Pistachio Cupcakes

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) pistachio instant pudding mix
• 1 cup ginger ale
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur (optional)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 to 3 drops green food coloring
• Baileys Whipped Cream Frosting:
• 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
• 2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
• Crushed chocolate mint sandwich cookies, green shamrock candy

Details

Servings 22

Preparation

Step 1

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

Prepare cupcake batter:
Place cake mix, pudding mix, ginger ale, vegetable oil, Bailey's liqueur, if desired, eggs, and 2 drops of green food coloring in larger mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add another drop of food coloring if batter seems too light. Increase mixer speed to medium and eat 2 minutes more, scraping down sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove empty liners, if any.) Place pans in oven.

Bake cupcakes until lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with our finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run dinner knife around edges of cupcake liners, lift cupcakes up from bottoms of cups using end of knife, and pick them out of cups carefully with fingertips. Place on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare Bailey's Whipped Cream Frosting. Chill large clean mixing bowl and electric mixer beaters in freezer for a few minutes while assembling ingredients. Pour cream into chilled bowl and beat with electric mixer on high until thickens, 1 1/2 minutes. Stop machine and add confectioners' sugar. Beat cram on high speed until stiff peaks for, 1 to 2 minutes, then fold in Bailey's Irish Cream.

Place a heaping tablespoon frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread out with short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover tops completely. Garnish as desires. Cupcakes are ready to serve.