Summer in Peru means a wonderful variety of fruits but berries are consistently scarce. One of my favorite things about summer fruits is the mango. There are several varieties of mangoes and some are good for juice, some for eating and some for crunching on with salt! The Haden mangoes are perfect to slice up and enjoy on their own and in desserts or chutneys.
This cake begged for mangoes instead of berries and I complied. I first baked up a batch of cupcakes. (CB can vouch for me, you won’t see any trace of them here!) They were small, sunken, sad cups of cake. I cut the middle out, hoping to fill them and to be truthful, discarded them quickly. It was not that the taste was bad, but the form just could not be filled and frosted.
At the same time I had made a couple of baby cakes that got shoved into the depths of my freezer. I sort of forgot about them, maybe out of frustration, maybe out of disappointment. Yesterday I had to defrost my freezer, so I pulled everything out and stuck it in the fridge. Yes, I must defrost my freezer. Be glad you were spared from the photos. One of those things pulled out were the baby cakes.
I will be honest, I was not going to complete this week’s recipe. I thought about sharing a rewind recipe with you. I thought about letting the day pass by without so much as a peep from me. But, since I had those baby cakes in my hand and all the other ingredients at my fingertips, I whipped up some filling (which I filled in the sunken part!), sliced up some mangoes and sprinkled some pistachios over the top.
My friend who tried one loved it. It looks dramatic. It would be a simple last minute dessert. I have a suspicion I may try the recipe again, but I don’t know if I would ever follow the assembly instructions as written. I like the ease of my version came together.
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Mango Surprise Cake is being served up for Tuesdays With Dorie. This weeks TWD recipe was chosen by Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen (where you will find this weeks recipe). Enjoy more Berry Surprise Cakes by visiting the blogroll at the Tuesdays With Dorie website. Or, see what other goodies we have enjoyed on past weeks!
I have to admit… (hush, I don’t want to be brutalized when others find out!) …I don’t like mango!!! Nevertheless, I love what you’ve done with this surprise cake! Totally beautiful, Gretchen!
Thanks! You know, I used to hate! mango. I forced myself to like it though. Funny, no? ~Gretchen
Utterly beautiful!
Oh thank you! ~Gretchen
I love mango and so I’m sure your version would be very yummy. Your cake looks pretty too.
Thank you! Mango is tasty with just about anything! ~Gretchen
This looks so delicious!
Thanks! ~Gretchen
Love it! Great job!
Thanks! ~Gretchen
I love mango! Great choice. I would have done banana or something but strawberries from the States were on sale. I had sinkage issues too, I think I might have liked the cake better with another cake batter. Your minis are adorable though!
Banana? Hadn’t thought of that! I liked the components but not the assembly instructions. ~Gretchen
mango sounds delicious
and this looks like a refreshingly low-key version of the recipe. good idea to make minis!
It looked really refreshing. Minis were the way to go! ~Gretchen
wow, great job! your cake looks beautiful.
Thanks so much! ~Gretchen
Yum! What a delicious surprise. I love mango!
It was a refreshing little cake with the mango! ~Gretchen
Oh yummy! That mango looks delicious!
Thanks! ~Gretchen
mango… mmmm, yum. looks gorgeous!
Thanks! ~Gretchen
I love mangoes and those look perfectly orange and juicy. YUM! I’m glad you ended up making the cake (in your own special way). They look great!
Thanks! Not sure I would follow the same assembly instructions again, but the components were tasty. ~Gretchen
Ciao ! What a nice and fast idea !! I love mango and in italy they never arrive that good !! (your faces are wonderful !!)
Sorry you don’t get sweet delicious mangoes! ~Gretchen
Your version looks a lot easier, I agree. The slicing and hollowing out and filling – I wouldn’t mind skipping those steps
The mango looks absolutely delicious too.
Yeah, it just seemed like a lot of assembly steps for something that could have been easier! ~Gretchen
I think your easier version looks beautiful. What a great idea adding some pistachios and that colorful mango just makes this pop!
Thanks! It was really all last minute, it just needed something! ~Gretchen
GORGEOUS!!! I am not a mango fan either, but this looks so tasty. I thought about doing the naked cake too – I love the look of the cake itself, all the little air pockets made it so pretty. And fantastic pictures too! Take care, Tania
Thanks! I had to teach myself to like mango and now I love it! ~Gretchen
Lovely! I really like the idea of the mini cakes — so easy and they look great!
They were light and refreshing. Easy to serve! ~Gretchen
Love the Mango version. Who doesn’t love a mango? Thank you for showing the versatility known to a genoise. Way to go. Totally understand your hesitation. Elements were made on Monday, served and posted on Thurs. Just couldn’t get excited about this one either for some reason. I was surprised and can see the infinite possiblities. Way to go!
AmyRuth
I bet you could never tell from the name of my blog…but I love mangoes. I am super-jealous of your results. the mini-cakes look fabulous!
[...] as summertime is perfect for mangoes here in Peru, the tomatoes are also sweet, juicy and bright red. The cherry tomatoes are my [...]