Rose Chai Cupcakes with Pistachio Cream Filling
Floral rose, spicy chai, and delicious pistachio come together in one delicious bite with these rose chai cupcakes with pistachio cream filling. This flavor combination was partially inspired by one of my favorite brands of masala chai.
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Rose Chai Cupcakes
I’ve been pretty obsessed with Kolkata Chai Co for 3 or 4 months now. It’s the best chai I’ve ever had, so I got a subscription (directly from their website, but you can also find them on Amazon)! My only complaint is that shipping takes forever. Anywho, when I subscribed, I chose to get their signature masala blend and the rose masala chai. It sounded amazing.
And it is. Normally when I brew this for drinking, I’d use oat milk and I add extra cardamom pods and fresh turmeric if I’m feeling wild. It doesn’t need it, but I have it, so I’ll take the extra zing. It definitely does need the fresh ginger though. I’ve found frozen ginger cubes at the grocery store and love using them in my chai.
Flavor Profile
If I’m being honest with you, the rose is not a strong flavor in this chai. But you won’t even miss it! The spicy, bold flavors of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and ginger are the perfect balance of comforting and cozy. If you don’t have loose leaf chai, using 2 tea bags should work just fine.
Even though I can’t taste much rose in the chai, it does pair wonderfully with the rose buttercream. And since rose and cardamom are frequently paired with pistachio, I figured we’d throw a fluffy pistachio whipped cream into the party.
Top Tips for Cupcakes
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help everything blend nicely and give your cupcakes a nice texture.
- Scrape down your bowl often. Butter and sugar can hide out at the bottom of your bowl. Make sure everything gets blended!
- Do NOT over mix. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients, keep the speed on stir and only mix to combine.
- Place some dried rice (½ – 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each cupcake cavity before adding your paper cases.
- Use a large cookie scoop to perfectly portion your cupcake batter.
- Use the Ateco 888 piping tip for the perfect swirl and frosting to cupcake ratio.
Rose Hybrid Buttercream
Hybrid buttercream is a cross between a mock Swiss meringue buttercream and a classic American buttercream, but all made in one bowl! I’m a big fan because it’s less sweet than ABC, but not quite as buttery as SMBC.
This batch of buttercream is being flavored with a dash of rose water. Rose can be a difficult flavor to nail without tasting like soap. I definitely went light on the rose water, but there’s enough to give you a good flavor. Naturally, add a tiny bit more for a bolder taste.
I love the color of this frosting too! It is a pinch of the coral Master Elite powdered color. For a lighter, more pastel color, I suggest using just a dash. I wouldn’t add any more color because I think it would have a bitter taste. These small measuring spoons are perfect for measuring the tiny amounts of powder color.
Related Reading: Milk Tea Cupcakes with Boba
Pistachio Cream Filling
Using instant pudding mix to flavor and stabilize whipped cream is my new favorite thing. In the past, I’ve only used vanilla pudding mix, so I was excited to try something new! I used pistachio pudding to create a super light and fluffy pistachio cream filling.
I made a ton because I didn’t know how much I needed, but I cut that original amount in half for the recipe down below. The pistachio flavor is light, but just enough to say hi to your taste buds.
Pistachio Finish
Originally, I had planned on piping gorgeous buttercream flowers to top off these rose chai cupcakes. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I’m learning new flower techniques from The Piped Peony and it’s more difficult than I anticipated! With more practice, I hope to be showing off my new found skills soon!
Instead, I blitzed up some pistachios to sprinkle over the edge of the rose buttercream. I love the contrast of the coral pink frosting and vibrant green pistachio bits. So pretty! Plus it adds flavor and crunch.
Step by Step Video Tutorial
These rose chai cupcakes are fairly straightforward, but for my visual learners out there, a step by step video tutorial can make a world of difference. In this video, you’ll learn how to make the rose chai cupcakes, rose hybrid buttercream, and the pistachio cream filling.
You can watch the video right here on this page, or pop on over to the Bakes & Blunders YouTube channel! Let me know if there’s anything about cupcake baking and decorating that you’d like me to explain further in a future video. Just leave a comment on this blog post or on the video and I’ll see what I can do!
