Pistachio Cupcakes

Method

For the Cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, corn flour, baking powder, and salt for 20 seconds. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in the eggs one at a time, then blend in the pistachio essence and green food colouring.
• Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and blend on low speed until combined, then blend in ½ of the milk. Repeat this process, mixing in another ⅓ of the flour mixture followed by the remaining ½ of the milk. Finally, add the last ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the chopped pistachios, and fold the mixture while scraping the bowl to evenly incorporate the pistachios (do not over-mix).
• Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each ⅔ full (about ¼ cup in each).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container to cool completely.



For the Pistachio Buttercream frosting:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the butter until very pale and fluffy.
• Mix in the heavy cream, pistachio essence, and icing sugar. Whip until pale and fluffy.
• Pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle pistachios on top. Store in an airtight container.