These Chocolate Cupcakes with Pistachios and Cognac Buttercream Frosting are packed with flavor! Take your chocolate cupcakes to the next level with pistachios and Cognac. Serve during Birthdays and other special occasions.
About this Recipe
I love baking for family and friends. From time to time I bake sweet treats during birthdays and festive occasions. These cupcakes came about for a birthday and I jumped at the chance to make them as the flavor combinations were so unique! Classic cupcakes are great but who doesn’t get excited about new flavors?
Alcohol-infused sweet treats are slowly becoming my thing. Last month I made Bailey’s infused cupcakes for the first time and they disappeared in seconds which is always a good sign so look out for more alcohol-infused sweet treats to come!
Chocolate Cupcake with Pistachio Ingredients
Let’s get started! Gather all of the ingredients below before you start baking!
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour: Use all-purpose flour or plain flour to make the chocolate cupcakes.
- Unprocessed cocoa powder: Use good quality cocoa powder for this recipe and sieve before mixing.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure you use unsalted butter that is at room temperature.
- Caster sugar: Sieve caster sugar to remove lumps and excess dirt before adding it to the cake batter.
- Leavening ingredients: Add baking soda and baking powder to the cake batter to make them extra fluffy.
- Milk: Add full-fat milk or low-fat milk to the cake batter. Milk should be at room temperature.
- Eggs: Crack eggs into a bowl. Eggs should also be at room temperature.
Cupcake Decoration:
- Pistachios: Crush pistachios nuts.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure butter is at room temperature.
- Icing sugar: Sieve icing sugar before mixing.
- Cognac: Add good quality cognac to the buttercream while whisking. Use 3-6 tbsp of cognac depending on how strong you want the alcohol content to be.
- Double cream: Add a few tablespoons of double cream to make the buttercream creamy and delicious.
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes with Pistachios and Cognac Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Start by preparing the cupcakes. Preheat oven at 160C/320F. Add cupcake cases to a cupcake pan and set aside for later.
- Prepare dry ingredients. Add all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and mix until well combined. Set aside for later.
- Prepare wet ingredients. Add unsalted butter to a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Then, add the caster sugar and whisk for another 3-5 minutes or until pale yellow.
- Eggs: As you continue to whisk the mixture add one egg. Then whisk for a few minutes or until the egg disappears. Repeat this step for the remaining eggs.
- Cupcake batter. Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add milk and mix with a large spoon or spatula. Do not overmix the cupcake batter. Make sure there are still a few lumps.
- Scoop about 2-3 tbsp of cake batter into each cupcake case and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Once the cupcakes are ready leave them to cool.
Chocolate Cupcakes Decoration:
- Cognac buttercream: Add unsalted butter to a large bowl and whisk on a low speed for 1 minute. Then add half of the icing sugar and whisk on a medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the remaining icing sugar, 3-6 tbsp of cognac, and 2-3 tbsp of double cream. Whisk for 3-5 minutes or until spreadable.
- Add crushed pistachios to the chocolate cupcakes.
3. Add cognac buttercream to a piping bag with a star nozzle. Then add cognac buttercream on top of the pistachios.
4. Top cupcakes with more crushed pistachios and serve!
Top Tips
- Do not overmix the cupcake batter as this will result in a tough and chewy cake.
- Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature before baking and making the buttercream.
- All cupcakes to cool completely before you decorate the cupcakes. If you decorate the cupcakes when they are still warm the buttercream will melt!
- For an alcohol-free recipe skip the cognac.
More Delicious Sweet Recipes
Thanks for reading this recipe, comment below if you made this and let me know how it went! Follow @simshomekitchen on Instagram, take a photo, tag and hashtag it with @simshomekitchen.
Stay connected and follow me for more recipes on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of my latest recipes!
Chocolate Cupcakes with Pistachios and Cognac Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Mixer or handheld mixer
- 12 cupcake cases
- Piping bag
- Nozzle
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of Unprocessed cocoa powder
- 1 cup of caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 2 large eggs
Cupcake Decoration
- 1-2 cups of pistachios
- 1 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups of caster sugar
- 3-6 tbsp of Cognac
- 2-3 tbsp double cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
- Start by preparing the cupcakes. Preheat oven at 160C/320F. Add cupcake cases to a cupcake pan and set it aside for later.
- Prepare dry ingredients: Add all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and mix until well combined. Set aside for later.
- Prepare wet ingredients: Add unsalted butter to a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Then, add the caster sugar and whisk for another 3-5 minutes or until pale yellow.
- Eggs: As you continue to whisk the mixture add one egg. Then whisk for a few minutes or until the egg disappears. Repeat this step for the remaining eggs.
- Cupcake batter: Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add milk and mix with a large spoon or spatula. Do not overmix the cupcake batter. Make sure there are still a few lumps.
- Scoop about 2-3 tbsp of cake batter into each cupcake case and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Once the cupcakes are ready leave them to cool.
Chocolate Cupcake Decoration
- Cognac buttercream: Add unsalted butter to a large bowl and whisk on a low speed for 1 minute.
- Then add half of the icing sugar and whisk on a medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the remaining icing sugar, 3-6 tbsp of cognac, and 2-3 tbsp of double cream.
- Whisk for 3-5 minutes or until spreadable. Add crushed pistachios to the chocolate cupcakes.
- Add cognac buttercream to a piping bag with a star nozzle. Then add cognac buttercream on top of the pistachios.
- Top cupcakes with more crushed pistachios and serve!
Notes
- Do not overmix the cupcake batter as this will result in a tough and chewy cake.
- Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature before baking and making the buttercream
- All cupcakes to cool completely before you decorate the cupcakes. If you decorate the cupcakes when they are still warm the buttercream will melt!
- For an alcohol-free recipe skip the cognac.
Leave a Reply