Blackberry Cupcakes with Mango Filling

Ah photography, thou art a whole new world of funny words, numbers, and settings. There’s ISO, exposure, shutter speed, manual vs. automatic, and something involving Fs. All of these things were foreign to me, but slowly we’re getting to know each other. The best way to learn something is to just do it…over and over and over.

Sometimes the pictures come out just so-so, but the recipe is so good that I can’t help but share it. This was one of those times. It was a cloudy, stormy afternoon, so the sun was no help. And no matter how many times I repositioned my photography light, I could not find the perfect spot. But I couldn’t keep these delicious little cups of fruity joy to myself.

Think of these cupcakes as a cream-filled cupcake that someone went a little overboard with the cream filling on. The filling sort of overtook the entire cupcake, and now it borders on a tartlet. That someone was me. And I’m in love with mango, so I couldn’t help it. But I’m still calling them cupcakes, because they’re shaped like cups and taste even better than cake.

Blackberry Cupcakes with Mango Filling

Makes 6

1/2 cup blackberries + more for topping the cupcakes

1/4 cup coconut nectar

2 1/2 cup raw rolled oats

2 cups chopped mango (about 3 mangos)

1. In the food processor, puree the blackberries.
2. Add the coconut nectar and oats.
3. Process until it sticks together.
4. Press into 6 muffin tins lined with paper liners. Make a large well in the middle of each cupcake for the filling.
5. Puree the mango in the blender until smooth.
6. Fill each cupcake with mango puree.
7. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
8. Top with fresh blackberries.