Yazdi Cupcakes with Honey Rosewater Syrup

I've made these yazdi cupcakes before, but this time I wanted to do something a little different so I decided to soak them in syrup! The flavours of cardamom and rosewater really make these cupcakes special. 

Yazdi Cupcakes with Honey Rosewater Syrup
Adapted from the book New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij.
Makes 9 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 2 eggs, separated (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• a few pinches of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1-2 teaspoons rose water
• 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped nuts

For the Syrup

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 1 tablespoon liquid honey
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line your muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar for about 2 minutes until creamy. I did this by hand with a whisk. I suppose you could follow the recipe from the book and do it for 5 minutes, but after 2 my arm was about to fall off. Or you could get smart and use an electric mixer. 
3. Add the butter, yogurt, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and rosewater. Whisk again until combined, then gradually whisk in the flour.
4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites (this time I used the electric mixer) for several minutes until they're fluffy and stiff. Use a rubber spatula to fold the whites into the batter. 
5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle a few nuts on top. Bake for about 16 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let them cool for 10 minutes.
6. Start making the syrup while the cupcakes are baking. Heat the sugar, rosewater, honey and water in a small pot over medium high heat and let it bubble for several minutes until it thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon nicely without dripping off. 
7. Let the syrup cool while your muffins are baking and cooling, then remove the paper liners from the cupcakes and place them in a dish with deep sides (put foil in the dish if you like). Pour the syrup over the cupcakes and let them soak it up before you eat them. Store in an airtight container.