Mini mango cupcakes with pineapple cream cheese frosting

The super-tiny font was getting to me, so I'm going to try something different this time around. So much for cohesion!
Anyway, I found the original recipe for these cupcakes over at Coconut & Lime a short while ago and I've been aching to try them since. I'm a sucker for anything mango and these sounded like a really nice, light summer cupcake. I made some alterations to the recipe for personal tastes and other such reasons. My mom doesn't care for spicy things, so the chile was omitted. Also, I liked the idea of using pineapple with the mango, though I'm sure key lime would be really tasty. Finally, I went with the mini size to, again, make them more appealing to mom. She participates in a weight-loss "competition" of sorts at work and so I felt that mini cupcakes would be more approachable during this time.

Mango Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Coconut & Lime

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour [only use 1 cup if using AP flour]
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup mango nectar, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour the mini cupcake pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture. Add the milk and mango nectar to the rest of the batter and beat until well combined. Fill each well 2/3 of the way full. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.




4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
optional food coloring

In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients until well combined. Spread on cupcakes.



I was worried that the cupcakes would stick to the pans, but a liberal spray of some Baker's Joy prevented that from happening and the little cakes popped right out after cooling. I also used more powdered sugar in the frosting so I could try some more piping. That probably wasn't the best idea and I made a pretty big mess while piping.
We all found the mango flavor to be very subtle. Maybe...too subtle? I could barely pick up on it and some people couldn't at all. In the future, I may try cutting down on the milk some and using more nectar, or perhaps adding fresh mango to the mix. As for the frosting...delicious! It's not too sweet and the pineapple juice provides a nice tang and some freshness to the cupcake. I would definitely try making these again, but with some changes to the cake and possibly a different frosting.