Mango Buttercream for Cake and Cupcakes

Whether it's mango season or you're craving the perfect summer cupcake in the dead of winter, this mango buttercream is easy to make year-round. If you make frosting often, I'll even bet you already have most or all of the seven ingredients you'll need to make this soft and fluffy buttercream. By adding freeze dried mango powder, the tropical flavor of these cupcakes is like a mini getaway.

This frosting recipe is a great way to top off my mango cupcakes recipe, but you can use it on other desserts too.

This buttercream would be a fun pairing with my strawberry filled vanilla cupcakes, small batch vanilla cupcakes, or blueberry filled cupcakes. It works nicely with many fruity as well as classic flavors.

🥭 Speaking of mango, my mango mousse cake recipe is another fun one to explore, along with my two-layer mango coconut cake.

Jump to:

• 📋 Ingredients for Mango Buttercream Frosting
• 📖 How to Make Mango Buttercream
• 💡 Tips for Cupcake Decorating with Freeze Dried Fruit
• Decorating Cake and Cupcakes with Mango Frosting
• Adding Extra Mango Flavor
• Frosting Storage
• ❓Buttercream FAQ
• Best Results: Baking in Grams
• More Dessert Recipes
• Mango Buttercream for Cake and Cupcakes

📋 Ingredients for Mango Buttercream Frosting

Unlike Swiss meringue buttercream or German buttercream, this recipe does not rely on egg whites or egg yolks for texture and flavor. The recipe card below shows all the ingredients you need for this frosting, which is a simple American buttercream, typically beaten with an electric mixer. As the name implies, it uses butter and cream but mixes them with powdered sugar and extract.

Here are highlights of a few key ingredients:

• Unsalted room temperature butter - Butter is a fat, and fat equals flavor! Mixing butter and powdered sugar together helps to create a nice, fluffy frosting.
• Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract gives the frosting a sweet aroma and flavor. There are lots of options out there, but you don't need fancy and expensive vanilla extract for good flavor. The one at your local grocery store is great. I never taste much difference between pricier extracts and more affordable ones.
• Coconut extract - Although not required, coconut extract gives this frosting a great and tropical twist. It also pairs so nicely with mango. You may add a teaspoon or two and taste test to see how much coconut and mango flavor you want in this recipe.
• Freeze dried mangos - If this is your first time using freeze dried fruit, you're in for a treat. Fresh mangoes are delicious but not always in season. Meanwhile, freeze dried mangos are available year-round. They add a concentrated mango flavor to the frosting. In general, freeze dried fruits are a helpful trick in making frosting. They provide fruity flavor without introducing moisture to frosting, which can water it down or give it a soupy texture.

📖 How to Make Mango Buttercream

Beat the ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, coconut extract, salt, freeze-dried mango, and heavy cream (or coconut milk, whole milk, or another variety) on low speed for about 30 seconds. Then, increase to medium-high speed and continue beating for 5 minutes.

Adjust the flavor: Taste the frosting and, if desired, add a drop or two of lemon or lime juice to balance the sweetness.

Smooth the frosting: For the smoothest texture, spend 2-3 minutes gently swiping your spatula around the bowl, pressing the frosting against the sides to reduce air bubbles. This will result in a thick yet silky consistency.

Set aside: Set the frosting aside until you're ready to use it for topping cupcakes or other baked goods.

💡 Tips for Cupcake Decorating with Freeze Dried Fruit

For best results, fully grind your freeze dried mangos before adding them to your frosting. A blender or food processor will work well.

Once ground, they should have the consistency of a fine powder so that chunks of the fruit don't get caught in the piping tip. You won't be able to decorate the cupcake or cake easily if that happens.

If it does happen, remove or squeeze the frosting out the other end of the bag, using the wide opening, and remove the problematic pieces of fruit.

Decorating Cake and Cupcakes with Mango Frosting

In making my recipe for mango cupcakes, if you have any mango puree remaining after filling the cupcakes, you can add a few tablespoons of that back into your frosting and mix it well before putting your frosting in a piping or pastry bag.

While the fresh mango puree will add some flavor, it's not necessary. The freeze dried mango gives this frosting a strong mango taste on its own.

Use a piping bag filled with frosting to swirl mango buttercream directly onto the top of the cupcake or other baked goods.

Adding Extra Mango Flavor

If there's a mango purée or mango curd you like and have it on hand, you may also add a few tablespoons of it to your frosting before putting it into your piping bag.

A little bit of moisture won't impact the texture much, but it can increase the flavor.

That said, freeze dried mango powder is a very easy ingredient to use. If you have that, you don't really need more mango flavor, but you're welcome to add it.

❓Buttercream FAQ

More Dessert Recipes

If you're looking for more recipes like these easy mango buttercream, then check out my blueberry cream cheese frosting. Or more in the mood for raspberries? This raspberry cream cheese frosting is also great on cakes and cupcakes.

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