Rosewater & Pistachio Cupcakes

Mothers Day has become a tad gimmicky these days, the shops are overflowing with flowers and chocolates, so to make it a bit more special why not bake your mummy a present instead?

Mum loves rose and violet chocolate creams, so i've done my own cupcakey take on her fav chocolates. So, here goes the recipe for rosewater & pistachio cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing....

For 12 standard cupcakes you will need:
60g pistachios
125g self raising flour
125g butter
125g caster sugar
1-2 tbsp rosewater
2 tbsp milk
2 medium eggs

For the chocolate buttercream:
175g butter
350g icing sugar
4 level tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp rosewater
3 tbsp boiling water
rose petals/crystalised roses for decoration


Before starting heat your oven to 190c and line the cupcake tins with some cases.

Firstly sift the flour and place in a blender with the pistachio nuts, grind until the nuts have disintergrated into the flour - this will give the cupcakes a greenish tinge.

Next place the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix together, then add the flour mix, milk and rosewater. Before blending together, seperate the egg whites from the yolks in two seperate bowls, then add the yolks and blend till smooth. Finally whisk up the egg whites and stir into the mixture to create a lighter consistency of cupcake.

Finally divide up the mixture into the cupcake tins and place in the oven for between 12-15 minutes.

Tip - Use a tablespoon to divide the mixture, as one spoonful roughly equals one cupcake

Once you have left the mixture to cool for at least 45 minutes, you can start on the buttercream. Blend the butter first so that is nice and smooth, then add the sifted cocoa powder, icing sugar, rosewater and boiling water. Once blended your cupcakes will be ready for decoration, you can either use a knife or special icing equipment to place the buttercream on the cakes. Finally, add the rose petals to make the cakes look pretty.

Happy Baking!