Moist, fluffy small batch pistachio cupcakes piled high with mascarpone whipped cream and raspberry jam.
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small batch pistachio cupcakes
Hello hello! ☺︎ Today I have for you a super easy, super delicious pistachio cupcake. It’s made with the same delicious, moist, fluffy base as my vanilla cupcakes – except we add in pistachio flour for, of course, some pistachio flavor. I didn’t want these to be too heavy – so we’re piling them high with some lightly sweetened mascarpone whipped cream and a ton of slightly sweet, slightly tart homemade raspberry jam. If you’re not a fan of those, the pistachio cupcakes themselves are a great blank slate for whichever frosting/jam combo your heart desires.
So let’s get into it!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
It is super important to not over-mix the cupcake batter or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes. Using the reverse creaming method makes it more difficult to over-mix the batter, but it’s still good to be aware of how much you are mixing it. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for small batch pistachio cupcakes with raspberry jam:
pistachio cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure.
- Pistachio flour: for flavor and texture. I do NOT recommend buying this – you can make your own super easily at home by just grinding up some pistachios in a food processor. Salted, roasted, or unsalted will work here.
- Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Vanilla bean paste: for flavor, vanilla extract would work great here as well.
- Sour cream & whole milk: for tenderizing the cupcakes and making them moist. I recommend full-fat for both of these for the best texture in the cupcakes, but low-fat or non-dairy alternatives should work well here. This recipe was originally made with buttermilk but I know that can be annoying to purchase. If you’d like to use buttermilk, replace the sour cream and milk with 85g full-fat buttermilk.
raspberry jam:
- Raspberries: fresh or frozen will work – you could also use blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries if raspberries aren’t for you.
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten up the jam.
- Lemon: for flavor – you’ll want the zest and the juice from 1 small lemon.
- Corn starch: for thickening up the jam.
mascarpone whipped cream:
- Mascarpone: for flavor and for thickening the whipped cream.
- Vanilla: for flavor, you can use extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: for a bit of sweetness.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream, whips up the mascarpone.
how to make small batch pistachio cupcakes
Here are a few images of the process of making these cupcakes. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post.
- Beat together the dry ingredients and the butter until well combined.
- Then beat in all of the wet ingredients.
- Distribute the batter between 6 parchment liners, then bake.
- Make the raspberry jam: heat together the raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest.
- Mash down the raspberries, pass them through a sieve to remove the seeds, then return the mixture to the heat and mix in a corn starch slurry.
- Make the whipped cream by beating together the ingredients, then top the cupcakes with the mascarpone whipped cream and jam and enjoy!
small batch pistachio cupcakes recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – just double all the ingredients and distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely – I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also make the jam two days ahead of time and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I’d recommend waiting to make the mascarpone whipped cream until you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes as it may fall flat in the fridge.
how to store cupcakes
Like most baked goods, these vanilla cupcakes will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They’ll keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but will still be good for about 5 days after baking.
can I omit the raspberry jam / use a different fruit?
You can definitely omit the raspberry jam and just have a pure pistachio cupcake – I’d suggest swirling some pistachio cream into the mascarpone on top. You could also use a different fruit in the jam, such as blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Small Batch Pistachio Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pistachio Cupcakes
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- 42 g pistachio flour* (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 41 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 45 g sour cream room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 55 g whole milk room temperature (¼ c.)
Raspberry Jam
- 150 g raspberries fresh or frozen (1 ¼ c.)
- 75 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 10 g corn starch (1 ¼ tbsp.)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 226 g mascarpone (1 c.)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- 150 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
Instructions
Pistachio Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, pistachio flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg white, vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six liners. Bake for 15-18 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Raspberry Jam
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the mixture frequently, mashing down the raspberries as they soften.
- Once all the raspberries have been mashed up, take the mixture off of the heat and pour it through the fine mesh sieve.
- Discard the raspberry seeds, and transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and lemon juice. Once the raspberry mixture is simmering, mix the corn starch slurry in to it, stirring until the jam thickens.
- Once thickened, remove the jam from the heat and transfer it to a heat-safe container to chill in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cupcakes.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- Add the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) to beat the mixture just until combined.
- While mixing, slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream. Continue mixing until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
- Once the cupcakes have fully cooled to room temperature, place a heaping scoop of mascarpone frosting on them. Use a spoon to make a divot on top of the cream, then swirl a heaping scoop of raspberry jam in to it. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
These were very easy to make and so delicious! They did end up making 7 cupcakes as opposed to 6 which I am not complaining about. I waste a lot of egg whites so this recipe gives me something to do with them.
I didn’t change anything about the cupcake part but for the topping I omitted the mascarpone and mixed pre-made jelly directly into the whipped cream since that’s what I had available. It was delicious.
This is personal preference but I did think the cupcake was a little sweet. Next time I will see if I can reduce the granulated sugar without causing any structural changes because the crumb was perfect.
Lastly, I was worried about the batter overflowing the tins while in the oven, but they mostly just peak in the center so that was not an issue at all.
Awsome