The Broke Baker

Tag: mango

Mango Madness in July – Part 4 (2017 Chapter)

My first year at my current job, I was amazed at the massive influx of mangoes during mango season. It was like homeowners couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. That’s how Mango Madness was born, and Mango Season every year since then has been dedicated to mango-fying anything that I can think of. Mango Madness 2017 will be no different.

Sadly, my most reliable and prolific mango supplier was relocated. I expected this to make getting my hands on mangoes a little harder than usual. Instead, I had quite a steady stream of mangoes headed my way. I guess word has gotten around about my Mango Mad Scientist antics, so everyone knows that any surplus of mangoes will get put to good use in my house. Ha!

So, what new things did I make for Mango Madness 2017? Here we go!

Mango salsa goes great on a lot of savory dishes, including jerk chicken chili! Just combine diced mango with lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin powder, and cilantro. The sweetness of the mango really offsets the heat of the chili, and completes the chili’s Caribbean flair.

Mango Suspiro Limeno is a deliciously innovative way to eat the classic Peruvian dessert. It’s normally too sweet for me, but the mango seems to cut some of that sweetness out.

If you’re looking for something to cool you down in hot weather, try mango creamsicles. They are cool, creamy, refreshing, and oh so delicious. And, if you don’t own any popsicle molds, disposable cups work just as well.

If you’re feeling fancy, try filling some puff pastry shells with mango pastry cream. All it takes is some fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream to make an impressive presentation. Pro-tip: Heat the baking pan before you bake the puff pastry shells. It makes them puff up so much higher.

Believe it or not, mango is a great addition to BBQ sauce if you’re into sweet sauces. Try mango BBQ sauce on ribs or brisket. A friend of mine even put it on pasta and liked it.

Mango upside down cake is best made with mango that doesn’t have a lot of fiber because it is easier to slice. But, if you only have fibrous mangoes, don’t let that deter you. The buttery, brown sugary top of the cake really elevates the mango.

Mango compote makes a great topping for pound cakes and ice cream. Or, stir it into your yogurt!

If compotes aren’t your thing, you can try caramelized mango. They’re spiked with a little bit of rum and flecked with vanilla bean seeds. You can make it in chunks or in slices. Either way, it’s a treat! It would probably go great on some waffles or pancakes.

Mango brownies are a bit out-of-the-box, but the mango actually complements the chocolate better than you might think. The mango puree in the brownie batter makes them extra moist and fudgy. You don’t taste the mango very much, so most people that don’t know that there’s mango in them will probably just know that there’s “something different” in them that they can’t quite put their finger on.

You could color me shocked when I found out how well mango works in curry. This mango chicken curry used mangoes they are slightly under-ripe so that they don’t make the curry too sweet. Though, if your mangoes are too sweet, you can just add more acid to the curry sauce. I bet you could also use shrimp instead of chicken!

Mango Madness 2017 was another prolific time, and I continue to surprise myself with how many new things can be made with mango. And, having different suppliers helped me to discover the best ways to use different types of mangoes. Stringy and fibrous mango? Puree, strain, and and make something with mango puree. Smooth and firm mango? Slice or dice and use the pieces in sauces or cakes. Every year is a learning experience, and I can’t wait until 2018!

July 27, 2017
Mango Upside Down Cake
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Mango season is in full swing, and the creative juices are flowing! Trying to figure out what to make with mango every year is often a challenge. Often, however, an idea just pops into my head that makes me say “Why the heck didn’t I think of that before!?” That was the case with this mango upside down cake. While I was brainstorming with a coworker on what new things I could try making with mango this year, it just popped into my head. I knew that I HAD to make it, and my brain wouldn’t let me stop thinking about it until I did. My brain knows what it’s doing, because the cake turned out to be AWESOME.

The mango upside down cake recipe makes a 13 x 9 inch pan, but I split it into two 9 inch round pans so that I could share with 2 separate groups of people. Just be sure to split the topping ingredients between the two pans and adjust the baking time accordingly if you will be doing this.

Stir some brown sugar into your pans of melted butter. Spread it around as evenly as you can, and then lay your mango slices on top. If your mangoes are too ripe, you might have some trouble getting clean mango slices like I did. But, do the best that you can. It will still taste great!

Make the batter by creaming butter and brown sugar, then adding the egg. Stir in the vanilla, and add your sifted dry ingredients alternately with mango pulp and milk. Gently spread the batter into your prepared pans, and then bake. Wait about 5 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pan.

