LET'S COOK: Eggless whole wheat mango cake

If you don’t like eggs, this does not mean that you cannot enjoy a sumptuous piece of your favourite bake. Today, I will teach you how to bake an eggless cake, which we will ice with mango mousse.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups whole wheat
• 1 tsp baking powder

•   ½ tsp baking soda

•  100 grams unsalted butter or ½ cup chopped chilled butter

•   ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk or 200 grams/half a can
• 2 large mangos/1 cup tightly packed chopped mangoes/1 cup mango puree
• 3 to 4 tbsp sugar or more if needed
•  1 tsp vanilla extract or essence, or substitute with ½ tsp cardamom powder or ¼ tsp cinnamon powder

METHOD

• Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl or plate
• Grease baking tin with butter or oil
• Peel and chop mangoes then blend
• Add 3 to 4 tbsp sugar and bend again to form a smooth mango puree
• Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit 15 minutes before baking
• Place butter in a pan and melt on low heat. Stir to make it melt quickly
•  Remove pan from heat and add milk
• Stir with a wired or balloon whisk to make a smooth mixture
• Add mango puree and vanilla extract or substitute. Stir and add flour.
• Gently fold the mixture with a spatula.
• The batter should have volume, not fall flat or become doughy like chapatti dough. If the batter is too thick, add some tablespoons of milk.
• With a spatula, empty the batter in the baking tin. Ensure it is even.
• Put the baking tin in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
• If top starts to brown, cover with foil or butter paper and continue to bake. You will know it is ready when the crust turns golden and a tooth pick or wooden skewer coming out clean.

MANGO MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup mango puree, blended
• ½ cup whipping cream or low fat cream
• 2 to 3 tbsp honey or icing sugar

METHOD

• In a bowl, mix the whipping cream, honey and icing sugar. Whip until you get soft peaks
• Add mango puree.
• On the lowest speed, blend for a few seconds until mixed
• Keep in the fridge until the cake cools down
• Slice cake into equal halves. Brush some sugar syrup (1 tsp sugar dissolved in 3 to 4 tsp water) on the halves.
• Evenly spread the mango mousse on lower half of the cake. Cover with the other half. Brush some sugar syrup on top of the cake. Spread remaining sugar syrup on the sides of the Cake and then spread the icing.
• Cover the mango cake without touching the sides and edges. Use a large box or bowl and keep in the fridge till the mousse sets.
• Slice and serve

KITCHEN TIP

Make pancakes using a squeeze bottle. Ladling pancake batter into a pan is most likely to make a mess. To avoid dripping batter all over the place, put it in an old condiment bottle and squeeze it out.

If you prefer a natural taste, substitute vinegar with lemon juice >>Lilian Bwire