When I was on holiday in Italy a few years ago, one morning my sister and I decided to venture out to find some proper Italian coffee for our breakfast. We came across this cute little cafe and bought the most delicious croissants that were filled with this unbelievably rich and creamy pistachio filling.
Ever since then I’ve been dreaming of this decadently nutty treat! I’ve tried and tested a few recipes and have finally succeeded in capturing the magic with this one so that you can delight in this dreamy pistachio cream too.
It’s perfect as a filling for many sweet treats including cakes, macarons and of course, croissants!
I’ve decided to showcase it in cupcakes form! Almond sponge is filled with pistachio cream and topped with a swirl of pistachio cream buttercream. You can replace the almonds in the cake with pistachios if you prefer but I find the almond cake only amplifies the great taste of the pistachio cream (and you don’t have to shell and peel as many pistachios!).
Shelled pistachios can be bought in the supermarkets but can be quite pricey. See my tips below on the best way to shell and peel them yourself!
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes and takes a total of 3 hours to make (inc. preparing the pistachios and baking/cooling times). You can make the pistachio paste up to 1 week in advance. Just make sure to store it in an airtight, sterilised jar and keep it refrigerated.
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 100 g gluten-free self raising flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder (make sure this is gluten-free)
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend has it already in)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
For the pistachio paste:
makes approximately 300 g
- 150 g pistachios (shelled and peeled, see tips below)
- 75 ml whole milk
- 50 ml double cream
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 100 g white chocolate
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
For the buttercream:
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 100 g pistachio cream
- 350 g icing sugar
I used sprinkles to decorate however you could use some chopped up pistachios instead.
Useful Equipment: 12 hole muffin pan, cupcake cases, weighing scales, mixing bowls, hand/stand mixer, spatulas, piping bags, piping nozzle (I used Wilton 1M), saucepan, colander, tea towel, food processor, measuring jug
Shelling and Peeling Pistachios: Shell the pistachios – they will be purple/brown due to the skins. To easily remove the purple skins, place the pistachios in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil for about 4 minutes. Drain them and place them on a clean tea towel. Rub the pistachios in the towel to loosen the skins and place the clean pistachios in a bowl ready for use.
Method:
Making the pistachio paste:
- Place the peel and shelled pistachios in a food processor with the whole milk and 1 tbsp icing sugar. Blitz for about 5 mins until a smooth paste is achieved.
- In a saucepan, heat together the cream, butter and white chocolate until melted.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the paste and blitz until smooth. You can adjust the thickness of the paste by adding more milk to thin it out if required. I like it to be nice and thick so it’s easy to spread and dollop!
- If not using straight away, place in a sterilised jar with an airtight lid and store in the fridge.
Making the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C/350 °F and place the cupcake cases in the 12 hole muffin tray.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whilst whisking.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder and add in the almonds, salt, and almond extract. Fold to combine.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 18-20 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the buttercream:
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the butter until pale and creamy (about 2 mins).
- Whilst whisking, gradually add the icing sugar.
- Once smooth, add the pistachio cream. At this point, if needed, you can add 1-2 tbsp of milk or water to improve the consistency of the buttercream. It needs to be smooth and creamy so that it can be piped easily.
- Place into a piping bag with a piping nozzle (I used a Wilton 1M piping tip).
Assembling the cupcakes:
- Cut a hole in the middle of each cupcake (I use the large end of a piping tip to do this!).
- Place 1-2 tsp of pistachio cream into each hole.
- Pipe a large swirl of buttercream on top and decorate with sprinkles or chopped pistachios. Enjoy!
These cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge due to the dairy content so be sure to take them out and allow them to come to room temperature before serving. They will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I love to hear what you think about my recipes and about your own bakes too! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! And don’t forget, you can subscribe to Pippatisserie to stay up to date on all new recipes and posts!
