Recipes

Monday, March 26, 2012

Mango Mousse Cake

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs
I have been dreaming of this cake for years now. I've translated the Peach Charlotte into cake form with my Peaches and Cream cake but I have yet to try it with mangoes. I've done a bit of research and most of the mango mousse cakes have a cake base and filled and frosted with a mango mousse filling and topped with either a mango puree in gelatin form or fresh slices of mango that have been brushed with a glaze to a golden hue. Obviously, I went for the latter judging from the picture.

To make this cake without adapting recipes from other blogs, I decided to use three things that I know how to make (and make well) and where to buy: a chiffon cake, a custard cream-based frosting, and two cans of mango halves. The chiffon cake recipe I have uses orange juice and orange zest to give the cake a citrusy flavor. I decided to switch it up and went for a lemony flavor instead. I also adapted the frosting I use for the Charlotte cakes and incorporated diced mangoes into it.

The cake came out to be really tall and I think I will have to make some adjustments to the height of the cake and how much mousse I want to incorporate but overall, the cake was delicious. The size of the cake might be daunting but it was feathery light that you literally inhale it without feeling like you ate a ton of brick. The sweetness of the mangoes is balanced by the subtle flavor of the custard cream frosting. Basically, the cake just screams, "Sping, Spring, Spring!"

Mango Mousse Cake

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
zest of two lemons
juice of two lemons made up with water to 3/4 cup
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside. 

2. In your mixer bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at high 
    speed until stiff peaks form. Do not underbeat. Transfer the meringue 
    into another bowl.

3. In the same mixer bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, sugar, and 
    salt. At medium speed with the whisk attachment, add the oil, lemon zest,
    lemon juice and vanilla extract in the order they are written. Mix until
    just incorporated. 

4. Fold in the egg whites and mix well. Divide the batter into the two pans  
    and bake for 55 minutes. Increase the temperature to 350°F and bake for 
    another 10 minutes. 

5. Cool the cake in the pan upside down on a wire rack. 

Custard Cream Frosting:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
15-oz mango halves, canned
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a double broiler, soften the gelatin in the half and half. Continue to 
    cook until the gelatin has dissolved. 

2. Combine the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar. Add to the gelatin mixture and 
    continue to cook with stirring until thick. 

3. Remove the custard from the heat and cover with clingfilm and cool to 
    room temperature.

4. Beat the egg whites in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment at 
    medium speed until frothy. Gradually add the white sugar and once added,
    increase the speed to high until stiff peaks form.

5. Add the vanilla to the custard mixture and fold in the egg whites. 

6. In a separate bowl, beat the cold heavy cream at high speed with the 
    whisk attachment until thick and holds its shape. Fold into the custard 
    mixture. 

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs
To assemble the cake, loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife between the cake and the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack and invert again onto a cutting board. Run a knife halfway across the cake to slice each cake in half. 

Drain one can of the mango halves and dice into small pieces. Fold into a third of the custard cream frosting. 

Lay one bottom layer of a cake onto a serving platter. Top with a third of the mango cream custard frosting. Top with a top layer of the cake. Frost with another third of the mango cream custard frosting and continue to layer ending with a top layer of the cake. 

Frost the whole cake with the remaining custard cream frosting and set aside in the fridge overnight to set. 

Whipped Cream Frosting and Topping:
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin in 2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp apricot preserves
15-oz mango halves, canned (reserve 2 tbsp of the syrup)

1. Heat the gelatin plus two tablespoons of water in a small bowl in the 
   microwave for 10 seconds to dissolve the gelatin. 

2. In a mixer bowl at high speed with the wire whisk, beat the cream while 
    slowly adding the dissolved gelatin. Continue to beat until the cream has 
    doubled in volume. 

3. Lower the speed to medium and add the confectioner's sugar and continue 
    to beat until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and beat until just 
    incorporated. 

4. Frost the cooled frosted cake with a thin layer of the whipped cream. 
    Drain the mangoes reserving two tablespoons of the syrup. Slice the mango
    halves into wedges and arrange on top of the cake. 

5. Combine the syrup with the apricot preserve and brush over the mango 
    slices. Pipe the remaining whipped cream frosting around the mango slices 
    and keep the cake chilled until ready to serve.  
      

No comments:

Post a Comment