Chetna’s Mango, Cardamom and Coconut Cake

When I think about the great chef Chetna Makan, the first thing that goes through my head is mango and curry. She loves this sweet exotic fruit just as much as my family does. Therefore, I just cannot withdraw her spectacular recipe among my list: Chetna’s Mango, Cardamom and Coconut Cake.

The sponge itself is very fluffy and flavoursome, just the right amount of coconut powder and cardamom pods. I just love the taste, it is very juicy and cake like. Once the cake has been chilled for a while, it soaks the cream nicely, so thereafter it gets even more tender. You can leave the cake naked, semi-naked or just like that with lots of cream. The amount of cream is measured for richer filling, so if you go for a naked cake, reduce the amount or enjoy the rest as a lovely dessert.

I decorated it with white chocolate, dried raspberries, almonds and lots of mango. No limits to imagination: enjoy it with more chocolate, fresh fruits or flowers.

Chetna’s Mango, Cardamom and Coconut Cake is suitable for kids from the age of 3. Offer in the afternoons with a cup of tea.

Total Time: 2 hours + overnight chill (optional)

The Sponge

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

First, ease the butter for about 1 minute and add caster sugar, flour with baking powder, ground coconut and cardamom. Gradually start adding the eggs and mix. Once the mixture comes together, pour in 2 tablespoons of double cream and continue mixing until fluffy and creamy.

Second, divide the mixture equally into 2 lightly greased baking tins lined with some baking paper (I used springforms of 20cm). Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until a wooden skewer comes clean from the middle.

Ease with a sharp knife, open the forms and let The Sponges cool down entirely.

The Mango Cream Filling

Meanwhile the sponges are chilling, prepare The Mango Cream Filling. Pour in the double cream into a large metal bowl and add 2.5 tablespoons of caster sugar and Mascarpone. Whisk on a low speed for about 2 minutes until you have soft peaks.

Next, clean the mangos. Cut bigger parts and refrigerate them in an airtight box for the final decorating. The rest of the chunks cut in small cubes and transfer them with all the juice into The Cream. Give it a last whisk and taste. So yummy already now.

Presentation

If needed, cut the extra excess from the top of The Sponges and brush the crumbs away.

Then, place a bit of The Cream on your serving plate and stick the first Sponge on top. Layer with half of The Mango Cream Filling and gently cover with the secnd Sponge. Finish with the rest of the cream and generously spread it over the top and the sides of your Mango, Cardamom and Coconut cake.

Smoothen the cream with cake smoothers and decorate. I thinly sliced bigger pieces of mango and rolled them out into roses of different size. Afterwards, I placed them gently next to each other all over the top, together with almonds covered in coconut and golden powder. I halved the dried raspberries covered in white chocolate and mixed them in between the roses. In the finale, I sprinkled the cake with a few white chocolate chunks. Done.

Makes 12 serves. Thank You Chetna for a never-ending inspiration!