Island Mango Cupcakes with Banana Rum Buttercream Frosting

What you need:

Cake:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup evaporated cane juice or raw sugar
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or coconut oil)
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
8 ounces fresh mango, pureed
1/2-1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
1/2-1 cup salted macadamia nuts, chopped Frosting:
1/2 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 banana, slightly green (not too ripe), mashed
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 teaspoon rum (Meyer's Rum, Original Dark Jamaican Rum)
4-6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, vanilla and coconut extracts. Add the mango and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine; do not overmix.
3. Gently fold in the coconut flakes and macadamia nuts until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
5. To make the frosting, cream together the butter, banana, lemon juice, vanilla and rum. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, adding more until the desired consistency is reached. Frost the cupcakes when cool.
Source of recipe: I used a recipe originally for strawberry cupcakes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking" and gave it a complete makeover!

Preparation Time:

1 hour, Cooking time: 30 min

Cooking Time:

30 min

Servings:

12-16

Recipe Category:

Cupcakes