Last week I filmed a new online cooking show (think Youtube) with friends that is a mix of Iron Chef, Top Chef and stand up comedy. If the footage is good, we’ll have the pilot episode, in which the 3 in-house chefs competed against each other. Going forward, we’ll have challengers pick one of us to go head-to-head with. And it will be EPIC.
Our host selects the secret ingredient, and it was mango this time around. I plan on sharing my dessert recipe–mango cakes with lavender honey mango whipped mousse and strawberry balsamic–next week.
Oh, and I won the challenge this episode, clocking in the most points overall, as well as highest rankings in taste and presentation. Wa-hoo!
So, in honor of my win and to riff off my dessert (our host was surprised I didn’t make cupcakes), here is a recipe that plays with the wonderfully fragrant mango and the tart and slightly aggressive lime. I think the two go well together, though you have to be careful with the amount of lime curd you put in the cupcakes–too much and it’ll take over completely.
Ingredients
Directions
The night before, make the lime curd. In a heavy medium saucepan (or the top portion of a double boiler, sans bottom), stir together the lime zest, juice and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolk. Once the lime sugar mixture is simmering, take it off the heat and slowly whisk it into the eggs to temper them.
Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, strain it into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly down on its surface to avoid a skin forming. Chill overnight.
For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line cupcake pans with papers.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
Whisk the egg for 20 seconds, then add the sugar and whisk an additional 30 seconds until thick and frothy.
Add the oil, mango puree and mango extract and beat until combined. Alternate the flour mixture and buttermilk and beat until combined.
Divide the batter between 30 wrappers in cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before coring and frosting.
For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of sugar, beating until combined. Add the mango extract and honey. Finally, add the remaining sugar gradually and whip until light and fluffy, using cream as needed for texture and consistency.
To assemble the cupcakes, core them and fill with lime curd. Fit your piping bag with your tip of choice (I used a Wilton 2D and streak the inside of the bag with orange gel food coloring (optional), then add the honey mango frosting and pipe onto the cupcakes. Enjoy!
https://cupcakefridayproject.com/2012/03/mango-cupcakes-with-lime-curd-and-honey-mango-buttercream/
March 30, 2012 at 7:50 am
It’s been awhile since I commented, but for the record every cupcake since the last time I commented and now has been pretty f#cking fantastic!
This one in particular is very delightful. The cake is nice and moist, and the filling (which may be my favorite part) is deliciously tart! The sweet, but not overly sweet icing blends very well with the tart filling and flavor of the cake.
This cupcake would go fast in a bakery! Just sayin’…
March 30, 2012 at 1:37 pm
The lime curd really popped, and then lingered for a long time. It’s the kind of thing that I’ll remember out of the blue weeks from now and want another one. Nice effect.
March 30, 2012 at 3:43 pm
I’m not trying to be lazy with my review (I swear!), but Beard King Jones perfectly summed up my thoughts. However, I will add that the presentation was lovely.
April 3, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Agreed with all of the above.
Loved the mango flavor with the tart lime curd.
And the crystallized lime zest as the garnish on the cupcake was lovely.