Pistachio cupcakes

This is my favourite type of cake. Fluffy, sweet with golden crust cake. And those pistachio nuts ! Just yummy :) . The recipe comes from 'Cake days. Recipes to make every day special. The hummingbird bakery'

Ingredients for 12-18 cupcakes:

• 190g soft butter
• 190g flour
• 190g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 25ml yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 100g shelled, chopped pistachios

Shell the pistachios and chop them roughly. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

In separate bowl sift togetehr the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add them to creamed mixture in two batches and mix on low speed until just incorporated. 

Add the yogurt, vanilla. Then stir in the pistachios by hand.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. When ready transfer to the wire rack to cool down completely.

While the cupcakes are still in the oven prepare the glaze.

Ingredients for glaze:

• 120 icing sugar
• 40g ground pistachios
• 2-3 tbsp water

Shell the pistachios, place them in the blender and blend them. You can use ground pistachios instead if available in your area. 

Put the icing sugar into a bowl add 2 table spoons of water and mix together. The mixture should be relatively thick. Stir in half of ground pistachios. If you think the mixture is too thick add additional spoon of water and stir well. 

Spoon the glaze over each cupcake top and sprinkle with remaining pistachios. Enjoy !

Pumpkin and pecan microwave muffins

If I didn't know I wouldn't guess that those muffins were baked in microwave. Only 4 minutes !(for 900-watt microwave oven). Those muffins were moist, reasonably sweet and crunchy. The recipe comes from 'The Australian Women's Weekly'.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

•  225g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 75g Dark Muscovado sugar
• 80 ml grape seed oil
• 2 eggs
• 200g pumpkin pure
• 60 ml thick cream
• 75g pecans

Place 6 silicone muffin cases on microwave plate.

Chop the pecans into small chunks.

Put the flour, spices and sugar into a big bowl and combine all ingredients together. Add half of chopped pecans, save the rest to sprinkle on the muffins.

To the bowl with dry ingredients add the oil, whisked eggs, pumpkin pure and cream and combine. 

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cases, abut 3/4 full. Sprinkle with pecans. 

Cook one 6 muffins batch at the time, uncovered, on Medium - High (70%) about 4 minutes or until just cooked. Stand 1 minute before turning muffins onto wire rack. 

Repeat with remaining batter.