Whenever I have bananas going bad, I know exactly what to make (banana bread, duh). But, what do you do with some aging mangoes? After some extensive googling of “best mango recipes,” I decided on some delicious mango curd to inside freshly baked vanilla cupcakes!
It was actually perfect because I had just bought one of my favorite bloggers’ cookbook! I’m obsessed with Sally’s Baking Addiction, I use her recipes as inspiration constantly. I finally just got one of her cookbooks, Sally’s Baking Addiction, which features my favorite white cupcake recipe. You can buy your own copy on her website, Amazon, or even at Barnes and Noble!
You may have noticed the scale in the above picture. Technically, the best way to measure your dry ingredients is to weigh them and luckily, Sally puts the weight in the recipe instructions. It’s definitely not a requirement so don’t feel like you have to weigh them! You’ll still get beautiful fluffy cupcakes either way. I love these glass Pyrex measuring cups, especially for this step where you have to melt butter and then whisk in the sugar.
I even have them in larger sizes, but these ones are Pampered Chef, but it seems they don’t have them on their website anymore! A comparable item would be this version from Pyrex. They might be the item in my kitchen I use the most, especially when I don’t want to pull out the Kitchen Aid mixer.
Because you don’t want to mix the batter too much, I just use a plain ol’ whisk and some elbow grease for these cupcakes. You also don’t have to dirty a bunch of bowls if you are just making cupcakes. It gets a little messier with the mango curd, but don’t worry because it’s all worth it. The most important thing when baking individual sized baked goods is to ensure they are all relatively the same size. If they are all different size, they will cook differently and nobody wants that. I use a cookie scoop to make sure they are even and it’s again one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. Then, once they are all full, I pound the cupcake pan on the counter to level it out and get out any air bubbles. It’s unclear if that’s something technical or something I made up but it works.
Okay, so you can make your mango curd on one of two days. You can either make it one to two days in advance of making your cupcakes OR you can make it the same day but then you’ll have to let your cupcakes hang out in the fridge overnight too. I did the latter and they were still just as delicious so it’s really up to you and what your baking schedule looks like!
Mango curd is super easy to make, it just takes a few steps and there isn’t much room for interpretation. This should make rule followers very happy. If you don’t have a food processor, you can easily put this in a blender too. It just needs to get super combined since you are adding whole mangoes in there. Some recipes have you push the mango curd through a sieve but I didn’t and I had no problems with the textures.
When you are ready to fill your cupcakes, you can also whip up your vanilla buttercream to top them! My number one piece of advice when making buttercream icing is to make sure your butter is softened but not too soft because otherwise it will create a less than stiff buttercream and that’s just yucky.
There are many ways you can fill a cupcake and mine might be a bit unorthodox. I used a piping tip and turned it upside down to take a piece of the cupcake out. Then, I used a spoon to drizzle the mango curd in the hole and then gently covered it back up with the cupcake piece. It’s okay if it doesn’t look beautiful because you are going to top with some buttercream icing! You can also just use a small paring knife to make a whole in your cupcake or there are actually cupcake coring devices you can purchase.
After I added the vanilla buttercream, I drizzled mango curd all over the top for a little extra decoration. It’s a little Jackson Pollack-ish but hey, it takes delicious and that’s all that matters. You could also fill these cupcakes with jam, Nutella, or even a different fruit curd like lemon! Make sure to tag us on social media if you make these delicious cupcakes.
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 atulfalo mangoes, peeled and seeded OR 1 large mango, peeled and seeded
- 1/3 cup sugar
- juice from one whole lime (about 3-4 Tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 sticks of butter, softened (1 cup)
- 4 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with 12 liners, set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt your butter. Remove from microwave and whisk in sugar until completely combined with no lumps.
- Add to a large bowl and combine with egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until completely combined.
- Gently add in the flour and whisk until combined, careful not to over mix.
- Using a cookie scoop, add batter to cupcake liners evenly across all 12. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through cooking.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- When ready, remove a piece of the cupcake by cutting a small hole in the top. Gently spoon in a bit of mango curd and then reseal with the piece of cupcake.
- Frost the cupcake with vanilla buttercream and then drizzle with mango curd.
- Enjoy!
- Puree the mangos, sugar, lime juice and salt in food processor or blender.
- Then, add the egg yolks and puree about 15-20 seconds longer.
- Pour mango mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat until it starts to get thick (about 10-12 minutes) while constantly stirring.
- It will start to thicken at about 170 degrees F or right before it starts to simmer.
- Whisk in pieces of butter, one at a time until they are fully combined and melted.
- Remove from heat and gently pour into a glass container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Using stand mixer and paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes until creamy.
- Add in four cups of powdered sugar and vanilla extract with the mixer running on the lowest speed. Scrape sides of the mixer, as needed.
- Then, increase the speed to high and beat for about 3-5 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
- After cupcakes are completely cool, frost using your favorite piping style or use a butter knife for a rustic look.
- Fully iced cupcakes will stay good up to 3 days in refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before eating.
- This will make about 3 cups of mango curd so use the extra to drizzle on avocado toast, oatmeal, or even in a smoothie!
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