Featured, Kitchen

Minneola Mini Mango Yogurt Cakes

February 7, 2019

Minneola Mini Mango Cakes with Mango Cremé Anglaise and Citrus & Barberry Floral Salsa

This recipe  was adapted from Dori Greenspans Mediterranean Yogurt Cake with Clementines. I  took the concepts of  yogurt and olive oil cake and made it even moister by adding mango puree.  I got further inspired by love of the Middle East and exotic flavors and decided to included barberries and sumac. These mini cakes have excellent texture and vibrancy from the citrus zest and a perfumed quality from the mangoes.  We serve them with Mango Crème Anglaise and Citrus Flower Salsa for an effect that’s quite magical.

The citrus flower salsa was made with a variety of citrus, and fresh garden flower petals, honey and some barberries soaked in New Alchemy Distilling Fluerette Gin.  I have been using gin and vodka as flavor enhancers lately and this super floral gin was perfect for the salsa. It brought a floral essence that was not overpowering. The citrus tones down the booze and the over all boozy botanical feel, compliments the sweet cake and rich creme anglaise. The complexity of the salsa is needed for this sweet desert.

I use French baking tins (mini brioche tins) which are fantastic to have in your baking arsenal. They are relatively cheap to buy and offer great versatility in making pretty mini or individual desserts which can allow for much creativity in toppings like sauces, ice creams and chutneys.

Makes 15 mini cakes

Ingredients

Butter for greasing tins
3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Minneola tangerine zest (about 2 tangerines)
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, beaten
½ cup mango puree
½ cup yogurt (mango yogurt)
1 cup Minneola tangerine juice (about 3-4 tangerines)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (Sicilian is great for this recipe)
Mango Crème Anglaise ( Link to new Recipe)
Citrus & Floral Salsa*

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease the French tins with butter.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
In a large nixing bowl combine the sugar and zest and using your fingers gently rub the zest into the sugar until the two are well blended. It will look like orange colored granular sugar when you are done. Add the eggs to the sugar and beat until thick and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mango puree, yogurt, juice and olive oil and whisk until everything is totally incorporated and creamy. Add about ¼ cup of the flour mixture at a time, mixing each ¼ cup in and moving to the next until all the flour is combined.

Spoon the batter into the grease tines filling about ¾ full. Place the tins on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until a sharp knife tip inserted comes out clean. They should be golden brown and spongey to the touch. Cool for about 10 minutes maximum and then gently remove from the tins, placing on a wire rack for the remaining cooling.

Serve the mini cakes atop Mango Crème Anglaise with Citrus &  barberry floral Salsa and a dusting of sumac.

Citrus  & Barberry Floral Salsa

Makes 1 1/2  cups of salsa

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup New Alchemy Fluerette Gin
1/4 cup dried barberries
1 lime, segmented and chopped fine
1 lemon, segmented and chopped fine
1 blood orange, segmented and chopped fine
1 tangerine, segmented and chopped fine
1tablespoon flower petals, chopped ( lavender and calendula)
1 teaspoon fresh hyssop, chopped
Pinch of ground sumac garnish

Directions

Whisk together the honey and the gin until the honey dissolves. Add the barberries and let soak for about 30 minutes.  In a small mixing bowl combine all of the citrus segments, making sure to strain them if they have gathered juice.  Gently mix in the soaked barberry gin liquid and flower petals. You can also add in some fresh herbs at this stage, I used hyssop, which has a light anise flavor.

Mango Crème Anglaise
Crème Anglaise is one of the most forgiving sauces to make, it’s not only quick to make and versatile but its seemingly fancy. You can adjust flavor and sweetness depending on what you are making and it deserves a place in your dessert arsenal, especially this mango version. The addition of fresh mangoes gives it an ultra-luxurious feel. Its soft and rich and only slightly sweet, with small bursts of orange flavors. Its excellent served over fresh fruits, like berries or cakes, like molten lava cakes. It can also be served warm, although its traditionally cold.

Makes 3 cups of sauce

Ingredients

6 egg yolks, beaten
½ cup mango puree
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla ( alternatively ½ fresh vanilla bean split open and seeds scraped)

Directions

Prepare an ice bath.

Whisk together the egg yolks and the mango puree. Combine the milk, zest, salt, sugar and vanilla in a medium sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low. Take a small portion of the warm milk and whisk it into the egg and mango mixture. (This helps keep the eggs from scrambling during the next step). Gently whisk the egg mixture into the warming milk. Using a wooden spoon or spatula continue to heat the mixture, stirring gently. The custard will start to thicken in about 2-3 minutes. Once you have reached your desired consistency ( 3-4 minutes typically). Remove from heat. Strain into a glass bowl using a fine mesh strainer and place the bowl in the ice bath, stirring a few minutes and then leaving there to cool. Once cooled Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.