Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table
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My family loves mangoes. And, staying in Mumbai we have access to the most succulent and sweet variety – Alphonso.
When they are in season, we end up having a few every day. They go into everything – aamras, salads, ice-cream, kulfis, other dessert etc. Yes, such is our love for them.
My Mango cake is no different. It incorporates mango pulp and turns out super fluffy.
Now, over the years I have tried out various mango cake recipes. But, the baker in me was not satisfied. Most of the recipes made dense cakes. Fruit cakes are generally denser than other cakes. I cringed at the thought of that. I hate dense cakes (unless they are chocolate). So, left with no choice, I developed this recipe.
This recipe will give you a soft, fluffy cake that is redolent with the scent and taste of ripe, juicy mangoes.
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
2 ¼ cup of all purpose flour/maida
1cup granulated white sugar
½ cup of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
¼ tsp of salt (if you are using salted butter, then omit this)
3 eggs (at room temperature)
½ cup of milk (toned is fine. No need to use full cream milk. But, it should be at room temperature)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
1 tsp mango essence (if you do not have this then you can use vanilla but mango essence does add flavour so I prefer that)
2 tbsp mixed melon seeds (I use musk and watermelon seeds but again this is optional)
2 tbsp almonds, blanched and slivered (about 10 almonds)
Note – to blanch the almonds just immerse them in warm water for about half hour. Peel, break into half and then sliver.
For the mango puree (2 cups needed for the cake)
3 ripe medium sized mangoes (remove the pulp)
2 tbsp granulated white sugar
¼ cup of cold milk
To make the puree – Combine the pulp, milk and sugar and churn it in a blender till all the sugar is dissolved. This churning also ensures aeration of the mixture which is vital for making the cake soft and fluffy.
Note – if you are not using fresh mangoes then you will need about 2 cups of canned and sweetened mango pulp. I would recommend churning it once in the mixer.
METHOD
- In a bowl sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt (if using unsalted butter). Mix well and keep aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together the sugar and butter. I use an electric whisk for this and I believe the result is better as I am able to incorporate more air into the mix. However, if you do not have an electric whisk then use a hand held one but whisk it 2-3 minutes longer. The more air that the mixture has the fluffier will be the cake.
- Once the butter is creamed, add one egg and whisk that into the batter. Repeat the process with the other two eggs. This process should take you around 5-7 minutes. The end result will be a smooth, creamy batter.
- Pour in the mango/vanilla essence and the milk. Again whisk it till all ingredients are well combined.
- Add the pre-prepared mango puree and mix to combine all ingredients. The end result will be a yellowish batter.
- Add the melon seeds at this stage and mix well.
- Pre heat oven to 180 deg C.
- Grease a 9×9 inch baking tin or a 9×3 inch baking loaf tin and dust it with some flour to prevent the cake sticking to it. You can also line it with parchment/baking paper.
- Pour the mixture into this and bake at 180 deg C for 60-70 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, once the cake starts to rise, pause the baking and strew the almond slivers on top of the cake. Note – do not remove the cake from the oven and do this process as quickly as possible to avoid any drop in temperature. The almonds have to be added at this stage because adding them during the initial stage will result in them burning by the time the cake is done.
- I use a microwave oven so it takes that long to bake. A regular oven would take less time so check the cake around the half hour mark. Perform the toothpick test to check readiness of the cake.
- To serve – you can serve it as such or with some mango puree. Trust me it tastes delicious either way.
