Pistachio Cupcakes with Cardamom Rose Frosting [Eggless!]

“Tradition simply means that we need to end what began well and continue what is worth continuing” -Jose Bergamin

Happy Diwali to all of you that celebrate! Hubby Darling and I have been busy the last few days preparing and celebrating the five-day long festival.

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains all across the world. This auspicious festival is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals in India. Houses are decorated with flowers, rangoli (colored powder), lights, candles, and diyas (oil lit lamps). The lights and lamps signify the lighting of darkness and victory of good over the evil within.

No Diwali celebration is complete without homemade sugary sweets. Many of those desserts include ingredients such as cardamom, rose-water, milk, and pistachios. I haven’t found many cupcakes with these ingredients, so this Diwali season I decided to make a festive cupcake that had an Indian touch. An eggless pistachio cupcake with a creamy rose and cardamom frosting.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

For the frosting:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 1/2 teaspoon rose-water

Method:

For the cupcakes:
Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Grease or line two cupcake trays. Sieve the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and reserve. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Once creamed, add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk. Beat for 1-2 minutes until batter is smooth. Fold in the crushed pistachios. Fill the liners 3/4 up with the mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Makes 18-20 medium size cupcakes.

For the frosting:
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese. Once mixed add the confectioners sugar, cardamom powder, and rose-water. (I added one drop of pink food coloring to the mix; but it’s optional) Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!