ajb's Tropical Christmas Cake Recipe for this Festive Season
As the festive season draws near, we are turning our attention to all things Christmassy including our 2018 ajb Holiday Gift Guide and last week's post on Holiday Gift Wrapping using Foliage and Fabric.
So to continue this festive theme, today we head to the ajb Kitchen to whip up a delicious cake to see in this special time. But unlike the traditional Christmas fruit cake that we've grown up with back in Australia, here in the warm climate of Jakarta we're baking a tropical festive cake that is light and moist, rich in local spices and packed with in-season, Indonesian grown mangoes.
So don your apron, turn up your favourite Christmas tunes and head to the kitchen. We've got some seriously tasty baking to do!
Happy cooking and lots of love this festive season :)
Best wishes
Jo
a journey bespoke’s Spiced Mango Cake
Ingredients
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar (palm sugar or brown sugar)
1 Tb honey
2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil (preference for canola or rice bran oil)
1 1/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cup chopped mango (approximately two Arum Manis mangoes)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
The simple mixture for today's cake recipe requires readily available ingredients
The equivalent of two Arum Manis mangoes, chopped
Method
Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan forced) or 180 degrees celsius (standard oven).
Prepare cake tin by spraying with cooking oil and then line base with baking paper.
Into a mixing bowl place sugars, honey, eggs and oil. Beat until smooth and well blended.
Sugars, honey, eggs and oil
In a separate bowl, sift self raising flour, salt and spices.
Gently and gradually, fold dry ingredients into sugar mixture until just combined.
Fold in the coarsely chopped nuts (see 'Cook's Notes' for nut substitutes)
Next, fold in chopped nuts and mango pieces.
Fold in the coarsely chopped nuts (see 'Cook's Notes' for nut substitutes)
Folding in the mango, taking care not to disturb the structure of the fruit (see 'Cook's Notes' for alternate fruit suggestions)
Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and give cake tin a firm tap to ensure mixture is evenly distributed.
Ready for the oven
Place cake tin on the middle shelf of a pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes (or until cooked through).
The cake is cooked when the sides pull away from the tin and the top of the cake springs back upon touch
Allow cake to cool before removing from its tin
A light sprinkle of pure icing sugar and the cake is ready for serving
To elevate the cake from 'Afternoon Treat' to 'Dessert' status, serve it warm with fresh mango slices and spiced Greek yoghurt.
Cook’s Notes
Many fruits work well with this recipe - why not substitute berries, pineapple, stewed apple pieces or even strawberry slices.
and why not try different nuts? We recommend pecans or walnuts as suitable alternatives.
For a refreshing touch, serve the warm cake with some spiced Greek yoghurt. Simply mix a few shakes of cinnamon into some Greek yoghurt (buy the best quality yoghurt you can find), and serve the yoghurt on the side (so that the yoghurt keeps its form).
To continue with our Holiday theme, here are some more Festive recipes and Christmas posts that we have selected Just For You!:
How to make our Pineapple Upside Down Cake
How to make our delicious barbecued Red Curry Prawns
How to make our Gingerbread Christmas Tree
The Holiday Season all Wrapped Up - Jakarta Style!
ajb's 2018 Holiday Season Gift Guide
Words: Jo Stevens Photography: a journey bespoke
