
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!
Looking for a healthy baked dessert? Make sure to check out my Healthy Desserts and head on over to read my Ultimate Guide to Making Healthy Desserts at Home!
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."
- DO NOT OVERMIX CUPCAKE BATTER
- 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:
- As a thin glaze made with labneh
- 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!
Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes with Rosewater Frosting!
Equipment
- beaters
Ingredients
Cardamom Pistachio Cupcakes:
- ½ cup organic butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 lg eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest approximately zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup cake flour
- ¼ cup pulverized pistachios see notes
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon pink sea salt
- ½ cup whole milk
For the rosewater frosting:
- ½ cup organic butter, softened
- 1 cup labneh, room temperature or cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch pink sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoon rose water
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Toppings/decorations:
- rose petals
- crushed pistachios
Instructions
How to make pistachio cardamom cupcakes
- *Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust rack to the center of the oven*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.½ cup organic butter, softened, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 lg eggs, room temperature, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 ¼ cup cake flour, ¼ cup pulverized pistachios, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon 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.½ cup whole milk
- Finish with the remaining half of dry ingredients. Mix till just combined.
- Divide pistachio cardamom cupcake batter evenly between 12 muffin tins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
How to make the rosewater glaze or frosting:
- In a bowl, beat together softened butter, labneh, ground cardamom, sea salt, and rose water till smooth. *Use cream cheese in place of labneh for thicker frosting*½ cup organic butter, softened, 1 cup labneh, room temperature, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, pinch pink sea salt, 1-2 tablespoon rose water
- Gradually add the powdered sugar.3 cups powdered sugar
- Keep beating till your frosting is completely smooth and no lumps remain.
- Frost and decorate your cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!rose petals, crushed pistachios
Rose
Thank you for all the tips about not over mixing the cupcake batter! These cupcakes turned out amazing!!
Sam
These have the most incredible flavor! You added just the right amount of cardamom and pistachio for an incredible not over powering flavor.
PS
Would it be possible to make these eggless by using flaxseed meal + water?
Rosemary
yes definitely!! Let me know how they turned out