners sugar
50mlmilk
1tablespoonpure vanilla extract
2tablespoonpistachio paste*
1tablespoonKirsch cherry liqueur
green food colouringoptional
Instructions
START THE DAY BEFORE you want to bake the cupcakes.
To make the Vanilla Cupcake Mixture
Split the vanilla bean length ways and scrape the seeds out into a bowl. Add the eggs and sugar and beat with an electric whisk until tripled in volume and the beaters leave a thick ribbon trail when you lift them out of the mixture.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter and fold in gently with a large metal spoon.Fold in the chopped pistachios. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To make pistachio buttercream
Put the butter sugar, milk, vanilla extract pistachio paste and Kirsch in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk or by hand with a wooden spoon until you get a light fluffy texture.
Stir in drops of the food colouring until you get the desired shade of pistachio green, if you like.
Fill the piping bag with the buttercream and pipe on top of the cold cupcakes. Balance a glace/candied cherry on top and sprinkle extra chopped pistachios around the edge.
To make your own pistachio paste
Roast 125g/1 cup pistachios on a baking sheet in a a preheated oven at 160C (325F) Gas 3 for 10 minutes, taking care not to let them burn.
Transfer to a bowl. Put 175ml/ 2/3 cup water and 60g/ 1/3 caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. When the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is boiling, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Carefully pour this syrup into a food processor with the roasted pistachios and 30g/ 1/3 cup ground almonds and pulse until you get a smooth paste.