For this month's Book Club, the tome of choice was "The Twentieth Wife" by Indu Sundaresan, which is about a Persian family who relocates to India, and whose heroine eventually becomes empress. I wanted to make a cupcake for the event, something that honored these cultures both in look and flavor. It was my "Cooking For Friends" book that had just the recipe. It presented a challenge - I had to search around town to find a couple of the ingredients: rose water and edible roses. This led me to Samiramis Imports in the Mission, which is a wonderful Middle Eastern store with neat, clean shelves stocked with all kinds of tempting foods and paraphernalia.
Rose water is one of those things that you have to measure very carefully. Too much, and it feels like you are eating a bar of soap. Not enough, and you can't taste it. Thankfully, this recipe gets it just right. I was going to be all fancy and candy the rose petals (using egg white and superfine sugar), but my halfhearted attempt at doing that was a total failure. It didn't matter - the rose petals were perfect just the way that they were. I had a huge quantity left over, so I brought a handful to use to decorate the serving plate, which had a very exotic and elegant effect.
Makes 12-15 cupcakes.
Rose Pistachio Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 C. self rising flour
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 1/4 C. unsalted butter, room temp
- 3/4 C. granulated sugar
- 4 1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. rose water
- 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
- Pink food coloring
- 2 tsp. finely chopped pistachio nuts, for decorating
- Edible rose petals, for decorating
Sift flour and 1 pinch of salt into a small bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 3/4 C. butter and granulated sugar on med-high heat until light and fluffy.
Add 4 1/2 tsp. of rose water and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
On med speed, ad the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
Divide evenly among muffin cups and bake about 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the buttercream, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1/2 C. butter, 3 C. powdered sugar, and 1 pinch salt until smooth. Mix in 1 Tbsp. rose water, 1 tsp vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring.
Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and sprinkle with edible roses and chopped pistachios.
