Mangoes are back in season and there is much rejoicing in my house. I'm not referring to those mainly large and green boulders often sold as mangoes with an extortionate price tag all year round. No. I'm talking about honey mangoes...sweet juicy perfumed golden beauties...only available for about a month.
They almost always come sold in boxes complete with small bits of coloured tinsel attached to each mango. Of course, mangoes are good for you but really I make this cake because we have bought too many and their perfumed sweetness is starting to take over the house.
I'd like to say that the coconut is also seasonal, but then I'd be lying.
Mango cake with coconut frosting
Make the frosting first and if possible either the day before as coconut oil can take a while to set again once melted and you'll end up with a very runny frosting (as can be seen from the top photo).
Coconut frosting
2 Cans coconut milk
4 very heaped teaspoons cornflour
1/2 Cup caster sugar
50-75g finely desiccated coconut (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil
1)Mix a little of the coconut milk in with the cornflour to make a smooth paste and put the rest of the coconut milk in a pan with the sugar and stir in the cornflour mix. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly.
2)When the mixture is smooth, thick and creamy take off the heat and stir in the desiccated coconut. Let it cool then whisk in the melted coconut oil. Chill.
Mango cake
150g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
150ml sunflower oil
200ml soya milk
2 large honey mangoes (peeled and the flesh removed)
1) Heat oven to 180C. Grease and line a deep 8" cake tin.
2) Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Blend the soya milk, mango flesh and sunflower oil together and add this to the dry ingredients. Mix.
3)Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes (although it can sometimes take up to an hour. I think this is more to do with the size of mangoes used).
4)Let it cool
5) Slice cake in half. Spread coconut frosting inside (and a layer of freshly sliced mango too if you want) and top it with more frosting and sprinkle over desiccated coconut
