Mango Mousse Cake

Mango Mousse Cake

It's going to be Father's day on this Sunday.  Too bad I'm working on every Sunday :( There is no time to bake so I started baking this cake on Thursday night and garnish it on Friday!  I actually got this mango mousse cake recipe from a friend two years ago.  That was the time when she started baking yummy cakes and breads.  One time she had us try her mango mousse cake and I immediately fell in love with her cake!  I asked for the recipe right away but then it seemed too complex for me to do so it has been sitting in my mailbox for the past two years.  Now my baking mode is on and mango is in season, so guess what?  Mango mousse cake, here I'm gonna bake you!    

Instead of following the original recipe exactly to the T, I used cake mix for my cake base.  It's so much easier and simple to do and there is no oil/butter on the cake.  The only fat coming out from this cake is from the mousse only.    

Mango Mousse Cake

(12 servings ~ 285 calories each)

adapted from here

Ingredients:

For cake (makes two 8-inch cake, I only used one 8-inch cake for this recipe and used the rest for petite size desserts later)

1 box Betty Crocker's SuperMoist white cake mix

3 egg whites

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup non-fat sour cream

1 cup water

For Mango Mousse:

17g Gelatin Powder
60g Hot Water

350g Whipping Cream
3 Tbsp Icing Sugar

300g Mango Puree (if refrigerated, bring to room temperature)
1Tbsp Rum

200g to 220g Cubed Mango

For Mango Puree Topping:
150g mango puree (bring to room temperature)
1 Tbsp gelatin
4-1/2 Tbsp boiling water

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease one 8-inch baking pans with cooking spray, set aside. (you may use the leftover batter for another cake or cupcakes)

2) In a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, water, egg whites, applesauce and sour cream in slow speed for 30 seconds then switch to medium speed for 2 minutes. 

3) Pour batter into the baking pan(s).

4) Bake for 29-35 minutes, use a toothpick to check cake, if it comes out clean, it's done.

5) Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan.  Let the cake cool completely prior to frosting with mousse (I left mine in the fridge overnight).  Cut the cake in half horizontally and set aside.

 

Trying to be creative by using cans to make mini cakes

6) In a mixing bowl, whip whipping cream with icing sugar to mousse state. Refrigerate to chill.

7) In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin powder in hot water. When the gelatin powder is fully dissolved, add to mango puree. Add rum to the mixture. Mix well.
8) Add the mango mixture to whipped cream. Mix well till incorporated.

9) Use a 8.5 inch cake ring, place a layer of cake and pour in mango mousse, or use a large piping tip to pipe the mixture. Add mango cubes and cover them with some mousse. Let it slightly set for about 10 minutes in the fridge.

10) Lay another cake layer and pour the remaining mousse. Let it set for 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge.

11) Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in hot water for mango puree topping. Mix in mango puree. Wait till the mousse is set and the topping is cooled, arrange sliced fruits, if using, pour in the topping carefully. Let the cake chill for at least 3 hours before removing the cake ring. Note: I should have put the topping first before decorating with fruits, my cake topping looks uneven :(

Closer view of the mango flowers

A slice of cake, it's very moist!

My creative way of using cans to make cake rings

It was a little struggle to get the cake out but the end result was good :)

More left over cakes for personal size dessert

These turned out better because you can see the layers of cake and mousse

Overall the cake was a hit!  My family loved it :)  My dog got a share of her cake and she was begging for more!  I'm pleased with the result :) Hubby kept on saying, "it's good, it's good..." while eating his cake.  My dog's birthday is coming up!  She loves blueberries!  I'm going to bake a blueberry mousse or cheesecake for her (for us actually :p).  Stay tune! 

