Mango Tango and Banana Rama

Do you like fruits in your cakes?  Not the canned syrup type of fruits..it's fresh fruits.  I decided to bake something that uses fresh fruits.  But what? Hmm...

So, I browsed through my collection of recipe books and decided to make not one but TWO cakes at a go.  Wow, that means, I've to spend the entire afternoon in the kitchen.  That's fine.  I love to bake.  You'd think who would want to eat that many cakes?  Not to worry.  I have many mouths that are just waiting to sample my bakeries!  Haahaa..if only they know what's baking in the oven!

So, here are my two selections - Mango Choc Chip Butter Cake, a recipe from Kevin Chai's 'I love butter cake' cookbook.  This cake is so moist and you can taste the fresh goodness of sweet fleshy mango in between the layer of cake and the topping as well.  The topping has 'struesel-like' buttery sprinkle with chocolate chips.  This is one fantastic cake with full of flavors.  The smell of fresh mangoes is so strong that it makes your mouth water by the aroma of the cake after baking.

The other cake is emm..well, a combination of recipes that I put together and called it 'Choc Mud Cake with Banana and Brandied Butter Cream'.  Sounds hot ya, I mean, there's chocolate in it, there are fresh bananas in between the cake and brandy in the buttercream filling and to top it, the chocolate ganache!  The texture of the cake is, well, mud-like and moist..You can taste the lightly brandied buttercream which is not too sweet and the banana just compliments the whole cake!  Mmm, mmm...heavenly!

Mango Choc Chip Butter Cake!

 200 g butter

80 g margarine

200 g caster sugar (i used 150g)

4 eggs

1tsp vanilla

80 ml milk

250g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

150g mango flesh (diced)

70g choc chips

Topping: 150g mango flesh (diced)

80g plain flour

20g caster sugar

50g choc chips

1. Beat butter, margarine and sugar till light and fluffy.  Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

2. Stir in vanilla and milk, mix well.  Fold in sifted flour and baking powder, mix until well blended.

3. Spread half the batter into a greased and lined 20cm (8in) baking tin, sprinkle mango and choc chips.  Then spread the remaining batter.

4. For the topping, sprinkle the mango over the cake. Rub the margarine with flour and sugar, sprinkle on top of the mango, follow with choc chips.

5. Bake in pre-heated oven at 17d celsius about an hour or until cooked.

YumYum!!

Chocolate Mud Cake with Banana and Brandied Buttercream

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

3/4 cup strong espresso

2 tsp vanilla essence

300g self raising flour

75g plain flour

1 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

185g unsalted butter, softened

330 g caster sugar (I used 220g)

3 eggs

180g dark choc, melted and cooled

Fresh bananas, about 3-4 bananas

1. Pre-heat oven to 160d celsius and grease 8 in baking pan.

2. Mix cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla essence and 1/2 cup cold water in a bowl and whisk.

3. Sift flour, b.o.s. and pinch of salt together.

4. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well.

5. Stir in melted choc.

6. Add flour and cocoa mixture alternately into egg mixture

7. Pour into pan and bake till set approx abt 1 - 1.5 hrs

Brandied Buttercream:

125g butter

2 cups icing sugar (I used 1 cups)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp brandy

Cream butter in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible, beat in sifted icing sugar, cocoa and brandy.

Chocolate Ganache:

200g dark chocolate (broken into small pieces) or choc chips or choc buttons

2/3 cup thickened cream or whipping cream

Heat the cream in a saucepan on low heat but not boiling.  Take off heat and pour on chocolate pieces and stir till chocolate melts and it turns glossy.

To assemble:

1. Slice the cake into 3 slices.  Place bottom slice on a cake tray and spread brandied buttercream.

2. Top with fresh sliced bananas.

3. Place the 2nd slice of cake on top and repeat no. 1 & 2.

4. Assemble the final slice on top and pour chocolate ganache on cake and spread the top and sides till  all areas are covered.

Cake can be refrigerated.

Great with a cup of coffee!!

Try this and you will never regret it!!