At long last, today is the first day of Spring! And as the sun shone this morning I listened to birds chirping in the garden. While people are outside in the sunshine mowing their lawns I was inspired to create a cupcake that celebrates the passing of Winter. So, here are my gluten free Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes.
Sarah at Heavenly Marshmallows sent me a selection of her homemade, artisan marshmallows. Since the selection included nine mango and passionfruit flavour I decided to use them in a recipe.
Because the mango and passionfruit marshmallows are gluten free I decided to make a gluten free cupcake, with mango in the cake batter.
While making gluten free cupcakes was first for me, I also wanted to incorporate the delicious mango and passionfruit marshmallows into the frosting. Since I had seen lots of different marshmallow frosting ideas on Pinterest. However, after reading through a few different recipes, as usual I decided to come up with something of my own.
The Gluten Free Taste Test
So, for these Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes I decided to make two cake batters. As can be seen, the first gluten free batch of cupcakes are baked in yellow cupcake cases. Because the cupcake wrappers are yellow floral they are ideal for Spring.
While the second batch are in the orange wrappers and are made using plain flour, that is NOT gluten free. Since no one in our home is gluten intolerant, my wonderful family were to serve as ‘taste testers’, in a blind taste testing.
Each batch of cake batter had some mango added to it. Because I didn’t have any fresh mango, I used mango from a pot in juice. Mashing up the mango with a fork and adding it to the cake batter. And, in both bakes, the mango stayed evenly distributed throughout the baked cupcake. Finally, I had successfully made gluten free cupcakes, with a good texture.
Marsmallow In The Frosting?
The Success Of Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes
Next came the frosting, which wasn’t as daunting as I’d imagined. While the hardest part was saying goodbye to each of the 8 mango and passionfruit marshmallows as I put them in a heatproof bowl, over a double boiler.
Effectively this dreamy marshmallow frosting is buttercream, with melted marshmallows added to it. While there’s a bit more to making it than that, it is no more difficult than making a chocolate ganache, that is then whipped and piped.
Rather than the sticky, sweet, frosting I’d imagined, the opposite was true. Resulting in marshmallow frosting that is the stuff of dreams, where fairies and unicorns live and rain falls like glittery sprinkles. I took myself off into my dream world there. And the result is amazing. Because, the melted marshmallows lighten the buttercream frosting. Resulting in a mallow, sponginess, that doesn’t set hard and melts, almost like sherbet on your tongue.
Recipe: Makes 12 Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes
Alternatively these cupcakes can be made with regular wheat flower. Substitute the same quantity of plain white, wheat flour instead of gluten free flour. Method and cooking times are exactly the same.
For the Mango Cupcakes
100g/4oz Unsalted Butter-at room temperature
100g/4oz Caster Sugar
2 Large Free Range Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey
100g/4oz Gluten Free White Flour – I use Doves Farm
1tsp Baking Powder – Waitrose Cooks’ Homebaking baking powder as it is gluten free – check yours not all brands are gluten free.
1/4 tsp Salt – I use Maldon
75g/3oz Fresh or Tinned Mango – any juice strained off and mango mashed with a fork.
For the Marshmallow Frosting
8 Heavenly Marshmallows Mango and Passionfruit flavour marshmallows – see note at bottom of post Art of Mallow
1tbsp Glycerine
300g/11oz Icing Sugar – sifted
150g/6oz Unsalted Butter – very soft
3tsp Boiling Water
Sprinkles of your choice
Making And Baking The Mango Cupcakes
- First of all, place 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake or muffin tin.
- Add the caster sugar,vanilla and butter into a medium sized bowl and whisk/beat together until pale and creamy.
- Sift in the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add 2 eggs.
- Whisk/beat until all the ingredients have come together and the batter is smooth.
- Always take care to not over mix the cake batter.
- Add the mashed mango and fold into the cake batter.
- Spoon the cupcake mixture evenly into the cupcake cases.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. The low slow cooking will ensure flat tops, perfect for frosting.
- The cupcakes are baked when they are golden brown and spring back from a light touch.
- As soon as the cupcakes are baked remove from the oven.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Making The Marshmallow Frosting
- First of all, place the marshmallows into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
- As the marshmallows melt it is important to keep stirring continuously.
- As soon as they are melted remove the bowl from the saucepan and set to one side to cool.
- While the melted marshmallows are cooling make the buttercream.
- Add the softened butter and boiling water into the bowl of sifted icing sugar.
- Whisk on a high speed until light and creamy.
- Add the glycerine and whisk into the buttercream.
- Pour the warm melted marshmallows into the buttercream, whilst the whisk is still mixing.
- Continue mixing on a medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Resulting in the lightest frosting to pipe onto your cakes.
Piping The Marshmallow Frosting
- Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip – I used Wilton #1M
- Place the bag inside a sturdy jug or glass, folding back the sides of the bag.
- Fill the bag with the marshmallow frosting.
- Pipe swirls (like ice cream in cones) or roses see here.
- Finally, sprinkle over the topping of your choice.
Unsurprisingly, these Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes are completely delicious and in a blind taste test the gluten free cupcakes tasted exactly the same as the regular ones! Most importantly, no difference at all was detected between the two versions. Obviously, as a recipe developer, this made me very happy.
And one part that was declared “exceptional” was the marshmallow frosting. So, this is a frosting that I will definitely be making again. Since both taste and texture are most definitely worth the extra step!
If you enjoyed this recipe for Marshmallow Frosted Mango Cupcakes You May Also Like These:
Raspberry Ripple Almond Cupcakes
Maltesers Popping Candy Cupcakes
So, if you make these, or indeed any of my recipes, please post a photo, if you are able, on Twitter or Instagram and tag me in. Because I really enjoy seeing your makes and bakes.
So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.
Sammie xx
Heavenly Marshmallows provided me with the marshmallows for this recipe. All content, photographs and recipes are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
Unfortunately Heavenly Marshmallows are no longer trading. So, I suggest Art of Mallow Mango Passion Fruity Mallows, which I have tested using this recipe and are an equally good alternative.
