Almond Cupcakes with Pistachio Buttercream

I’m back in the kitchen!!  I love being back in the Test Kitchen after being away on holiday.  We had a wonderful time visiting England and Ireland.  And, it’s wonderful to return home.  While on our adventures, I enjoyed a delicious pistachio macaroon from Ladurée.  After that, the wheels started churning…

While in Ireland, I was reminded that we’ll soon be in the middle of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – just one more reason for a green creation.

The more I looked online for recipes for Pistachio Cake from scratch, the more I realized I was going to have to develop one on my own.  Most recipes call for a box of cake mix and a box of instant pudding. 

Because I wasn’t patient enough to develop a recipe overnight (impossible for me), I opted for a Almond Cake/Sponge with a Pistachio Buttercream.  Yum.

I’ve baked this cake dozens of times and yet this time all the cupcakes sunk in the center.  I reviewed the recipe checking for the right leavening and checked the heat on the stove to make sure the outside didn’t bake too quickly.  But, I did let the stand mixer run too long.  Drats!

Solution?  Core the center, put together some type of filling and confidently state, “I meant for this to happen; it was my plan all along.”  #legit

Wanting to try something different, I opted for a little bit of Pistachio Whip!  Doesn’t that sound fantastic?  I happened to have a tub of Cool Whip and a box of instant Pistachio pudding.  I’ll take that!  I did add about 1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios.

Knowing I wanted the cupcakes and whip to really set up, I popped them in the cake fridge over night.  In the morning, I made some vanilla buttercream…adding about 2T of the Pistachio pudding mix, 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios, a little bit of green tint, and the left over Pistachio Whip from the cream filling (it was about 1/3 cup). Also, this could have been prepared with heavy whipping cream and a bit more time running the mixer. Hot tip: The nuts need to be finely chopped in order to not clog the piping tip.

I topped each cupcake with chopped pistachios…adding the shaved chocolate seemed more….gourmet.  I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but it seemed like it to me.

It is a great relief to be back in the kitchen – our trip to England and Ireland offered so much inspiration.  I can’t wait to see how some of those moments can be interpreted.

A shout-out to my  life partner for such a wonderful holiday.  And, a shout-out for sobriety.