Raspberry Pistachio Cupcakes

These Raspberry and Pistachio Cupcakes are the perfect spring bake. A delicious nutty cupcake flavoured with a swirl of raspberry jam and topped with a swirl of creamy vanilla buttercream. Can I also mention the smell while they bake? No scented melt can even come close!

These Raspberry and Pistachio cupcakes are so good and absolutely perfect for the upcoming summer season. These cupcakes practically scream garden party. The flavour combination in these cupcakes are a match made in heaven, the deep nuttiness of the pistachios and the jammy sweetness of the raspberry jam is just perfect. Yes, before you ask, you can use fresh raspberries in these cakes but I would recommend sticking with the jam. It really is delicious, like a warm pudding in a cupcake.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO NEED:

• Unsalted Butter – Unsalted butter is exactly that, butter with no added salt. Using unsalted butter in your baking as you can always add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavours but you’re not in control of the content if you used salted butter. Always best to stick with unsalted.
• Caster Sugar – Caster sugar is a finely ground granulated sugar which is often used in baking. The finer grains allow to dissolve quicker when creaming your sugars and fats. Normal granulated sugar will result in a grainy texture.
• Eggs – Always large, always free range.
• Self Raising Flour – Self Raising Flour is a flour with added leavening agent which gives our cakes a bit of a rise.
• Baking Powder – Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. The powder is activated when liquid is added, producing carbon dioxide and forming bubbles that cause the mixture to expand.
• Vanilla Extract – Always use a pure vanilla extract which can be found inexpensively in most supermarkets, there’s nothing worse than vanilla essence. Yuck!
• Icing Sugar – Also called confectioners sugar. Icing sugar is a super, super fine sugar which dissolves quickly giving a light and fluffy texture.
• Milk – Always try to use whole milk in baking, the extra fat adds moisture to the finished result.
• Pistachios – Finely chopped, I pop mine in a food processor for a few seconds but you can chop by hand.
• Raspberry Jam – Use a high quality jam for these cakes. You can use fresh raspberries in place of the jam but I love the old school flavour the jam gives to the sponge. And the smell when they come out of the oven is unmatched!

TIPS FOR MAKING RASPBERRY AND PISTACHIO CUPCAKES:

• What kind of butter shall I use? – Always start with room temperature butter. It’s much quicker and easier to cream with the sugar and will give a much better texture to the finished cupcake.
• Can I use granulated sugar instead of caster? – No, caster sugar is a super finely ground sugar so it dissolves into your butter quickly. Using granulated will result in an off-putting texture in the finished bake.
• Can I use plain flour? – Yes, just add an extra teaspoon of baking powder to the flour.
• Can I make these gluten free? – Yes, use Doves Farm Gluten Free Flour Blend for best results and a gluten free baking powder.
• Can I use a baking spread in place of butter? – Yes, I often use Stork in baking and I think it’s fabulous.
• Can I freeze this recipe? – Yes, place the un iced cupcakes on a baking tray and pop in the freezer till frozen solid. They can then be wrapped in a double layer of cling film or placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
• Can I use fresh raspberries instead of jam? – Yes you can, just add 75g of fresh or frozen raspberries at the same time as the pistachios.

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