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)

1. You start by tossing together all the dry ingredients.
2.  In another bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar.
3. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Then stir in the dry ingredients.
4. Divide the batter into a baking pan lined with cupcake liners, and bake.
5. Once the cupcakes have cooled, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the mango reduction, vanilla, and salt.
6. 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.

You might also like:

• Mango Pudding
• Mango Cheesecake
• Apple Mango Salsa

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.

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