Mango Muffins with Cashew Lime Cream

Mango muffins are very much called for when it’s mango season, like it is here in Nigeria. The biggest, sweetest, juiciest mangos are now available and before this season slips away it’s a good idea to make good use of them. Mango muffins are an easy breakfast option and go down well with a cup of tea or coffee. In this post I share with you my mango oatmeal muffin recipe that is plant based, vegan and gluten free. Though lockdown and quarantine is still very much a part of our every days lives, it seems like this mango season is slipping by, but for now mangoes and muffins are a must.

Mangos

Mangos are great for baking. They are a stone fruit with a slightly sour flavour, but that comes with notes of honey, peaches and pineapple. Amazing how fruits bear trace flavours of others, is it not?  The mangoes I used are keitt mangos and they are pulpy and juicy and are best when eaten during midseason when their quantities and flavours are at their peak.  In this recipe the mangos are prepared two ways, diced and pureed. The puree is added to the muffin batter and the diced mangos are added to individual muffins before being baked in the oven. This makes for a great pop of fresh mango flavour and texture when you you bite into the muffins.

Gluten Free Flour Mix

From my recent baking activities, I have concluded that the 2:1 ratio of gluten free oat flour to almond meal is great for simple baked goods. I’ve used this ratio to make banana bread and have tested bread rolls with it. So far, so great and it worked for this mango muffin recipe as well. I do advise making your own gluten free oat flour when you are ready to use it. All you have to do is either put it in a food processor or a blender and process into a flour. The same goes for the almonds. I tend to use blanched almond flour so that the colour of whatever I may be baking with remains on the lighter side.

Cashew Lime Cream

The cashew lime cream in this recipe is totally optional, but highly recommended. The lime and creamed cashews balance out the sweet notes of the mango. It is very easy to make and requires the cashews being soaked for about 20 minutes in hot water, or soaked overnight in cold water. It is also important to blend the cashews as smooth as possible in a blender. If you have a high-speed blender that is great, but if not, it’s best to blend the cashews in batches. The goal with the cream is to also add as little extra liquid as possible, which is why blending in smaller batches is recommended. Also for the cashew lime cream I used coconut manna also known as coconut butter. Coconut butter is pureed dried coconut meat, so dried coconut flakes that are blended down for 10 – 15 minutes into a butter and without using any water. Coconut butter contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and oil and is also hard at room temperature, but does not turn to a complete liquid when warm like coconut oil does.

As with all other recipes on this platform you will find that this mango muffin recipe is;

• Plant-based
• Vegan
• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Soy free
• Egg-free
• Refined sugar-free
• Easy to make
• Uses simple ingredients

If you try out this recipe definitely let me know by tagging #PFFPlate on social media. It would be great to see all your interpretations of this recipe. You cans also substitute mangos for other fruits such as pears and apples using pear sauce and apple sauce.

Print Recipe

Vegan Mango Muffins

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

1 cup mango puree

2 whole mangos

1 tbsp fresh ginger

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup almond milk (or any plant milk)

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp almond extract

Dry Ingredients

2 cups gluten free oat flour

1 cup almond flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

Frosting (optional)

1 ½ cup cashews, soaked

¼ cup almond milk

2 key limes, juice and zest

2 tbsp coconut manna

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Muffins

• Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. You will need a 12-cup muffin pan or two 6-cup muffin pans for this recipe. Line the muffin pans with muffin liners or brush with a little oil if not using
• Make vegan buttermilk by adding the apple cider vinegar to the plant milk and let it curdle for about 10 minutes
• Slice the whole mangos and dice the flesh and set aside. You will need ½ cup of diced mango
• Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together
• Add all the wet ingredients to a separate bowl, along with the buttermilk mixture and whisk them all together
• Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until you have a well combined batter. Be careful not to over mix
• Divide the batter into a 12-cup muffin pan, filling the cup one half the way up, then spoon in diced mango, setting them in the center. Fill up the mango cups with the remaining batter
• Place the baking tray in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Test that they are baked through by using a toothpick. When a toothpick comes out clean the muffins are done. Be sure to test away from the fresh mango in the middle as these will not dry out with baking

Cashew Lime Frosting 

• Place all the ingredients in the jug of a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth. Taste to ensure the lime is sufficient or add a teaspoon or two more of lime juice if needed
• Pour the frosting mixture into a piping bag and leave it in the refrigerator to firm up. Sometimes the heat from the blender can make it slightly runny
• Pipe the cream on top of each muffin and finish off with a few sprinkles of mango fruit powder, or dried mango. If you do not want to pipe, feel free to spoon on the frosting