Don’t wait too long to unmold your cakes, or you run the risk if the brown sugar hardening. Good luck getting your cakes out of the pan in one piece if that happens.

I was initially kind of disappointed at the lack of height with the cake, until I realized that this meant that the mango topping to cake ratio made it so that the taste of the mango topping really stood out. The buttery, sweet, caramelized mango topping is really what makes this cake stand out, so you don’t want to skimp on that. I prefer mine warm, but it tastes good cold also.

Mango Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

For the topping
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 5 cups mango slices (may be more of less depending on the size of the slices)
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mango puree
- 1/4 cup milk
Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

While the oven is preheating, place an ungreased 13″ x 9″ baking pan with 1/3 cup of butter, allowing the butter to melt in the pan in the oven. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, then spread the mixture as evenly as possible around the pan. Arrange the sliced mango on top of the brown sugar/butter mixture and set aside. Sift together the dry cake ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the mango puree and milk, beating well with each addition. Gently spread the batter over the mango slices in the pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes (25-30 minutes if using 9″ round pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake rest on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then loosen the cake from the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 13″ x 9″ rectangle cake or 2 9″ round cakes.
July 7, 2017
Mango Madness in July – Part 3 (2016 Chapter)

Another year, another Mango Season in South Florida. This is now my third Mango Madness post, as I did this in 2014 and 2015 with great success. But for those of you just tuning in, I will fill you in. During Mango Season, I find myself getting a large quantity of mangoes that I don’t always know what to do with. I mean, mangoes are great to eat just as-is, but there are only so many you can have. Plus, it doesn’t take long for them to go from “just right” to overripe, after which the only thing you can really do is puree it and use it somehow. That was the start of Mango Madness.

As each year goes by, it gets harder for me to think of things to do with mango that I haven’t done the previous year. I spent most of May and June fretting about whether Mango Madness would be as good as previous years, as my brain reserves were running low. But, thanks to Google, feedback from friends and family, and random “Eureka!” moments, I have managed to make the 2016 chapter of Mango Madness just as prolific as the last two!

So, what are some new things that I made with mango this year? Check it out!

Mango Lassi is a accompaniment to spicy food, or just a healthy pick-me-up at any time of the day. Plus, since it’s basically just a mango and yogurt smoothie, it’s super easy to make. Just blend equal parts mango puree and plain yogurt together, then sweeten to taste with honey. I like to bottle it to take to work.

Take the classic Strawberry Cream Cake and make it a Mango Cream Cake! Just replace the strawberries with chopped mango and add a little bit of mango puree to the whipped cream.

Mango Pastelitos already have a dedicated blog post here, and they’re worth trying out!

Mango pastry cream is delicious on its own, but also has many uses. Plus, it’s also a good way to use up a large amount of milk that you may be looking to find a use for. I used this recipe as a guide, but made a few changes. I used fresh mango pulp instead of canned, omitted the cardamom and saffron, and used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean paste. I also went light on the vanilla so that it didn’t overpower the mango flavor.

With all of that mango pastry cream lying around, I had the idea to make little mango tarts. But, being too lazy to make tart shells, I went ahead and filled store-bought phyllo cups with the cream, and then topped each “tart” with a fresh raspberry. Simple AND delicious.

Mango mousse is delicious, refreshing, and only uses four ingredients. Whip 3/4 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1 tbsp piping gel, then continue to whip until stuff peaks form. Fold in 3/4 cup mango puree and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, pour into serving cups, and refrigerate until set. Yummy!

Mango Ice Cream Cake! The name should say it all, but I will elaborate. It’s a batch of mango ice cream sitting on top of a blondie. Top with some fresh raspberry sauce, and you’ve got a winning dessert that can be made in advance!

Mango macaron ice cream sandwiches! Using BraveTart’s macaron recipe, I made mango macaron shells by adding 3/4 oz of freeze dried mango to the macaron batter. Make some mango ice cream (my favorite recipe is this one) and freeze it in a 13″ x 9″ pan. Once frozen, cut circles of ice cream about the size of your macaron shells, and sandwich one round of ice cream between two macaron shells.

Replace the peaches in your favorite peach cobbler recipe (I used this one) with mango, and you’ve got yourself a mango cobbler! Since mango is incredibly sweet, I also reduce the sugar in the fruit filling by half.

