Coconut Cupcakes with Mango Frosting

Time to celebrate hot hot summers with the one good thing about this season, mangoooooes! With shredded coconut in a buttery cupcake batter, a frosting with fresh mango puree and cream cheese, topped off with diced mango. So good!

I’d posted these cupcakes a couple of years ago and they needed a refresh. The batter is adapted from Rachel Allen’s cookbook, Cake. I swapped the desiccated coconut for fresh coconut and reduced the eggs to just one because it’s a fairly small recipe and I didn’t want an overly eggy batter. I also added a little yoghurt and milk to keep the batter moist and made the frosting out of only cream cheese this time, not mascarpone. It tends to become a little grainy and adding fruit help increases the chances so using just nice and smooth cream cheese works really well.

The cupcakes are amazingly buttery moist and so soft! The coconut is not overpowering, neither is the mango. They just come together really well in little tropical bites. The fresh mango makes the frosting a bit runny so you should refrigerate it before spreading it onto the cupcakes.

I hope you love these!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Coconut Cupcakes with Mango Frosting

Soft, moist cupcakes with coconut, topped with a mango cream cheese frosting

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Makes: 8 cupcakes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

For the cupcakes

• 100 gms butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
• 1 egg, at room temp (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup thick, plain yoghurt or curd, at room temp (60 ml)
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut (30 gms) (thaw if frozen)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter

For the frosting

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temp (115 gms)
• 2 tbsps butter, at room temp
• 3 to 4 tbsps caster sugar (depending on sweetness of mango)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pureed mango pulp (I used one small Alphonso mango and pureed the pulp in my blender)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175 C and grease 8 muffin moulds in a muffin tray.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on low speed until pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
• Add in the yoghurt, milk and coconut and beat briefly to combine.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently without over-mixing to create a thick but spreadable batter. If you need to, add another tablespoon of milk.
• Divide equally into the muffin moulds and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. The sides will be lightly browned but the tops will still be quite pale. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the muffin tray and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract together on low speed, until smooth and creamy. Gently beat in the mango pulp. The frosting will be a little runny so stick it in the fridge 10 to 15 minutes until firm, but spreadable. Spoon it on top of the cupcakes, decorate with more mango pieces and enjoy!
• Cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge at all times, where they will keep for 4 to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating and add the fresh mango garnish just before serving. Happy baking!

Notes

*Here is an eggless cupcake recipe, you can try adding coconut to it. Please keep in mind I haven't tried that variation myself.

*The coconut flavour isn't super strong, it adds texture and a subtle flavour. If you prefer it stronger, you can add coconut extract if you have it or add a few spoons of coconut milk.

*Adapted from Rachel Allen's book Cake

This post contains affiliated links.