So Saint Patrick’s Day is in a week which seems kind of crazy. Usually this time of year feels very long and dragging, but lately I’ve been feeling like times just flying by. In some respects that’s a good thing, but in a lot of other ways it’s not. Anyway, Saint Patrick’s Day is next week so I bring to you a festive recipe.
I feel like Saint Patrick’s Day is kind of an underrated holiday. I think I’ve said this before, but two years ago I went on a school trip on Saint Patrick’s day so the holiday reminds me of that, which always makes me happy. Plus I love making soda bread, and I always make two loaves. I didn’t make a Saint Patrick’s Day recipe last year, but the year before that I published this Guinness Chocolate Cake if you’re looking for another option.
But these cupcakes are pretty great. I’ll admit that they’re one of the more challenging recipes on my blog, but that’s part of what makes them so good. The pistachio cupcake, in addition to being delicious, gives these a festive green color, and the caramel in the middle is like the gold. On top, the festive flavors come in with Baileys Irish cream and coffee frosting. In summary, these look festive and taste equally so.
Describe These Cupcakes to Me
Taste: The cupcakes have a real pistachio flavor, complimented with notes of sweet vanilla. The caramel in the center provides a rich contrasting flavor, the deeper notes cutting through the sweetness of the rest of the cupcake. The frosting on top is sweet, but bursting with unique flavor from the Baileys and coffee.
Texture: The cupcakes are soft and fluffy, with a moist crumb. The caramel is perfectly smooth and silky in contrast, and the frosting on top is creamy and light.
Ease: I will say that these are something of a more difficult recipe. You have to make caramel sauce, which is a little challenging at first, but is completely manageable if you take it slow and read carefully. The cupcake batter is fairly simple, as is the frosting and topping. It’s just all of the steps put together that makes this a little more ambitious.
The Batter
These cupcakes are more or less just a classic fluffy vanilla cupcake, but with some of the flour replaced with ground up pistachio. I use a little bit of pistachio extract to really make sure the flavor comes through, but it’s not strictly necessary. Because of the nuts, these are a little more crumby than classic vanilla, but not so much so that they’re dry or fall apart.
The Caramel Filling
Now in theory, you could buy caramel sauce at the grocery store and just spoon some of it into your cupcakes. But once you know how to make caramel sauce, it’s so much easier than it seems and tastes so much better. The most important thing to do when making caramel is make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. If you add cold cream and butter to extremely hot sugar, it’s going to split and harden. That’s why in this recipe, we microwave both of them before we use them. Another thing to keep in mind, is to never leave your caramel alone. At the beginning, the melting sugar will take a long time, and it seems like nothing is happening. But if you leave it unattended, it will burn shockingly quickly.
The Frosting
To top off these cupcakes, we have a creamy Baileys Irish cream and coffee frosting. I will say that this frosting is a little sweeter than what I would usually make, but that’s because of the Baileys. Because of this, I like to use a smaller amount of it on each cupcake. Something to keep in mind while you’re making this frosting is that frostings containing alcohol are prone to split, so you really want to make sure you don’t over mix this one.
The Topping
I have now used these caramel shards in my gingerbread cookies, gluten-free cookies, banana muffins, and coconut caramel cookies, but they’re just so easy to make. They’re optional for this recipe, but I think they just look so cute on top. I sprinkled them with some pistachio crumbs to tie the two flavors together.
Pistachio Baileys Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients
Method
- Note before starting the caramel: caramel can be very tricky, so make sure you read through the instructions before beginning.
- Microwave the heavy cream and butter separately in two bowls for 20 seconds. They should be slightly warm but not hot.
- In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat melt the sugar, stirring occasionally. It can take up to 20 minutes to melt, so don't be alarmed if it doesn't look like it's doing anything. Once it's mostly melted, make sure you're stirring constantly to make sure it doesn't burn while you're waiting for the last few lumps to melt down.
- Once the sugar has completely melted, whisk in the butter. It will splatter and sizzle, so be careful! You may have to remove the caramel from the heat briefly and whisk vigorously to get it to come together. Still whisking, stream in the heavy cream (again being careful of the splashing). You should have a smooth and thin caramel. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Pour the caramel through a sieve (to remove any chunks of crystallized sugar) and into a bowl. Let the caramel cool uncovered for 10 minutes or so before covering with cling wrap and letting it cool at room temperature while we make the rest of the cupcakes.
- Start by browning the butter. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sized saucepan. Once melted, start stirring constantly and the butter will begin to sizzle and foam, and you will then start to see brown specks forming. Keep cooking until the butter has turned a caramel brown color. Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer to solidify partially while we make the rest of the cupcakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a 12 count cupcake tin with liners. Line a second pan with two liners. This recipe makes about 14 cupcakes.
- In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they reach a fine consistency, similar to that of almond flour. We will use ¾ cup of this in the actual cupcakes, but save the remainder to use in the caramel shards if making.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup of the ground up pistachios, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cooled down (and slightly solidified) brown butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until fluffy and combined. Add the egg whites, vanilla, and pistachio extract and mix on medium speed until smooth. Finally, mix in the sour cream. With the mixer running on low speed, mix in all of the dry ingredients until almost combined. With the mixer still running on low speed, stream in the whole milk and mix until just combined. The batter will be fluffy and slightly thick.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling almost all the way to the top. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the cake bounces back when lightly poked, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Get out all the ingredients for the caramel so they are at the ready.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the sugar over medium heat until amber brown, for roughly 6 minutes. It will seem like nothing is happening at first, but the sugar will begin to melt and clump up, and will eventually all melt down to a deep amber brown. Once melted, add the butter and use a whisk to combine. Once butter is completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk vigorously just until the butter is mostly combined. Then immediately pour the caramel onto the previously prepared baking sheet and spread it out into a relatively thin layer. It hardens fast, so work quickly! While it's still hot, sprinkle with leftover pistachio crumbs. Let the caramel sit for 5 minutes before using your hands to break it into small shards. Set aside until ready to use,
- Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add in the sugar, baileys, coffee, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix on low speed until mostly combined before turning up to high speed to whip until fluffy and creamy. Make sure you don't overman the frosting, or it may split.
- Fill the cupcakes with the cooled caramel. Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a pocket a little over 1 inch deep. The piece you remove will be cone shaped, so cut off the pointed end but keep the round "hat". Spoon a loaded teaspoon of the cooled caramel into the hole to fill to the top, and top with the round part you cut out to seal the hole. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (I used Wilton 4B), pipe a spiral of the frosting on top of each cupcake. Top with the caramel shards and leftover pistachio crumbs. Cupcakes stay fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.