TO MAKE CUPCAKES:

1) Prepare a 12 hole cupcake tin and line it with cupcake cases. Preheat the oven to 170C / 150C fan.

2) Sift the flour into a bigger bowl, then add the baking powder, a pinch of salt and mix.

3) Put the softened butter into a stand mixer bowl and lightly mix it with the paddle attachment. Add the egg, sugar, buttermilk and the pistachio paste and mix well until all incorporated. Next, start adding the dry ingredients little at a time, and keep mixing until all combined. You can also incorporate the flour using a spatula or a wooden spoon.

4) Spoon the cupcake mixture into prepared cupcake cases, about 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. To make sure that the cupcakes are baked, perform a skewer test. Insert a clean skewer in the middle of a cupcake and if it comes out clean, then the cupcakes are done. If there’s crumbs on the skewer, then place the cupcakes back in the oven for a few minutes and then check again.

5) Remove the baked cupcakes from the oven and leave them to cool directly in the cupcake tin.

TO MAKE FROSTING:

1) The important thing is to work with the same amount of Mascarpone cheese and whipping cream. What works for me is to whip both the Mascarpone cheese and the whipping cream together. Remove both from the fridge just before you’re about to use them, weigh them, add to a bowl , then add the icing sugar and the pistachio paste and start whisking with a hand mixer at low speed, quickly increasing the speed to high. As soon as you see the frosting getting thicker, switch the mixer off otherwise the frosting will curdle and you won’t be able to fix it.  I prefer sugar free frosting as I like the taste of the cream, but you can adjust the sugar to taste. Please bear in mind though that the more sugar you add the thinner the frosting will become.

This recipe has been prepared by @LelisCupcakes