Mango Cupcakes (The Best Mango Cupcakes Ever)

Tara made these amazingly delicious Mango Cupcakes for my birthday - what a friend! The secret to these wonderful cupcakes is Indian Alphonso Mango puree!  Alphonso mangoes are considered the best of the King of fruits :) - even the canned puree is flavorful. If Alphonso mango puree is not available, use Kesar mango puree.  Most regular mangoes that I have found are alright fresh but lose what little flavor they have when cooked.

Mango cupcakes are so good that you cannot stop at one! The kitchen, the entire house too for that matter, smells heavenly with the aroma of the mangoes!! Tara was generous to give me the recipe - I modified it slightly and here it is.

Notes:  For best flavor, use whole cardamoms and peel and grind them just before using; collect the dark seeds and grind using a mortar and pestle with a teaspoon full of sugar - the sugar helps to grind it  better into a fine powder.  Grind the cardamoms for both the cakes and the frosting together for ease of preparation.  Also, use vanilla beans if you have them for their unbeatable flavor.  Vanilla beans are available in most markets; Cardamoms and  Mango puree are available in Indian markets.

I had a little of the frosting leftover which I saved for later. When I was looking for something to put on my toast, I found the frosting; it was divinely delicious on warm toast/biscuits too!!

Note:  Make the frosting ahead of time and chill in a covered container to allow the frosting to firm up; this helps the flavors to develop nicely also.

12 Regular-sized cupcakes

Ingredients:

Frosting:

2 Tbsp Cold Butter Substitute (I used Earth Balance)
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, at room temp
2 Tbsp cold Mango Puree
1/2 cup Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar
1/2 tsp finely ground Cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla

Cream the butter substitute and the coconut oil together in a small bowl. Add the rest of the frosting ingredients and beat using an electric beater until fluffy.  A food processor may be used to make the frosting as well.  Spoon the frosting into a container with a tight fitting cover and chill.

Now the cake:

Sift together into a large bowl:

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 1/2 tsp Cardamom seeds, finely ground

Combine the following in a bowl and stir to mix:

1 1/2 cups Alphonso Mango Puree

1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted

2/3 cup Sugar

1 tsp Pure Vanilla 

Method:

Prepare a muffin pan with liners.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the mango mix to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well using a wire whisk until well combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or the cupcakes test done - insert a small toothpick or wooden skewer near the center of one of the cupcakes and it should come out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

Frost the cakes and allow them to let rest for a couple of hours before serving.

Enjoy!!