Honey Pear Cupcake With White Chocolate Pistachio Buttercream

recipe from couture cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 honey poached pear, mashed
1 honey poached pear, diced
1/2 cup syrup from poached pear
1 2/3 cup self raising flour
2 eggs

To make the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line a 12 capacity muffin tray with cupcake liners.

Cream butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

Alternately beat in the flour and the honey syrup in three lots.

Fold in the mashed pear.

Evenly divide the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners.

Bake for 16 and a half minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before filling with diced pear and topping with frosting.


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Honey Poached Pears
1/4 cup honey
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 large pears (Bartlett is a great variety)

To make the pears

Combine 3 cups water, honey, and sugar in a large saucepan.

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and add to saucepan.

Bring mixture to the boil and lower heat. Simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.

Add the pears to the mixture and continue to simmer for 20 minutes or until the pears are tender.

Remove the saucepan off the heat and strain the pears into a large bowl.

Pour the honey mixture over the pears and allow to cool before placing in refrigerator.


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White Chocolate Pistachio Buttercream Frosting
5 oz white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup pistachios
1 /2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon zest, grated
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs milk (more or less depending on consistency of the buttercream)

To make the frosting

Grind the pistachios with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar in a food processor. You can have the pistachios as fine or as coarse as you like.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the lemon zest and the ground pistachios and beat until combined.

Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and the melted white chocolate.

Beat the buttercream for 3 - 5 minutes, adding the milk until you achieve the consistency you want.