You don't have to love mangos to love this luscious layer cake! Flavor rich, yet not overly sweet, with hints of cinnamon and cardamom. Creamy lemon frosting and toasted salted coconut add tang, salt and crunch, however this cake pairs well with many frostings and toppings!
Prep Time: 30 minutes Yield: One 9 inch layer cake, 10-12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
20 ounces frozen mango chunks (readily available in freezer section of supermarkets)
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract *
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract *
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Set oven to 350 degrees.
In medium microwave safe bowl, thaw mango in microwave. The fruit will not yield much liquid, do not drain.
Place thawed mango, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in food processor or blender. Process until smooth and set aside for a moment while you prepare the dry ingredients.
In separate medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Fork sift and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, with either stand or electric hand mixer, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and extracts. Mix in the processed mango mixture. Blend in the flour mixture, in stages, just until combined.
Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Divide batter between pans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cakes spring back when lightly touched in center. Let cool on wire rack while you make the lemon buttercream frosting.
Tip: Layer cakes are easiest to remove from pans when the cakes are still lightly warm, so I set a timer for 20-25 minutes after I remove the cakes from oven to unmold them.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup milk or cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
dash of salt
3+ cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, using stand or electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
Mix in the cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Blend in the powdered sugar, in stages, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times while mixing to ensure all ingredients are well blended.
Frost cake at room temperature. You can divide each of the 9 inch layers in half to create a four layer cake, however I prefer the thicker layers of a 2 layer cake with this mango cake.
I reserved a cup of the frosting, tinted it orange, and piped a thick border on the top of the cake. I sprinkled the center top of the cake with 1 cup of sweetened, salted coconut. For this option, over medium low heat in small lightly oiled skillet, add and stir the coconut until light brown. Let cool, then toss with kosher or finishing salt, add to cake where desired.
* A note about flavored extracts - experiment and use what extracts appeal to you, and ensure you use them sparingly until you know the correct amount to use for desired taste, as many are very potent.
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