How about Mango?

Sitting outside at company housing with Jamie & the Strawberry Cupcakes turned about to be quite an adventure.  Lots of people got to sample the cupcakes (since there were so many of them!) and it gave me my next baking experiment.  I believe the exact words were something like "You need a bigger challenge, why don't you try mango?"  I don't like mangoes, but a challenge is a challenge.

This one took some research for me, since I'm not a mango fan.  I didn't exactly have a "go-to recipe" for mangoes.  In all of my googling I found a lot of interesting mango desserts.  I found mango tarts, mango pies, mango sorbet, mango yogurt, mango mousse.  I knew wanted to be able to incorporate at least one of those fun things into my cupcake, but first I had to decide on a cupcake.  Because of the success of the strawberry cupcakes, I didn't just want something with a mango puree in it.  I wanted the cupcake to have chunks of mango.  After reading many recipes, I finally decided to go with this one and switch up the frosting with something a bit different.  And, the cupcakes came out exactly the way I wanted them to - light, fluffy and full of mango chunks.

Now back to my research.  I really liked this recipe that I found for a Mango Lime Mousse.   It's meant to be made in little chocolate cups and served as its own dessert, but I thought it would make a tasty filling for my mango cupcakes.  I used Cool Whip in place of the Dream Whip that the recipe calls for, just because I think it tastes better.  And then I piped it into the center of the cupcakes.

For a frosting I went with one that I use often - Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.  I thought the vanilla bean would go really well with the mango, and it helps that it's one of my favorite frostings ever.  Here's how you make it:

1/4 Cup     Butter
1/4 Cup     Cream Cheese
2 Cups      Confectioners Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, split & seeded
1 Teaspoon  Vanilla Extract

Cream together the Butter & Cream Cheese.  Add in Sugar slowly, beating with each addition.  Mix in Vanilla & Seeds from vanilla bean.

This frosting is nice and thick, and the tiny black specks from the vanilla bean make it pretty as well as yummy.  I stuck a dried mango on top of each cupcake, and I have to admit - even I liked them.