Mango Strawberry Sunset Cupcakes
Bakery-style mango cupcakes with a hidden strawberry center and swirled sunset mango strawberry frosting.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup ripe mango puree
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt at room temperature
- 1/4 cup mango juice
- 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons mango puree
- 2 tablespoons strawberry puree
- Pink gel food coloring
- Yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat 1/2 cup softened butter and the granulated sugar with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla bean paste.
- Add the 1/2 cup mango puree, Greek yogurt, and mango juice to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until smooth and combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain; do not overmix.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about two-thirds full, and smooth the tops lightly.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
- While the cupcakes bake, place the strawberry preserves and cornstarch in a small saucepan and stir to combine.
- Cook the strawberry mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use an apple corer or small paring knife to cut a 1 inch deep cone from the center of each cupcake and reserve the cake pieces as lids.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cooled strawberry filling into the center of each cupcake, then replace the reserved cake pieces to cover the filling.
- In a large mixing bowl beat 1 cup softened butter with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition, then add the heavy cream and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light, fluffy, and spreadable.
- Divide the frosting into three portions: leave one portion plain, mix the mango puree into the second portion, and mix the strawberry puree into the third portion.
- Tint the mango frosting portion with a small amount of yellow gel food coloring and the strawberry frosting portion with a small amount of pink gel food coloring, mixing each until the color is even.
- Fit a large piping bag with a star or round tip and add spoonfuls of the three frostings side by side in the bag to create a swirled sunset effect.
- Pipe tall swirls of frosting onto each filled cupcake, turning the cupcake as you pipe to form a spiral.
- Serve the cupcakes at room temperature and store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
- Make sure all refrigerated ingredients are at room temperature before mixing to help the batter come together smoothly.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour mixture, or the cupcakes may bake up dense instead of light and tender.
- Allow the strawberry filling to cool completely before using so it does not melt the cupcake centers or the frosting.
- For the best sunset swirl, avoid stirring the colored frostings together and instead place them in the piping bag in distinct sections.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour mixture, or the cupcakes may bake up dense instead of light and tender.
- Allow the strawberry filling to cool completely before using so it does not melt the cupcake centers or the frosting.
- For the best sunset swirl, avoid stirring the colored frostings together and instead place them in the piping bag in distinct sections.