Persian Delights
Rose water and pistachio cupcakes
Servings: 12 large cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake Batter / Sponge
- 225 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 medium free range eggs (room temperature)
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp rose water (depending on how floral you want it)
- 1 to 2 tbsp ground fresh pistachios
Buttercream Icing and Decoration
- 250 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 450 g icing sugar
- Pink food colouring (if you want your cupcakes to have a pink tint - I do a mix of ivory and light pink cupcakes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp rose water
- 2 tbsp milk
- Ground pistachios and edible rose petals (for decoration)
Instructions
For the Cupcake Sponge
- Preheat oven to 160°C (fan) / 180°C (conventional) / Gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cases (deep fill cupcake tin).
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light in colour and fluffy.
- Crack eggs one by one and beat each one in before adding the next.
- Add vanilla extract and rose water. Then sift flour and baking powder into bowl and gently fold into mixture.
- Add ground pistachios and gently fold into mixture.
- Divide mixture equally into cupcake cases and place in oven for 20 to 25 mins. To check if cupcakes are done, use a thin skewer to check one by gently poking to the bottom. It should come out clean of cake batter. Leave cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Buttercream Icing and Decoration
- Make buttercream by beating butter until light in colour and then sift the icing sugar gradually and beat until fully mixed.
- Then add vanilla extract, rose water and milk and mix. I halve my icing mixture and add pink food colouring to one batch and leave the other half an ivory colour.
- Make sure your cupcakes have cooled and then pipe or spread your icing onto the cupcakes.