Mango Meringue Cream

I find it impossible to walk by ripe mangoes at the market without grabbing a few… And these exceedingly juicy and wonderful fragrant mangoes make fabulous easy desserts like mango mousse, fruit salads, sorbets and upside-down cakes and I hope I have inspired you to make some of my favorite mango recipes over the past one year. Today’s recipe is another perfect summer recipe which you can make at the last minute if you have the ingredients bought and kept ready. Mango Meringue Cream is one of my favorite weeknight summer dessert when you are yearning for that touch of sweetness. And it’s beautiful to serve in pretty glasses and easy to impress anyone!

Ingredients:

Whipped cream:  1 1/2 cup

2 large ripe Mangoes to make puree

Chopped Mango for Garnish: 1 medium

Store bought Meringue (else you can make mini ones if you have time) – 1 big one or a couple of small ones

Chocolate for garnish

Method:

1. Peel the large mangoes and cube and puree it in food processor until smooth.

2. Beat the whipping cream and keep it ready.

3. Crush the meringue into pieces and add it to the whipped cream.

4. Layer the serving glassed with mango puree on the bottom, then a layer of whipped meringue cream and garnish it with cubed mangoes and chocolate. I used McVites Digestive nibbles for garnish as well.

It’s that simple and hassle free!!! And you can also improvise this recipe adding your own flavours like coconut or granola or nuts… possibilities are endless! I would love to hear if you loved this recipe.

Above pictures are copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations

Mango Cheesecake

I am bringing the mango series to an end with Mango no bake Cheesecake before I take a short break but my love affair with mangoes will continue… as I get my freezer stocked up with mango puree!! Yaay!! I am so glad I got to experiment and celebrate summer with mangoes. So here is another no fuss, no bake, easy recipe for you to try … the result is an exotic tropical cheesecake.. its creamy, tangy and smooth. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

Base:

Digestive Biscuits crushed 150gm
Unsalted Butter 75gm

Sugar 3tblsp

Filling:

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 250 gm
Mango pulp half cup
Castor Sugar – ½ cup (add more if needed)
Whipped cream – ½ cup (already whipped)
Gelatin – mix 2 tsp powder mixed with 1 tblsp warm water and set it aside (If you are a vegetarian, please use China grass or Agar Agar powder as its a plant based thickner, and check my notes below)
Mango Puree – ½ cup to ¾ cup

Loose bottomed cake tin

Method:

1.     In a food processor blitz the biscuits and then add the butter till all the crumbs are coated with butter. Spoon the crumbs in to the spring pan cake tin and press down and refrigerate it while you make the filling.

2.     In a large bowl beat the cream cheese till creamy. Then add sugar and whipped cream and beat again until its combined well.

3.     Add mango pulp and beat again just for a few seconds. Do not mix too much else the cream mixture will split. If needed add more sugar depending on your sweet tooth! Then add gelatin and mix to combine. Please make sure the gelatin is cool before combining.

 Pour this cream mixture into the refrigerated biscuit base and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set before serving.

     Garnish with whipped cream or chopped mangoes and sprigs of fresh mint or basil.

Notes & Tips:

If you are a vegetarian or don’t want to use gelatin, you can use agar agar powder or China grass powder. It’s a plant-based thickener that works the same way as gelatin. You can find it in Asian stores and most supermarkets in India sell these in powder form or in strips. If you are using strips, dissolve 5gm in 2-3 tbsp hot water until completely dissolved and use in the above recipe. 

·         Cream cheese must always be in room temperature

·         This is a dessert you can bake way ahead.

·         You can substitute sugar and whipped cream with condensed milk.

All images are copyright Tickled by Inspirations

Mango Pavlova - a summer showstopper dessert

Pavlova is my favorite dessert to make during summer. It just needs a few basic ingredients and you can prepare it in advance. Its light, sweet, topped with a cloud of whipped cream and seasonal fruits of your choice, satisfying in terms of texture and definitely a show stopper. I made this as a birthday cake for an amazing dancing girl who is a Pavlova lover and who loves mangoes. So if you are mango fanatic like me, here is the recipe for Mango Pavlova, or rather pillowy clouds of heaven!! If you make this recipe, please share it on instagram with the hashtags #tickledbyinspirations, #mangoseries … I would love to see how it turns out. 

Serves 10 to 12

Recipe is adapted from Food Network. Click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients

·                     4 large egg whites (room temperature)

·                     Pinch of salt

·                     1 cup sugar

·                     2 teaspoons corn flour

·                     1 teaspoon white vinegar

·                     1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·                     Mango - 2 nos. (chopped)

·                     Kiwi - 2 nos. (chopped)

·                     Mango Puree

·                     1 cup cold whipped cream (already prepared)

·                     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F.

Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking pan. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper, using a 9-inch plate as a guide, and then turn the paper over so the circle is on the reverse side. (This way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue.)

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl and beat it on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. Then slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the corn flour onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the baking paper and smooth it within the circle, making a rough disk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I baked two smaller ones to sandwich both with whipped cream. So my meringue turned out thinner.

Invert the meringue disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with sweetened whipped cream. Then spread the mango puree gently on top. Be generous with it! Then sprinkle chopped mangoes and kiwi on top, leaving a border of cream and meringue. Serve immediately as it will not last long and can get soggy.

Tips

·         To save time make the mango puree the previous day.

·         You can even bake the meringue the previous day and store it in a airtight container.

·         Use fruits of your choice to combine with mangoes… sliced bananas or passion fruit.

Above images are copyrighted by Tickled by Inspirations

Mango Mousse, a quick and cheat recipe!

I am so glad I started the mango series recipes because I got to experiment, taste and enjoy each recipe… and I am overwhelmed with all the response. Today’s recipe, Mango Mousse, is rather a cheat recipe because I didn’t use egg whites. It’s just whipped cream, coconut cream and gelatin to set. You will end up having a silky smooth texture and full of flavor. Its quick to make if you have last minute guests! Have a look at the recipe and tell me what you think. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

Mango puree of 2 mangoes

Whipped cream – 1 ½ cup

Coconut cream – 4 tblsp

Gelatin – 3 tsp mixed with 2 tblsp of hot water and keep it aside                         

Castor sugar – 1/4^th cup to ½ cup, as per your taste

Vanilla extract – ½ tsp.

Method

      1.       Whip the cream with castor sugar and coconut cream.

2.       Add the gelatin, mango puree and vanilla extract and beat well till all the ingredients are incorporated.

3.       Pour the mango mousse in to serving glasses and let it set in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

4.       Garnish it with whipped cream or chopped mangoes and serve it chilled.

All the above pictures are copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations

Mango Cake, a perfect dessert for summer

A new week and a new recipe for the mango series!!

Every now and then we are reminded how precious our life is… our life is short… live it each day like you want to… if there is someone you need to forgive, just do it… if there is anyone you need to apologize, don’t wait because you do not know if you will be able to…. If you feel like calling up someone to talk then just pick up the phone and call … there is absolutely no point in postponing things. You never know if tomorrow will come. I lost a friend 2 days back whose life ended abruptly. I do regret that I couldn’t talk to her much and kept postponing our conversation. This is also a time for me to be grateful for a lot of things. And on this note let’s move on to today’s recipe.

It’s another perfect summer dessert…. Mango cake is a fresh, light and summery that needs a little bit of organizing for the recipe but not hard to follow. The combination of mango puree, whipped cream, fresh mangoes on top of a cake can beat any summer. You can make the sponge cake the previous day and assemble it later. I was happy I could try this out with friends who are my food critic or more like guinea pigs! I am blessed!!

So here is the recipe for the Mango cake.

Serves – 8 to 10

Ingredients

Egg – 4

Powdered sugar – 115gm

Flour – 85gm

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Hot water – 1½ tblsp water

Vanilla Essence – 1 ½ tsp

Whipped cream –  1 ½ cup (already whipped and ready)

Fresh Mangoes – 1 cup (small cubes)

Mango juice – ½ cup

Toasted coconut or muesli or granola for garnish

A couple of mint leaves or basil for garnish                  

Method

1.       Separate white and yellow of egg.

2.       Whip egg whites with electric beater till stiff and then add sugar gradually till all the sugar is added up.

3.       Add the yolks to the egg white mixture and beat well. Then add Vanilla essence and blend it well.

4.       Gradually add boiling water to the egg mixture while beating it. Whip it till the mixture is thick, frothy and three times in volume.

5.       Sift flour with baking powder. Fold this flour mixture with a spoon (not using the electric beater) adding half of it at a time to the egg mixture.

6.       Pour this batter in a greased 9 inch diameter and bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes at 180C till the cake feels like spring when you touch and leaves the sides.

7.       Cool the cake after it is baked. Then halve it across to sandwich the frosting.

8.       Pour mango juice lightly over the cake.

9.       Then apply mango puree generously on one side of the cake (I wasn't so generous!), then layer whipped cream on top of puree with a spatula. Then sprinkle chopped mangoes on the cream and sprinkle muesli or toasted coconut.

10.   Top this with the other half of the cake. And spread whipped cream on top and sides if you wish. Arrange chopped mangoes on it as garnish. And sprinkle muesli and mint leaves before serving.

Tips

1.       Add coconut cream to the whipped cream if you like coconut flavor.

I hope you get to make this and I would love to hear your reviews. And if you have any other variations to this cake, let me know. Enjoy your summer with this mango cake!

Above pictures are copyright Tickled by Inspirations