Healthy Pistachio Cupcakes with low-fat Pistachio cream cheese frosting
- cynthiastreats
- Apr 20, 2015
- 6 min read
We're so excited to share our first-ever recipe post. Everything we bake is low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, diabetic friendly, and full of flavor. What's the trick to baking delicious & nutritious? A few things, which we studied, food science, and then tested, and tested, and tested.
We replaced some of the basic ingredients of baking --butter, sugar, oil-- with healthier alternatives. Our base ingredients are all natural unsweetened applesauce and stevia, which are replacements for butter and sugar, respectively. We completely eliminated oil because we found we don't need it in the types of products we bake.
So, let's get started with our recipe for Pistachio cupcakes. If you're anything like I was, right now you'll be saying "ewwww" and shaking your head "no thanks"...pistachios in my cupcakes??? These will make you a convert unless you have nut allergies, and for you who do have nut allergies, the next recipe will be nut-free.
The Essentials
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached AP flour
1 cup 100% white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp low-sodium salt (or a salt substitute like Nu-Salt)
2 T all natural unsweetened applesauce
3 T stevia (I prefer Truvia because it acts most like sugar, from my experience)
2 large eggs (or 1 large egg and 2 egg whites from large eggs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all natural pistachio paste
1/3 cup water
Method
We're shooting for an inside oven temp of no more than 300ºF because when you bake with stevia you have to bake slower and longer, and have to reduce the oven temp by 50ºF to 75ºF, depending on your oven. Here are my recommendations, based on my experience baking my cupcakes in all 3 types of ovens with an oven thermometer, pre-heat your oven for at least 30 minutes at:
Conventional gas oven at 280º-285ºF, the inside oven temperature will probably get closer to 300ºF by the time you're ready to bake. Plus, the flames are simply too close to the bottom of the pan and will burn the bottom of the cupcakes before they are finished baking.
Electric oven between 290ºF and 300º depending on the calibration of your oven.
Convection oven, commercial grade, at 280ºF. Once again, this may vary ± 10ºF depending on the oven, but the goal is an inside oven temp of no higher than 300ºF.
Now to the good stuff...
1.) In a medium bowl sift, (simply put a strainer on the bowl and if you don't have one big enough, just hold one over the bowl) together the the dry ingredients: AP flour, WW flour, baking powder, baking soda, low-sodium salt.
2.) Give the ingredients a good mix with a wisk and put to one side, make sure it's to your left side, (just kidding...kekeke).
3.) In another bowl, mix together the applesauce and stevia. Mix on high, 2nd highest setting, until it starts to look frothy. I've never actually timed it, but it's about 30 - 45 seconds, but no longer than 1 minute.
Remember, we're not working with any trans or saturated fats, so mixing time is decreased.
4.) Switch your mixer to low, second lowest setting, and mix in eggs one at a time, whether you're using 2 eggs or 3.
Working with these ingredients is more difficult because they are more delicate and require a lighter touch during mixing.
You want to see some egg streaking, don't overmix the first egg.
And this is what the wet ingredients should look like once the 2nd egg has been mixed in. Look for the tiny bubbles.
"Tiny bubbles
In the egg mixture
Makes me happy
Makes me feel fine.....couldn't help myself....channeling my inner Don Ho.
5.) Keeping your mixer on the second lowest setting, mix in your vanilla extract for about 15-20 seconds. Don't stress out about the timing here, just don't go crazy overmixing. Refer to step 6 picture for a visual.
6.) Keeping your mixer on the second lowest setting, mix in the pistachio paste. Once again, I've never timed it, but mix for 30 - 45 seconds, but probably no more than a minute. Just look for the tiny bubbles...they'll make you happy, you'll see.
I always use the Love'n Bake all natural pistachio paste. I do not get paid to endorse any particular brand or get free samples, yet. However, if someone would like to pay me and/or send me free samples, I wouldn't say "no"....just an fyi. *Wink*
This is what the mixture should look like after mixing in the pistachio.
7.) With your mixer set on the lowest setting mix flour mixture and pistachio mixture in thirds, alternating with the water. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
Add 1st part of water
2nd part of the water added and last part of the flour
Yowzaaaaaa! Apologies for the blurriness. I really am working on my food photography skills. Anyway, the consistency of the batter will be on the thick side, no need to thin it out with more liquid.
8.) Fill cupcake wrappers halfway only. These particular cupcakes dome up quite a bit. Fill the wrappers 1/3 if you want flat cupcakes. Bake for 15 minutes.
Baking time will vary depending on the type of oven and the calibration. Start checking at 15 minutes, if you can't touch them and have them spring back, leave them in for another 3 - 5 minutes.
For best results, you should always have a thermometer in the oven, closer to the back but not touching the oven wall, even if you have a digital temperature control.
In case you don't already know, the secret to professional looking cupcakes is using an ice cream scoop, a mechanical one, to fill the wrappers.
9.) Eh voilà! Beautiful, delicous smelling Pistachio Cupcakes. Let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then put them on a wire rack until they cool.
Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling we're going to make the pistachio frosting. However, if the kitchen is too warm from the oven, wait til' it cools down before making the frosting.
Our frosting, like our cupcakes, is low-fat, low-cal, low-carb so it's more delicate to work with than the full-fat version. Also, please note the amount of confectioner's sugar, it's the perfect amount to cut that cream cheesey after taste and still be diabetic friendly. We've worked hard to develop our recipes and balance carbohydrates, fats, and fiber to make them diabetic friendly.
Frosting Ingredients
8oz. brick of Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese (otherwise known as Neufchatel Cream Cheese, and here it's important you use Philadelphia or the frosting will not have the correct consistency).
7/8 cup confectioner's sugar (or looking at the cup just below the rim, any more will make it too sweet).
1 tsp vanilla extract (no imitation vanilla extract for frosting)
1 T pistachio paste
Method
1.) DO NOT bring the cream cheese to room temperature. Take it out of the fridge and put it directly into a medium bowl, (probably best to take it out of the packaging).
That's one of the tricks to working with 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese. It needs to be really cold, and the best way to achieve that is by storing it at the back of your fridge, but do not freeze it.
2.) Sift the confectioner's sugar into the medium bowl. Here it's important to sift the sugar because you do not want any clumps.
3.) Add the vanilla extract and pistachio paste.
4.) With the mixer on the lowest setting, mix ingredients until smooth. Do Not overmix or you'll have frosting soup. Because of the low fat content too much mixing will break down the consistency very quickly. If this happens to you the first time just throw it out or drizzle it over the cupcakes. Adding sugar or corn starch will not make it thicker because the structure is already broken down at that point.
Because of the type of ingredients called for using a healthful baking method, I use a hand mixer so I have more control. It's the mixing that's the most difficult since there are no trans or saturated fats. For those of you who use stand mixers, if you follow the directions as closely as possible, you should be ok. Everyone has their own mixing style, maybe I'll do a short video to demonstrate my mixing style for this type of baking.
This is the first time I publish my recipes, and I feel like I'm sending my baby off to school. Please take good care of my baby, do my baby proud, but most of all have fun and enjoy these most delicous & nutritious cupcakes!
Cupcake kisses...mua mua mua! (that's mwah mwah mwah with a mouthful of cupcake...get it?)
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