I love Mango Madness because it really challenges me to be creative and think outside of the box sometimes. Sometimes, it’s even like a race to see how many things I can make before the mangoes go bad. There are things that I would never have thought to make before that I now wonder how I did without. But, the stakes are raised for next year. Will I be able to conjure up some new, mango-centric recipes for next year’s Mango Madness? I guess I had better start brainstorming now!

A big thank you to everyone that supplied me with mangoes this year. As you can see, they were put to good use. Until next year!

July 24, 2016
Mango Tres Leches
Traditionally, a tres leches cake is a sponge cake that is soaked with a syrup made of three types of milk and then topped with either whipped cream or meringue. I “mango-fied” the recipe by replacing some of the milk with mango juice, adding mango puree to the topping, and then topping it with some fresh mango chunks.

This recipe is a bit of an impromptu recipe post. My boss is in town this entire week and had requested a belated birthday cake. Although she originally had a specific cake in mind, I convinced her to allow me to make something with mango, as I have been getting a generous supply of mangoes this season from my usual sources. After remembering that she loves tres leches, I decided to try making a mango tres leches again this year. If you may recall, it was featured in last year’s Mango Madness post, but there were a few issues with that recipe that I hoped to work through this time around. Thankfully, I think I got the kinks worked out for this version of the mango tres leches, as it was so well-received at the office that I got a few requests for the recipe. So, here it is. Since I didn’t anticipate actually posting this to the blog, I didn’t take pictures of the step-by-step process as I normally do. Hopefully, the directions are clear enough.

Mango Tres Leches

Ingredients

For the Cake
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Milk Syrup
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 cup mango juice (or mango nectar)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
For the Mango Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp piping gel
- 1/3 cup mango puree
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups chopped mango
Directions

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 13” x 9” rectangular baking pan

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and increase the speed.

While the eggs are beating, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and then add the yolks one by one. Add the vanilla extract.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Pour into prepared baking pan

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Combine all of the ingredients for the milk syrup in a blender. Slowly pour mixture over the hot cake, pausing as needed to allow the cake to absorb the liquid. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the Mango Whipped Cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Add the piping gel and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla extract.

Gently fold in the mango puree until no streaks remain, then spread evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Top with mango chunks.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably overnight.

Makes about 24 servings
July 18, 2016
Mango and Cheese Pastries (Pastelitos)
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This is my third Mango Season working in a place that affords me access to a large supply of mangoes during this time of the year in Miami. I had been racking my brain for ideas on what to make with mango that I had never made before, and my brain reserves were getting low. Then, during a conversation with one of my sisters, she asks “Why not make mango pastelitos?” Mango pastries!? My head exploded.

For those of you that are not “in the know,” a pastelito is a Cuban pastry that is typically made with puff-pastry type of dough and can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. Pretty much any Latin bakery or cafeteria worth its salt in South Florida will sell them, so it’s completely mind-boggling as to why it never even occurred to me to try a mango spin on these popular treats. The most popular fillings are guava, guava and cheese, cheese, and ground beef. My absolute favorite is the guava and cheese, which is the one that inspired this recipe. Since guava is super-sweet, just like mango, it seemed to make sense to just swap out the guava with mango. It sounded crazy at first, but it WORKED. The sweetness of the mango was offset by the cream cheese, which also gave a creamy richness to complement the buttery flakiness of the puff pastry. Best of all, they’re super-easy to make.

Start by cooking some diced mango with brown sugar and a little bit of lemon juice. Simmer the mango mixture for 25-30 minutes, until the liquid thickens and becomes syrupy in consistency. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. You can even make this a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.

After that, the only other things you need are some puff pastry and a brick of cream cheese. Make your life easier by using cold cream cheese.

Defrost the puff pastry per the package directions. Lay the sheets of puff pastry out on your pan lined with parchment, a baking mat, or a floured surface. Cut each sheet it into thirds, then add three small pieces of cream cheese evenly spaced apart on 3 of the thirds. Leave room around the sides to close the pastry.

Add a spoonful of mango filling on top of each piece of cream cheese. If you didn’t cook your mango filling long enough, you might get some runoff. Don’t worry, it won’t impact the pastries much. Brush the edges and between the filling with egg wash or water.

Place the other three pieces of puff pastry over the ones that have the filling.

Cut them into squares and pinch them closed. The egg wash should help the tops and bottoms stick together. Brush them with additional egg wash or simple syrup, if desired.

Then, into a preheated oven they go!

Please resist the urge to dig in as soon as they come out of the oven. The filling is HOT, and you might hurt yourself. They do taste best when they are warm, though.

