Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramelized Mango Buttercream

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

The gingerbread cake was amazing. Perfectly fluffy, light, and very moist. Two dozen taste-testers vouched for this. I will make this cake again and again, by the recipe, with the syrup.

However, the mango buttercream frosting left much to be desired. It's hard to go wrong with a simple buttercream, but the complexity (many more dishes and mess! brought on by carmelizing, pureeing, and straining mango to go into the frosting was not worth it for me. It seemed like carmelizing the mango detracted from the intensity of the flavor a bit, and frankly, the frosting tasted barely like mango. Personally, I would try to find some mango (or other citrus flavoring to add rather than going through all of the mango process for very minor addition. Otherwise, a simple buttercream would still perfectly compliment the incredible cake.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

These cupcakes are amazing! The ginger syrup is very simple to make, but adds a lot of flavor. Another review mentioned that the recipe made 24 "regular" size cupcakes, but this only made 12 for me. I should have doubled the recipe.

Instead of attempting the buttercream this time, I caramelized one mango with butter and honey and folded the puree into a pint of heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with a bit of sugar. Very easy to make and yummy!

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

First of all I made some changes. I made a double batch of cupcakes because I needed more then 12. (One batch actually makes about 24 if you are using standard muffin tins though, which would have been good to know since I dont use jumbo tins. I used 1/2 melted butter and 1/2 oil instead of using all butter in the muffins. Also instead of 1 1/2 c of water (since it was doubled I used 1/2 c of sour cream and 1 cup of water. The only other alteration I made in the muffins was forced. I found myself only having 1/2 the amount of ground ginger that I needed so I grated an inch or so of fresh ginger and added it to the wet ingredients.
They turned out moist but not super moist, but were tender and delicious. The ginger syrup is my favorite part of the recipe. It is so delicious I have started using it to sweeten tea and coffee. You dont need anywhere near the amount suggested but make it all anyway because it is wonderful. (I am working on perfecting a wintery, ginger mojito with it.
The buttercream is not something I would rate as "intermediete" you need to make sure your butter is room temperature but not warm, and dont start adding it until the egg/syrup mixture is completely cool. For the best tips on how to perfect a true buttercream I recommend THe Cake Bilble. This recipe is good but her tips will help if you havent done it before.
Lastly- the finely diced candied ginger on top. This is not for kids, candied ginger is spicy and potent. I love it and think it makes the cupcakes even more special but some dont like the heat it adds. I recommend Finely chopping the candied ginger and then adding it to an equal part of granulated sugar. Let the set in an airtight container for a day or so. You can then sprinke that mixture over the cupcakes for a similar result but without as much "bite". The sugar also dries the freshly chopped ginger out a little but which keeps it from sticking together as badly.
These are delicous, cant wait to make them again.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

These cupcakes were very good. The frosting made quite a bit so I made a double batch of cupcakes. The frosting was time consuming but worth the effort. I need to be a bit quicker when adding the corn syrup mixture to the beaten eggs. A lot of it ended up hardening on the side of the mixing bowl. No big deal. It ended up tasting delish!!

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

These cupcakes are great, haven't done them with the Mango Buttercream, but great with a citrus glaze, doesn't matter what you top these babies with tho!!!

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Fixed this on a Saturday afternoon.. just for the fam! They were perfect for the holidays (especially a warm holiday in the south. I just wish I had enought people to share them with... they were so rich! Also, there was a lot of icing (extra so think about either making less icing or extra cake.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

I did as Tim suggested and used 1 C sour cream and these were very moist and quite tasty. I still used the syrup but I put the mango puree in my buttercream frosting recipe. I wasn't disappointed! These are a showstopper in my book!

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Bobby commented that his cupcakes came out fry and that's why he made the ginger syrup. I did not. Instead, I substituted 1 cup of sour cream for the water and the cake came out incredibly moist. Also, I decided to use only the corn syrup for the butter cream icing as it was very difficult to mix the syrup into the egg yolk mixture without it crystallizing. And, it is also a good idea to chill the caramelized mangoes before adding them to your butter cream mixture to keep the butter from melting. I stirred mine in an ice bath until they cooled enough to mix.

As it came out, it was a very moist and delicious cake with Bobby's signature mixture of bold flavors and flare.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

This recipe is excellent. However, my sister saw the episode and she had me replace the butter with oil and the cupcakes were very moist so you don't have to do the syrup. The frosting makes enough for two to three batches of cupcakes

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

The cupcakes were average but the frosting was incredible. The combination of the two made a holiday flavor like gingerbread an all-season dessert. The frosting was a pain in the arse to make and I thought for sure I would never make it again until I tasted the combination. In the future I would make the mango puree a day or so in advance to make the whole project more manageable. My kitchen was a disaster! Also, both the syrup and the frosting were enough for a double batch of cupcakes.