Pandan Mango Cake

I always love making cakes with fresh fruits. Today's recipe is a mango cake with fresh cream. This is a cake to celebrate the mango season. This summer we got ripe, juicy mangoes that are perfectly sweet. Is it not a perfect reason to celebrates? Especially if you love and adore mangoes. This cake is a die for! Each slice of fruity goodness, creamy luxurious and rich will surely satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.

Now coming to the other star ingredient- Pandan extract. Now you may ask what is pandan? Pandan or Pandanus amaryllifolius is screw pine leaves. If you are from Asia you might already be familiar with it.Pandan is a familiar ingredient in southeast Asian cuisine. It has a sweet aromatic leafy flavor and is extensively used in Asian cuisine. So this cake is a blend of western and Asian cuisine. There are many many recipes out there that combine pandan flavor and mangoes. I have been eying on a few pudding recipes, but finally decided to make a cake for my husband's birthday. He loves mangoes and I am so glad I tried this recipe. Pandan and mango go so well together, it is like a match made in heaven!

It looks and tastes exotic with the beautiful flavor. Pandan leaves imparts a rich vibrant color and a pleasant aroma. The mangoes I am using is the Alphonso mangoes. It is very sweet and has a rich creamy texture. It is easily available in supermarkets during summer. Give this cake recipe a try and let me know how it turned out for you :)

What is Pandan?

Pandan or Pandanus amaryllifolius is screw pine leaves. Pandan is a familiar ingredient in southeast Asian cuisine. It is a tropical plant and is a native of Southeast Asia. It has a pleasant aroma and is widely used as a flavoring agent. It is the plant's leaf that is extensively used for flavoring rice and desserts. It has a sweet aroma that goes perfectly well with desserts. So it is like the Asian vanilla. But it is also used for savory dishes. You can buy pandan online or from an Asian store both fresh and frozen. Pandan extract is also sold in Asian grocery stores. It is like a thick concentrate and you will need around 1/2 tsp to make the cake. You can also get the fresh extract from leaves. To get the extract chop pandan leaves and blend it in a blender. Strain using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth and use it for the recipe. Add around a half cup of the juice to make the cake.

How to make Pandan Mango Cake

Ingredients
For the cake
All purpose flour-1 1/2 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Butter- 1 stick
Egg-5
Pandan extract- 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp

For the cream
Cream cheese- 5 oz.
Heavy whipping cream- 2 cup
Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp
Powdered sugar- 1 cup

Mangoes- 3

To make the whipped cream. Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Whip this soften cream for two minutes. Now into this 2 cup of chilled heavy whipping cream and vanilla essence and whip. Beat this at low speed for one minute and then increase the speed to high. Add powdered sugar little by little and beat till the cream turns into soft stiff peaks. Cover and keep in the fridge till it is time to assemble the cake.

To make the cake. Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt 2-3 times and keep aside.

Grease 8 inch round pan with butter. Line bottom with a strip of parchment paper and keep aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a hand mixer or a standing electric mixer cream butter until it is soft and creamy for about a minute. Add sugar one tbs at a time and continue mixing for three to four minutes. Once all the sugar is incorporated, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and cream the butter and sugar for another 5 minutes till it is fluffy, light and creamy white.

Add eggs one at a time and mix. Make sure it is completely incorporated before adding the next egg.

Whip till the batter is thick and light. Add vanilla essence and the pandan extract and whip for a few seconds. Add flour little by little and fold in till smooth and velvety. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30- 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool down completely.

To assemble the cake: Slice the cake into two equal parts. Peel and prepare 3 mangoes. I sliced the mangoes for the top and chopped some into cubes to go in as filling with the cream. Place one sheet and spread a layer of whipped cream and then some chopped mangoes. Place the second layer and spread the cream on top and the sides and decorate with mango slices. Refrigerate for one hour and enjoy it!