Simple, right? But, so delicious. These pastries just scream “Miami” in so many ways. The recipe for the mango filling makes enough to fill about 27 pastries, so scale up or down accordingly. You can easily find other uses for any leftover filling, but I bet you’ll simply wind up making more pastries once these disappear in mere moments. I bet it would be great on pancakes or waffles, too.

Mango and Cheese Pastries (Pastelitos de Mango y Queso)

Ingredients

For the Mango Filling:
- 2 1/2 cups mango, diced small
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
For the pastries:
- 1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 4oz cream cheese, cold
- Egg wash (optional)
Directions

Make the mango filling:

In a small saucepan, heat mango, brown sugar, and lemon juice over medium to medium-high heat until mixture is about to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.

Make the pastries:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay out the puff pastry sheets on a flat, nonstick surface and cut each sheet into thirds. Set three of the thirds aside.

Cut small rectangles of cream cheese and add three to each third of puff pastry sheet, spacing them out evenly on the strip and leaving room around the edges of the dough. Add a spoonful of mango on top of each piece of cream cheese.

Brush the edges of dough and between each mound of filling with egg wash or water, then top with the remaining 3 sheets of puff pastry dough. Cut each strip into thirds so that one mound of filling is at the center of each square, then pinch the sides down to seal. Place the squares on the baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving space between the pastries. Brush the tops with additional egg wash or simple syrup.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 20 minutes before eating. Any leftover mango pastries can be stored in an airtight container after they cool completely.

Makes 9 pastries
July 13, 2016
Mango Madness in July – Part 2 (2015 Chapter)

We have reached the tail end of Mango Season here in South Florida. And, my successful experimentation during last year’s mango season gained me a reputation at the office. In fact, I think I got at least twice as many mangoes this year as I did last year. They just kept them coming! There are only so many mangoes you can eat before you kind of get tired of them. After that, it’s time to get creative. Mango Madness 2 was upon me before I even knew it. (more…)

July 15, 2015
Mango Cinnamon Rolls

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Do you ever get an idea that is just so crazy, you just HAVE to try it to see if it will actually work? That happened to me one afternoon, as another bag of the endless supply of mangoes from my coworker’s tree appeared by my desk this Mango Season. There I was, sitting at my desk, when something in my head just screamed “MANGO CINNAMON ROLLS” at me. Well, there went anything else productive I could have done for the remainder of the day, because it was now the only thing I could think about.

I thought about different ways to incorporate the mango into the cinnamon rolls. I ruled out adding mango to the dough, because I was afraid that it wouldn’t get enough mango flavor that way. Mango in the filling seemed like a good idea, and I opted to use diced mango instead of mango puree. A piece of mango in a bite would be a pleasant surprise. (more…)

July 9, 2015
Mango Madness in July!

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of mango. Yet, all good things must come to an end. As the bombardment of mangoes from my coworker’s overly fertile tree winds down, I am taking a look back at all of the mango goodness that I was able to produce with my seemingly endless stream of mangoes. Due to several requests from satisfied taste-testers, I have decided to try to compile a list of all of the mango dessert recipes that I attempted. Unfortunately, going into “Mango Mad Scientist Mode” left very little opportunity for photo ops or step-by-step walkthroughs. Still, I hope that my experiences can inspire others to get a little bit adventurous with mango, and perhaps do something those overripe mangoes besides throwing them in a smoothie. Let the Mango Madness begin! (more…)

July 15, 2014
Mango Flan

Mango Season continues in full swing! I continue getting generous donations of ripe mangoes from work. It’s been fun experimenting with recipes to incorporate the mango. This mango flan was one such experiment. It turned out to be a success, and someone requested that I give them the recipe. So, here it is! (more…)

July 1, 2014
Mini Mango Cheesecakes

It’s Mango Season in South Florida! And, at my new job, my coworkers are not stingy about sharing the wealth. We have been getting bags full of mangoes every day from a coworker’s over-productive tree. But, there are only so many mangoes you can eat as is. And, overripe mangoes are plentiful. We were discussing possible uses for these overripe fruits, when he asks “can you make mango cheesecake?” Well, I never have, but there’s a first time for everything!

I came up with this recipe after a little bit of online research, and adjusting my standard mini cheesecake recipe accordingly. And, because I am a big supporter of portion control and like cute little things, I made mini mango cheesecakes. You can use my previous mini cheesecake post as a guideline, if you’re unsure of the step-by-step process. (more…)

June 28, 2014