Suggested Tweaks
I am tickled pink with how these rose chai cupcakes with pistachio cream filling turned out! The cupcake is moist, soft, and deliciously spiced. That pretty pink frosting is so light and floral. And the fluffy pistachio cream is a delight!
That being said, you can absolutely play around with the flavors here. Try throwing in some fresh turmeric when you whip up the chai. Or if you love cardamom, I think a dash would be truly scrumptious in either the filling or the buttercream. You could also mix crushed pistachios into the filling for more flavor and texture. The sky’s the limit!
Enjoy!
Spicy chai, floral rose, and buttery pistachio are a triple hit of deliciousness. I hope you get to make a batch of these rose chai cupcakes with pistachio cream filling soon. It’s a perfect dessert for fellow tea lovers.
If you’re intrigued by this recipe, but don’t have immediate plans to start baking, don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! And while you’re at it, go ahead and follow Bakes & Blunders on Pinterest.
Rose Chai Cupcakes with Pistachio Cream Filling
Ingredients
Rose Masala Chai
- 8 fl oz water
- 1 Tbsp loose leaf rose masala chai
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 8 fl oz whole milk
Rose Chai Cupcakes
- 4 oz all- purpose flour
- 1.5 oz cake flour
- 1 1/4 tsps baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 oz unsalted butter softened
- 7 oz white sugar
- 1 Tbsp cake enhancer optional
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 fl oz rose masala chai room temperature
- 2 Tbsps canola oil
Rose Hybrid Buttercream
- 2 oz pasteurized egg whites
- 1/16 tsp Coral Sugar Art Master Elite powder color
- 18 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 12 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- Crushed pistachios optional
Pistachio Cream Filling
- 6 fl oz heavy cream
- 1 oz instant pistachio pudding mix
Instructions
Rose Masala Chai
- Place the water in a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the chai and ginger. Simmer for 3- 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the milk and increase the heat to medium high. Cook until you just begin to see bubbles beneath the surface. Do not let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover. Let the chai sit for 3- 4 minutes.
- Pour the hot chai through a strainer to remove the solids. Cool to room temperature before using or covering to store in the fridge.
Rose Chai Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cases and set aside.
- Sift the flours, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, and cake enhancer (if using) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bowl down once or twice during the process.
- Add the vanilla to the bowl and beat on medium until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl down.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add an egg and mix for about 15 seconds before bumping the speed up to the next lowest setting. Mix until combined, about 15 seconds more. Repeat the process with the remaining egg, scraping the bowl down occasionally.
- As the eggs finish incorporating, combine the room temperature rose masala chai and oil, then set aside.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. Begin with a third of the dry and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Drizzle in half of the liquids and beat on low until nearly combined. Scrape the bowl down and repeat this process with another addition of dry, then wet ingredients. Scrape the bowl down and finish with the final bit of dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Use a cupcake scoop to divide the batter among the cupcake pans. Bake for 20- 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when tapped on top and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
Rose Hybrid Buttercream
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the pasteurized egg whites, powdered color, and 10 ounces of the sifted powdered sugar and whip for 4- 5 minutes. If powdered sugar gets stuck above the egg whites, scrape it back down.
- With the mixer on a medium speed, whip in the butter one tablespoon at a time. It will look a bit curdled. Once all of the butter has been combined, whip on a medium- high speed for 2- 4 minutes.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and scrape the bowl down. Beat the mixture on a medium speed for another 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down and add half of the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for a minute.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining powdered sugar and the rose water. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for 1- 2 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
Pistachio Cream Filling
- Beat the very cold cream on a medium- low speed until it begins to thicken slightly, about 1- 2 minutes. Then add the pudding mix. Beat on a medium speed until you can see tracks in the cream, another 1- 2 minutes.
- Finish whipping the cream with a balloon whisk. You want soft peaks. The cream will thicken as it sits as well.
Assembly
- Use a cupcake corer to remove a small portion of the cupcake. Place the pistachio cream filling in a piping bag and snip off the end. Fill each cupcake with the cream.
- Use the Ateco 888 piping tip to pipe a swirl of rose hybrid buttercream on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the end of the piping tail with crushed pistachios.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge in an air tight container.
Notes
- This makes more than enough chai for one batch of cupcakes. Enjoy the extra chai with your breakfast!
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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