Mango and Coconut Cupcakes

A friend gave me some mangoes last week, harvested from her tree (how nice to have a mango tree!) and now that the mangoes are ripe, time to enjoy them sweet and juicy, and reserved some for this delicious cupcake! This cupcake has already been on my list to bake ever since two weeks ago, perfect timing too, for me to submit to Aspiring Bakers' theme for November, Enjoy Cupcakes! 

The original recipe calls for desiccated coconut, but I use sweetened coconut flakes. Other than this, I followed exactly as what the recipe calls for. I'm being very good this time, as I did not reduce the sugar as I would normally do! I figured 1/2 cup sugar for 12 cupcakes is reasonable enough! (wink!)

But instead of 12 cupcakes as stated in the book, I only got 9, and I use the regular sized-muffin pan as indicated.

Review for this cupcake : It is soft, moist and  tender, the mangoes are soft and delicious, and perfect with the flaky chewy coconuts. I like to use sweetened coconut flakes over the dry dessicated coconut as the coconut flakes are much coarser in texture and moist, it gives a lovely chewy coconut taste in each bite.  There is no vanilla extract in the recipe, but the lime zest and juice takes care of that really well. The next time I would add about 1/4 cup more chopped mangoes. And the sweetness is just right! Really good. And I like cupcakes like this, good on its own, without the need for any frosting or icing.

Oops, sorry for this poor photo! I made the cupcakes at night and this photo was taken at 10.00pm, did not check the photos after that! Gave some cupcakes to my neighbour, and we finished the rest, one each! No more cupcakes to "model" for me! LOL! But it is really moist and delicious, will definitely bake this again. 

I'm submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #13 : Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog

And also sharing this with :
Bake With Bizzy at Bizzy Bakes
Cookbook Sunday at Mom's Sunday Cafe


Mango and Coconut Cupcakes
(adapted from "Wild About Cupcakes" by Rachel Lane)
3/4 cup (125gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup (60gm) shredded (desiccated) coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125gm) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100gm) sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup (125gm) fresh or canned mango cheeks, coarsely chopped, plus extra, to decorate
Coconut flakes, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (170C/Gas 3).
2. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
3. Combine the flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. 
4. Beat the butter, sugar, and lime zest in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.
5. With mixer on low speed, add the mixed dry ingredients, alternating with the coconut milk and lime juice. Stir the mango in by hand.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each one three-quarters full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack. Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes. Top each one with mango slices and coconut flakes.

Minted Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberries and mint, a perfect combination! These cupcakes are moist, tangy with the sourish strawberries and the lovely taste of the fresh mint leaves. And these are not sweet at all, they are just right. Though for those who have a sweet tooth, might want to add in a little more sugar for a sweeter taste. But we like it the way it is.

I topped with more strawberries before baking.

And instead of cinnamon powder, I used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder instead. It gives a light and nice fragrant nutmeg aroma.

Instead of baking them in regular muffin sized cupcakes, I baked these in small cupcake cases, and got 15.

We eat this plain as it is, without any topping. 

These cupcakes are moist, with tender crumbs, tangy from the sourish strawberries, the light fresh taste from the mint leaves and a nice aroma from the ground nutmeg. Perfect for tea!

I'm sharing this with :

Cookbook Sunday at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy B. Bakes
Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli n Son

And I'm bringing this to a Cookbook Party, hosted by Louise of Months of Edible Celebrations. Louise is celebrating her Blogoversary by throwing a Cookbook Party, and October being the National Cookbook Month! There's a whole list of food celebrations just for the month of October! For full details, hop over to Months of Edible Celebrations. I'm submitting this Minted Strawberry Cupcakes under the list "Desserts"!

Minted Strawberry Cupcakes
(adapted from "Wild About Cupcakes" by  Rachel Lane)
1-1/4 cups (180gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I replaced with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125gm) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100gm) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (90ml) single (light) cream (I substitute with equal amount of whipping cream and milk to make up 1/3 cup, mix together to combine)
1 cup (150gm) fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped, plus 3-4 extra, sliced, to decorate
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus 1 tablespoon extra, to decorate
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1/3 cup (90ml) creme fraiche or sour cream


Preheat the oven to 350F (180C/gas 4).

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. 

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add the mixed dry ingredients, alternating with the cream. Stir the strawberries and mint in by hand. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each one three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer the muffin tin to a  wire rack. Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes. 

Combine the remaining strawberries, mint, and vanilla sugar in a small bowl. Spoon creme fraiche over the cupcakes and arrange the strawberry mixture on top.

Wild About Cupcakes

by Rachel Lane


These are the recipes that I've tested from this book. Click on the name of the recipe for the full post. The reviews are entirely my own.

3. Mango and Coconut Cupcake

2. Minted Strawberry Cupcake

1. Blueberry Yoghurt Cupcakes