Happy Birthday Mum! It is my lovely Mum's birthday today...could you tell? lol So I'm making her birthday cake/cupcake of choice for this year...Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes from the Vegan Gurus that are Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero and their cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
. When I asked Mum what cake/cupcakes she wanted she said "...Ooh those Rose petal Cupcakes are really good..can I have those?" So, that is what they will forever be known as now...lol
Now I've had this book a few years and it's in such bad shape that I'm going to have to start taping it together! It's a very popular book and has been used a lot. With the exception of two recipes in this book (because I couldn't source the ingredients in this country...*sighs*) I've made every cupcake and never once have they let me down. You must buy this book.....
I first made these particular cupcakes for my Greek inspired birthday dinner a few years ago and I get requests for this recipe more than any other! And I'm happy to make them as they smell so good when you are putting them together.
Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes Makes 12 cupcakes
(Recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World ~ Moskowitz & Romero)
1/2 cup vanilla soya yoghurt
2/3 cup soya milk or rice milk
1/3 cup canola oil (I use sunflower or safflower)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white caster sugar
1 to 2 tbsp rose water
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Generous pinch of cardamon
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
Rosewater Glaze - recipe to follow
Chopped pistachios for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350'F/180'c/Gas Mark 4. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yoghurt, soya milk, oil, sugar, and rosewater. Sift in the flour, cornflour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Mix until relatively smooth. Fold in the the pistachios. Fill the liners three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Rosewater Glaze
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp vegan marg
2 to 3 tsp soya milk
1/2 tsp rosewater
1 drip of Pink food colouring (optional)
With a fork, cream together half of the icing sugar and the margarine until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the soya milk and rosewater, and beat in the remaining icing sugar (You can use a electric hand whisk from this point...I do!) Mixture should have the consistency of a thick batter with a satiny sheen. Adjust consistency if needed by beating in small amounts of icing sugar or carefully dribbling in soya milk.
Top the cooked cupcakes with the glaze and then sprinkle on the chopped pistachios.
Thanks to Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero for this fantastic recipe!
