Cupcakes are one of my favourite sweet treats! I love the variety of the combinations and the flexibility they give you to customise them according to your taste and mood!
In Greece cupcakes are not as famous due to the huge variety of traditional delicacies and desserts. I have tried to find cupcakes inspired by the Greek culture and Greek spices with no success. Thus I decided to experiment. The first attempt is with my favorite Greek dessert spice. Mastic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastic_(plant_resin). The taste is very particular and unfortunately can't be sustituted with any other spice. Fortunately even though it is only produced in Greece it can be found online
http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/product/1147/mastic-13g
For the frosting I used the liqueur version which can also be odered online http://www.greekfoodshop.com/en/mastic-liqueur-homericon-500ml.html . The taste is the same so in the recipe I give both options.
In Greek desserts mastic is usually combined with pistachio thus in my first attempt I decided to combine the two.
tip: keep your mastic crystals in the freezer. They are much easier to break and use
Cupcakes are one of my favourite sweet treats! I love the variety of the combinations and the flexibility they give you to customise them according to your taste and mood!
In Greece cupcakes are not as famous due to the huge variety of traditional delicacies and desserts. I have tried to find cupcakes inspired by the Greek culture and Greek spices with no success. Thus I decided to experiment. The first attempt is with my favorite Greek dessert spice. Mastic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastic_(plant_resin). The taste is very particular and unfortunately can't be sustituted with any other spice. Fortunately even though it is only produced in Greece it can be found online
http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/product/1147/mastic-13g
For the frosting I used the liqueur version which can also be odered online http://www.greekfoodshop.com/en/mastic-liqueur-homericon-500ml.html . The taste is the same so in the recipe I give both options.
In Greek desserts mastic is usually combined with pistachio thus in my first attempt I decided to combine the two.
tip: keep your mastic crystals in the freezer. They are much easier to break and use
Ingredients:
120 gr all purpose flour 140 gr sugar
40 gr butter
130 ml milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder Vanilla essence pinch of salt 3-4 mastic crystals or 3 tbsp mastic liqueur
3 tbsp pistachios
For the frosting:
370 gr icing sugar
110 gr butter
either 45 ml milk and 3 mastic crystals or 20 ml milk and 25 ml mastic liqueur
green food colouring
pistachios to decorate
Directions:
Preheat the oven in 170 C
Mix in high speed the butter, egg and sugar for 5 minutes or until becomes a light yellow mixture.
In a bowl combine the flour with the salt and baking powder. Break the mastic crystals until they are in powder form and mix with the milk and vanilla essence. Add slowly slowly and in turns the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture. Keep mixing for 5-10 minutes. Cut the pistachios in small pieces and add in the mixture.
In a cupcake baking cake divide the mixture in the cups and bake for around 20 minutes and until the cupcakes get a light brown colour.
While the cupcakes are in the oven prepare the frosting. Mix the butter with the icing sugar. In a bowl mix the milk with the mastic. Again break the crystals until they are in powder form. Add the milk to the mixture and beat until it becomes a fluffy frosting. Be careful not to over beat as the butter will start becoming too soft. At the end add a hint of green food colouring. Keep the frosting in the fridge until you use it.
Once the cupcakes are out of the oven let them cool. Once cool cover with the frosting. At the end break the pistachios and sprinkle the cupcakes.
recipe also available at: http://kurkubinii.wix.com/kurkubini#!pistachio-and-chios-mastic-cupcakes/c1auv
