Tropical Mango Vanilla Cupcakes (video)
These amazing cupcakes combine the flavors of mango and coconut for a tropical flair. The buttercream frosting is made with a fresh mango reduction for a superb taste of mango. The vanilla cupcake is moist, rich, and buttery with a hint of coconut.
This is one of my first recipes from when I first started this blog. It’s a fan favorite and a family favorite as well. I’ve recently started to adjust this recipe slightly to give it better and more consistent results. The biggest change I made was to the buttercream. The original recipe uses fresh mango puree, and while the taste was there, it wasn’t as prevalent as it could be. So I’ve updated the recipe to use a fresh mango reduction for more flavor and a thicker consistency.
Why this recipe is so great:
- It has the best mango buttercream. Instead of just using mango juice or mango extract, I pureed a heaping cup of fresh diced mangoes, cooked it down to half a cup, and used it in the buttercream. Using the reduction gives the frosting a natural mango flavor that really shines through without having to use an extract. It gives the buttercream a beautiful bright orange color as well without having to use any food coloring. The reduction also helps thicken the frosting and makes it more stable.
- The cupcake is super easy to make. It’s all done by hand so there is no need to get out that heavy stand mixer.
- The recipe is easily adaptable. You can substitute the coconut yogurt with plain, vanilla or even sour cream if coconut is not your thing. You can also use canned mango pulp or frozen mangoes if fresh mangoes are not readily available where you are.
How to make mango cupcakes:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- You start by tossing together all the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar.
- Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Then stir in the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter into a baking pan lined with cupcake liners, and bake.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the mango reduction, vanilla, and salt.
- Then mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
Expert tips:
- Use room temperature ingredients. Because this recipe uses melted butter, it’s important that all refrigerated ingredients like your eggs, yogurt, and milk are at room temperature before you start. This prevents your butter from solidifying again.
- Select ready-to-eat ripe mangoes for the best flavor. Use mangoes that are fragrant and give a little, which is a sign of ripeness. Hard mangoes will lack flavor and sweetness, and will also be hard to peel and cut. For more information, here’s a great article from Saveur on How to Pick the Perfect Ripe Mango.
FAQ:
- What type of mango is best for this recipe? I recommend Ataulfo mangoes because they are sweet, have great flavor, and their soft texture makes it easy to puree. Depending on the size of them, you’ll need 1-2 mangoes to yield one cup for this recipe.
- Can these mango cupcakes be made without the egg? Yes, these cupcakes can be made eggless. Simply substitute the egg with 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce for best results.
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These tropical mango vanilla cupcakes are moist, buttery, and have a hint of coconut. The buttercream tastes fresh and sweet, and is bursting with mango flavor.
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintTropical Mango Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These tropical mango vanilla cupcakes are moist, buttery, and have a hint of coconut. The buttercream tastes fresh, sweet, and is bursting with mango flavor.
Ingredients
Mango Reduction
- 1 heaping cup of fresh diced mangoes (see notes for substitutions*)
Cupcakes
- 1 & 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (or 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut flavored yogurt (see notes for substitutions**)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Buttercream
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125ml) mango reduction
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Mango Reduction
- Puree the diced mangoes until smooth using a blender. Measure out 1 cup and pour into a small saucepan.
- Bring the puree to a simmer on the stovetop over medium-low heat. While stirring frequently, let it simmer until it reduces to half the volume (15-30 minutes). Set aside to cool while preparing cupcakes and frosting.
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar. Mix in the egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter into the 12 paper liners. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the mango reduction, vanilla, and salt.
- Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing in between. Blend until smooth after adding the final cup of powdered sugar. Frost as desired.
Notes
*You can substitute fresh mangoes with canned mango pulp or frozen mango chunks. If using frozen mangoes, thaw and drain before pureeing.
