This simple, delicious recipe is a riff on Bon Appétit Magazine’s raspberry-ricotta cake. There are no berries to be found here in the month of May, so I opted for some juicy mango instead. I also halved the original recipe and turned it into muffins. Some of the ingredients were substituted based on what I had on hand. Mangoes have a distinct (and pretty strong) flavor, especially when baked. The addition of cardamom works well to balance that. It also imparts a lovely fragrance to these moist, fruity muffins. For an added crunch, I sprinkled some crushed pecans on top. I could definitely eat a couple of these for breakfast. :P

Recipe

Mango Ricotta Muffins

(Makes 8 muffins)

Ingredients

1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 level tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt
3/4 cup ricotta (I used fresh homemade ricotta)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 gms) salted butter, melted and cooled
1 ripe Alphonso mango, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp pecans/walnuts, coarsely crushed (optional)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a muffin pan with 8 paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cardamom, nutmeg and baking powder.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, yogurt, ricotta, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer to whisk them until smooth.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended. Next, fold in the melted butter, followed by the chopped mango.

Ladle the batter into the muffin liners until 2/3rds full. Sprinkle the crushed pecans over the top.

Bake the muffins for 30-32 minutes or until golden brown (the muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Remove from the oven and let them cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer the muffins onto a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

The muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.