Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes

Pistachio cardamom cupcakes with rosewater frosting! These Arabic inspired cupcakes use flavors from the Middle East like cardamom, fresh lemon, pistachio, and rosewater. I even added labneh in my rosewater frosting for a truly unique pistachio cupcake!

Light, fluffy melt in your mouth texture... what more could you want from a cupcake. These pistachio cardamom cupcakes are one of the best cupcake recipes I've ever made!

If you're looking to spice up your cupcakes, or want to try something new, look no further than these cupcakes with flavors from the Middle East. And the best part of these decadent cupcakes is that you can have them ready in under 1 hour!

Love baking and want to truly take your healthy baking up a notch? Read my full No Discard Sourdough Starter Guide for Beginners! You can use sourdough starter in everything from cookies to cakes, cupcakes, breads, and so much more!

CARDAMOM PISTACHIO CUPCAKES INGREDIENTS

You can make my easy pistachio cupcakes from scratch with these easy to find ingredients below.

• Organic butter
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Lemon zest
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour
• Pistachios
• Baking powder
• Ground cardamom
• Sea salt
• Whole milk

THE ROSEWATER FROSTING

I was going to do a different flavor for the homemade pistachio cupcake frosting... but then I wanted to make these cardamom pistachio cupcakes more Middle Eastern flavored so I decided to add fragrant rosewater into my frosting! The result was so delicious.

ROSEWATER FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• Organic butter
• Labneh (*or cream cheese for a thicker frosting)
• Rosewater
• Ground cardamom
• Sea salt
• Powdered sugar

WHERE TO FIND ROSEWATER: Rosewater isn't something you will typically find at a grocery store. I buy mine at our local Arabic store. If you can not find rosewater, and don't want to wait to order it offline, a great substitute for the rosewater is fresh lemon juice.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO A LIGHT FLUFFY CUPCAKE?

The number one secret to getting that light fluffy and buttery melt in your mouth cupcake texture is.... do not over mix your cupcake batter!! Also, I use cake flour, which has less protein and will develop less gluten.. and less "chewiness."

1. DO NOT OVERMIX CUPCAKE BATTER
2. USE CAKE FLOUR AND NOT ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

HOW TO MAKE MY FLUFFY PISTACHIO CARDAMOM CUPCAKES

I made my light and fluffy cardamom pistachio cupcakes in a bowl and hand held beaters this time, but these cardamom cupcake batter can definitely be made in a standing mixer.

Make sure you add ½ the flour, then the milk, then the rest the flour to prevent over mixing.

STEP 1 make the cardamom pistachio cupcake batter

First, beat the ½ cup of soft butter and 1 cup of brown sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Next, add 2 room temperature eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together your dry ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup cake flour
• ¼ cup pulverized pistachios (simply blend or food process whole pistachios until fine texture)
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon pink sea salt

Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix till just combined.

Next, add ½ cup whole milk. Mix till just combined.

Finish with the remaining half of dry ingredients. Mix till just combined.

STEP 2 bake and cool cupcakes

Divide pistachio cardamom cupcake batter between 12 muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes completely before frosting. To cool your cupcakes quickly, place them in the fridge.

STEP 3 make the rosewater frosting and frost cupcakes

You can make the rosewater frosting two different ways for these cupcakes:

1. As a thin glaze made with labneh
2. As a thick frosting made with cream cheese

The thin glaze is made with labneh, but you can also use cream cheese with just a bit less powdered sugar. I loved using the labneh in my cupcakes to give them more of an Arabic flare. 🙂

The thick frosting is made with cream cheese, since cream cheese will hold its form much better.

To make your rosewater frosting simply beat together:

• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 cup labneh
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• pinch of sea salt
• 1-2 tablespoons rose water

Beat till totally smooth then gradually add 3 cups of powdered sugar until your rosewater frosting is very smooth. You can see that the frosting with labneh is not super thick. So make sure to substitute cream cheese if you're looking for a thicker frosting texture.

FAQ'S

Frequently asked questions about my pistachio cardamom cupcake recipe.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY CUPCAKES MORE APPEALING?

To make pistachio cupcakes more beautiful, add delicate toppings like leftover crushed pistachios and rose petals. You don't have to add anything fancy to make cupcakes look pretty! I always add a bit of whatever flavor is in the cupcakes... maybe even tiny slices of lemon would look good!

WHAT IS LABNEH?

Labneh is a soft Middle Eastern cheese made from strained yogurt. You can buy Labneh at most grocery stores or Arabic grocery stores. You can also make labneh from scratch by straining Greek yogurt through a cheese cloth.

CAN I MAKE THIS INTO A PISTACHIO CARDAMOM CAKE INSTEAD?

Yes! Double the pistachio cardamom cupcake batter and divide it between two 9" cake pans. Or, make 1 batch of the cupcake batter and use two 6" cake pans. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Frost, decorate, and as you like!

CAN I USE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR INSTEAD OF CAKE FLOUR?

Yes, you can definitely use all purpose flour in my pistachio cupcake recipe. However, I highly recommend buying a bag of cake flour if you don't have it and make cakes frequently. Cake flour has low protein which means less gluten which will give you the softest cake and cupcakes!

All purpose flour is great for anything from cookies, to pizza dough where you want that chewier texture.

MORE DESSERT RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Rose milk cake
• Almond flour funfetti cupcakes
• Qatayef
• Basbousa with cream
• Walnut baklava
• Arabic Butter Cookies

If you try my Pistachio Cardamom Cupcake Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!