These are sweet and fruity little cupcakes!
They take advantage of fragrant mangoes, cooked down into a simple jam which lives at the heart of the cupcakes.
Orange zest and slices compliment the mango flavor.
Though you can use any kind of orange slice to top these cupcakes, I used Cara Cara Oranges and love the deep, orange-red hue of this variety.
Blood orange slices would also look stunning, nestled in the vanilla buttercream.
This recipe calls for my Mango Jam, which you can find by clicking on this pic!
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- Click here for my Mango Jam recipe!
The recipe for the cupcakes is below.
Orange Mango Cupcakes
These cupcakes have a bright taste thanks to orange zest and slices, and a hidden pocket of sweet mango jam! Get the Mango Jam recipe by clicking here.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2-1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 cups milk, lukewarm
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (about two oranges worth)
For the buttercream frosting:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, like Crisco
- 6 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling & Decorations:
- 1/2 cup Mango Jam
- 2 Cara Cara oranges or blood oranges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare two 12-cup standard cupcake pans: grease and flour the cupcake wells or use paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the 1 cup plus two tablespoons of butter and the granulated sugar for 5 minutes: the mixture should be fluffy and pale yellow in color. Add in the whole eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Slowly add in the egg yolks while the mixer is running on low. Mix in the vanilla extract and the oranges zest. Add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix the batter on low speed. Add in half of the milk and mix it into the batter. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk and then the last of the flour until the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Fill each cupcake well about 2/3 full with batter (2 ounces in each well.) Place the pans in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Turn the cupcakes out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
Prepare the buttercream:
- Beat together the 3/4 cup of butter and the 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar, followed by a little of the milk. Continue alternating the sugar and milk until all of the sugar has been mixed in. (You may not need all of the milk.) Add in the vanilla and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
Assemble the cupcakes:
- Cut out the centers of the cupcakes: use the tip of a straight vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Cut a circle about 1 inch in diameter by inserting the knife or peeler 2/3 of the way down into the cupcake. Use the knife or peeler to pull out the cylinder of cake: cut off most of the cylinder to just leave the top that will go back on the cupcake. Scrape out the well inside the cupcake just a bit so that there is room for the mango jam. Drop 1 teaspoon of Mango Jam into the well. Place the cake cap over the jam and press it in place gently to make the cap flush with the top. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top of the cupcakes as a crumb coat. Place the rest of the a piping bag with a 2D tip. Starting in the center of the cupcakes make a small mound of frosting and then pipe frosting out and around about two times to cover the top of the cupcakes. (Alternatively if you'd rather not pipe, just use a knife to spread frosting on each cupcake. Make the frosting thick enough to hold the slices of oranges.)
- Wash the oranges well and slice them into 1/2" thick slices. Cut the slices into semi-circles. Blot the excess juice off of the slices with a paper towel. Place one semi-circle slice onto each cupcake, cut sides down. Push the slice in gently so that it stands up in the frosting.
- The cupcakes can be stored in a cupcake storer or covered in plastic for up to three days.
Recipe Notes
Note: The cake recipe is slightly adapted from the recipe in The Baker's Manual by Amendola/Rees. The buttercream is slightly adapted from the recipe in the King Arthur Baker's Companion.
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