Happy baking :)

Pistachios Cranberry Biscotti

Have you tried biscotti?  They are great with coffee and tea.  Most of the biscottis that I have tried from the stores are way too hard.  I always feel like I'm going to break my teeth munching on these.  I guess that's why they are great for coffee, since you have to soften them up by dipping them into some hot beverages.  I made these pistachios cranberry biscottis back in February, when I just started baking.  These turned out pretty chewy, in a good way though.  They are not hard at all, can be eaten by itself or with a cup of hot beverage :) 
 

Pistachios Cranberry Biscotti

(24 servings ~ 103 calories each)

original recipe from allrecipe

Ingredients:

4 tbsp light olive oil

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp orange extract

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp dried cranberries

1 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachio nuts

1 tsp orange zest

(optional):

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

White chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla, almond, and orange extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in orange zest, cranberries, and nuts by hand.               














3) Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily. 
              













4) Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F.
              

5) Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.               

6) Optional: melt chocolate in a small bowl in a microwave.  Dip biscottis with chocolate, sprinkle any toppings as you like. 

Enjoy!

Ham and corn buns

We're going to visit my uncle tomorrow for a little family lunch gathering.  My cousin has requested some baked goodies a few weeks ago after seeing some of my posts on Facebook.  So I decided to bake some buns :)  Simple, fresh, and yummy!

Ham and Corn Buns

(12 Servings ~ 165 calories each)

Ingredients:

Basic white bread dough (recipe) from my other post

1/2 can of yellow corn

3 slices of chopped ham

1 tbsp light mayo

pinch of pepper

pinch of dried basil

Directions:

1) Prepare basic white bread dough with a bread machine.

2) After the dough cycle is completed, punch dough, then divide dough into 12 pieces and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rest for 15 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, prepare the bun fillings by chopping the ham into pieces, mix in yellow corn, light mayo, pepper and dried basil and set aside.

4) Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.  Put about 1 tbsp of the filling, then wrap it up. 

5) Place the filled dough on baking paper, round side up, cover with plastic wrap and let it raise for another 30-40 minutes or until doubled.

6) Preheat oven to 375F.

7) Prepare egg wash by mixing 1 tbsp of water with 1 egg yolk (optional).  Brush egg wash on top of the buns right before you put them in the oven.

8) Bake at 375F for 13-17 minutes until golden brown.

Look at how fluffy the bread is!



Bringing these to my uncle and cousin :)

Enjoy!

  

Eggplant tomato bake

Besides desserts and sweets, I bake savory foods, too!  This is one of the earlier recipes that I tried at the beginning of my "baking life".  It's very simple and healthy.  You should try it too :)

Eggplant Tomato Bake
adopted from allrecipe
(4-5 servings ~ 50 calories each)

Ingredients:
1/2 eggplant, sliced into 4-5, 1/2 inch rounds
1 fresh medium sized tomato, sliced
1-2 slices of red onion
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/8-1/4 cup Mozzarella 2% reduced fat cheese
pinch of dried basil
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of pepper
pinch of garlic salt


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 F.

2) Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spray it with non-stick oil spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on the cookie sheet and sprinkle dried basil, oregano, pepper, and garlic salt on the eggplant.










3) Layer fresh spinach on top of each eggplant round.












4) Then layer the red onion slices.













5) Layer one slice of tomato on top of the red onion. Sprinkle with cheese on top.    










           

6) Bake for 20 minutes.               












Low fat and healthy, great for all ages!  :)

Nutella cookies

Nutella Nutella Nutella...

The wonderful taste of Nutella
Chocolate - hazelnut yummy spread
It's great alone or on toasts and crepes 
=)
A friend of mine just recently discovered the wonders of Nutella.  It's her birthday tomorrow so I want to bake some Nutella goodies for her.  Cookies would be great! 

Nutella cookies
adopted from allrecipes
(20 servings ~ 90 calories each)

Ingredients:

1 cup reduced fat graham cracker crumbs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Nutella spread

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F

2) Prepare graham crackers crumbs. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; add the egg, vanilla, and Nutella spread and mix by a spoon until well blended. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart (they spread a lot due to the fact that Nutella has a lot of oil in it. So make sure you put them at least 2 inches apart or they would stick together like mine did).             

3) Bake in the preheated oven until crispy on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes.  Allow to rest on cookie sheet a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool.

Happy birthday kiddo Liz!

:)