Coconut Cupcakes with Mango Curd Filling

Have you ever tried to construct a make-shift double boiler from a mishmash of kitchen items? Even if you don’t own a “real” double boiler, like this, in a typical kitchen it’s usually pretty easy to find a metal or glass bowl that fits nicely into a saucepan. Imagine doing that when the selection in your mishmash of kitchen items consists of exactly two small saucepans and two enormous glass bowls. And no whisk. This was the situation I found myself in last week as I prepared to make mango curd. But I’m not one to let the lack of a silly bowl stop me, so I embraced this slightly challenging situation and got creative.

From my two saucepans and two large glass bowls, I selected the smaller of the bowls and the larger saucepan. This was far from an ideal match. The bowl was about twice as big as the saucepan and a very small portion of the bowl was actually sitting in the pan, which meant that I had to boil almost a full pot of water (instead of the typical couple inches in a double boiler) in order for the water to be anywhere close to the bottom of the bowl. I also jammed a wooden spoon between the bowl and the saucepan to allow for at least a little steam to escape. So I had a giant, unstable glass bowl sitting on top of a saucepan full of boiling water. Hmm. Not ideal, and probably the craziest looking double boiler I’ve ever used, but it worked! It took a little longer for the curd to thicken, but it turned out quite nicely. And it was so delicious.

I’ve mentioned my lack of proper kitchen equipment before, usually in the context of being a poor college student with an inadequately equipped kitchen. But this isn’t quite the case anymore, as I graduated in May and have now joined the “real world.” Except I moved to the coast of California to live with my sister, brother-in-law, and three tiny nieces, so my place in the “real world” currently feels like an awesome extended vacation during which I get to go to the beach weekly, bake whenever I want, and play with my three amazing, gorgeous little nieces every single day. This makes the small inconvenience of missing kitchen supplies TOTALLY worth it.

Let me explain. My sister and her family recently moved here from Korea. And sometimes, even if the United States Army is in charge of moving your belongings, it still takes the boat more than TWO months to deliver your things. So although they left Korea at the beginning of May, the majority of their household items and furniture have still not reached their new home. This explains the mishmash of kitchen items that we’ve been dealing with. But we have the basics, which have been more than enough to enjoy many tasty dinners and baked goods. And two days from now will be a glorious day: we’re finally going to receive the shipment from Korea! I will then have access to a more well-equipped kitchen than I’ve ever had in my entire life. I can’t wait. (We will also cease to live as “floor people,” as my sister not-so-fondly refers to us. The best part about this will be having a dining room table where we can sit for meals and at last avoid the six grabby hands of two toddlers and a crawling baby.)

A couple weeks ago my sister asked me to make mango coconut cupcakes. I immediately began researching recipes and all too soon there were way too many options. Mango cakes with coconut frosting? Coconut cakes with mango frosting? Or coconut cakes with mango filling and coconut buttercream frosting? Fill them with mango curd or mango whipped cream? The combinations were endless and unfortunately they ALL sounded delicious. But I was intrigued by the idea of fruit curds–something I’d never made but seemed like an excellent cupcake filling. Fruit curd is a smooth, pure, intensely-flavored-like-chosen-fruit, pudding-like deliciousness. A fruit curd generally consists of fruit juice or puree, sugar, egg yolks, and butter. What doesn’t sound good about that?! I finally settled on coconut cupcakes filled with mango curd, which turned out to be a great choice. This mango curd is close to perfect, and it was wonderful stuffed inside these moist, dense coconut cupcakes.

I was going to frost these cupcakes with coconut buttercream frosting but I ran out of patience (and butter). Since I had a surplus of mango curd anyway, I decided to top the cupcakes with the curd as well, then sprinkle on a little coconut for a finishing touch. I really think the mango curd was the best part and I think I’m in love with fruit curd. I see many more in my future, especially as soon as I have a regular double boiler to work with.

Coconut Cupcakes with Mango Curd Filling

Cupcake recipe adapted from Une Deux Senses; Mango Curd recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Coconut Cupcakes–makes 12 cupcakes (I think this could safely be doubled to make 24)

2 large eggs
1/2 c. sugar
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 c. coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with 12 liners. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until combined well. (Or, if your whisk is still on a boat in the Pacific Ocean, a fork works great too!) Add vanilla and melted butter, whisk until combined.

Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt; mix until well combined. Add coconut milk and stir until smooth. Last, fold in coconut flakes. (If you would prefer smaller pieces of coconut in the baked cupcake, chop a 1/2 cup of shredded coconut into smaller pieces before adding it to the batter.) Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full and bake for 12-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mango Curd

1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp lime juice
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1/4 c. unsalted butter, cubed

Add mango, sugar, lime juice, and salt to a food processor, puree until well combined. (A blender would also work in place of a food processor.) Add egg yolks and puree until combined, about 15-20 seconds.

Add puree to the bowl of a double boiler (metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Whisk puree until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes.  (If you have a thermometer, it should reach 170°F. I didn’t use a thermometer and the consistency changed pretty dramatically, so it was easy to tell when it was sufficiently thickened without knowing the temperature.) Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whisk the butter into the curd, one piece at a time. Cover curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

This was the perfect amount of curd to fill and top 12 cupcakes. If you are making 24 cupcakes, you will want to double this recipe. Even if you have leftover curd, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of ways to enjoy it!

Assembling the cupcakes

When the cupcakes are completely cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a circle in the top of each cake and scoop out the center. Set the top of the cake aside and reserve the crumbs from the center for snacking. Spoon mango curd into the hollowed out cupcake, then replace the top of the cake. Spoon a little more curd on top of the cupcake as “frosting,” then sprinkle with coconut flakes. Enjoy!