**You can replace the coconut flavored yogurt with plain or vanilla yogurt, or sour cream if you prefer.
The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Place on the countertop for 1 hour to bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 34.5 g
- Sodium: 140.8 mg
- Fat: 19.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.1 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 66.7 mg
Hi Lily! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Do you think I can replace butter to whipping cream for the frosting?
No, because it won’t be thick enough with whipping cream. It’s best to use butter.
The best mango cupcake ever! Cupcakes were soft, buttercream was yummy! Kids definitely loved it! We did use frozen mangoes, so it wasn’t as sweet as I’d hope for, but still yummy. Unfortunately, there’re no yellow mangoes in our supermarkets. Nevertheless, will continue making this ❤️
My kid requests a crazy birthday cake combo every year. I do my best, you know, lol. This year it is mango and pop rocks. I am using your mango frosting. I just made it- and it is absolutely DIVINE. I have no idea how it is not over the top sweet, but it isn’t- it is nuanced and balanced and honestly, one of the best things I’ve had in a long time. And get this- I am not a frosting person- at all. I am pretty sad that I have to incorporate the pop rocks at this point- thinking they are only going in half of the cakes. Kudos. Saving this recipe and feel like I just pulled a rabbit out of a hat on the birthday cake request for 2024. Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Liz! Thank you for your lovely feedback and happy birthday to your kiddo:)
Can this recipe be used to make a cake rather than cupcakes without changing any of the ingredients?
Yes, it can:) Just adjust the bake time accordingly depending on what cake size you make. Enjoy!
Hi , i want to make it eggless cupcakes and i dont have Apple sauce, What can i use then?
You can use a flax egg or mashed bananas. Enjoy!
Hi! Looking to double this to yield 24 cupcakes. Have you done this and been successful or had to change anything?
I have not done it for myself, but I don’t see why now and I’m pretty sure it has been done by other readers with success. I hope that helps!
I’m super excited about making these. Question for you about using mango pulp – do I still concentrate it or use it as is?
Yes, it’s best to concentrate it as well for better flavor. Enjoy the cupcakes!
Hii! Do you think I could add mango chunks into the batter?
You can, just make sure they are small chunks so the batter can support it. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m looking to make these cupcakes but was hoping to make mini cupcakes. How many mini cupcakes do you think this recipe would yield?
TIA!
It will yield about 24 mini cupcakes. Enjoy!
Can you use strawberry yogurt to make a strawberry mango cupcake?
Yes, you can. The strawberry flavor will be light, so you can add some finely chopped strawberries to the batter if you’d like to amp things up.
I made these cupcakes a few years ago for my Son who wanted a Luau theme Birthday and is a Mango loving kid! they were a hit! May I say, since then, this is the ONLY cupcake recipe I use (for the cake base) I have used sooo many different flavored yogurts and all time are hits! please do swap out for Pumpkin flavored yogurt in the fall! and the ideas are endless! I was curious to know, do you happen to know or have a recipe similar that makes them chocolate? I suppose I can do trial and error by adding cocoa powder to the base but I am too afraid to mess it up! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I haven’t used anything else since!
Hi Dina,
Thank you so much for your kind words! And great idea using pumpkin-flavored yogurt – yum! I do have a chocolate cupcake recipe (https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/chocolate-cupcake-recipe/) but it’s not the same texture, it’s more fluffy. If you want something close to this recipe, try replacing the 1/2 cup of flour with cocoa powder and see if that works. It should in theory. Let me know if you give it a try!
Can I use diced canned mangoes?
Yes, just drain well. Enjoy and Happy New Year!
These cupcakes were a huge hit! I used vanilla bean yogurt and it was so tasty, a tad dry. Maybe more yogurt?
Thank you – I’m glad they were a hit! No, I would not add more yogurt. Try taking baking them for 2-3 minutes less.
These turn out to be lovely each time I bake it.
Just wanted to know if I need to make it eggless what can be substituted.
Thanks
You can substitute the egg with 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. Enjoy and thank you for your kind words!