This is the second fusion cake in a long list of cakes that have been tried and tested at home. It was mango season here in California and mangoes always remind me of the huge tree back home and all those yummy mangoes that one could pluck at arm’s reach. What better dessert than mango kulfi to savor the season ? Yet another experiment with eggless and fusion baking.
The cake is a Kesar mango kulfi mousse resting on an almond-pistachio-cardamom base and topped with a layer of mango jelly 😃
INGREDIENTS
For the Pistachio Cake
All-purpose flour - 2 ¼ cups
Sugar – ¼ cup
Powdered Pistachios – ½ cup
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Butter – 8tbsp (1 stick)
Vanilla essence – 1 tbsp
Condensed Milk – 1 can (14oz)
Milk – ½ cup
Vinegar – 2tsp
Plain Soda – ½ cup
Cardamom powder – 1tsp
For the mango mousse
Mango puree – 4 cups
Gelatin / Agar – 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Saffron – 3 pinches
Condensed milk – 4tbsp
Heavy cream – ¼ cup
For the mango jelly
Mango juice – ½ cup
Gelatin / Agar – 1tsp
Saffron – to decorate
PREPARATION
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
2. In a bowl , add the butter and the sugar. Cream them until soft and fluffy. Add in the condensed milk and combine well.
3. Add the vinegar to the milk and then add this whole mix along with vanilla essence to condensed milk mixture.
4. Add the flour in parts to this mixture and combine well. Pour the club soda to the batter and fold well. Do not overmix the batter at this stage.
5. Preheat the oven to 340F and bake for around 20-24 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool the cake on a wire rack.
7. To prepare the mango kulfi mousse , mix mango puree , condensed milk and heavy cream in a saucepan. Bring it to a gentle boil and then add in the cardamom and some water. Cool the mixture to room temperature and add in the saffron.
8. Bloom gelatin in cold water for 5-10 minutes. Heat this mixture until the gelatin dissolves completely and add it to the mango mixture. Pour the mousse on top of the cake and refrigerate overnight to set.
9. To prepare the mango jelly , bloom gelatin in cold water and heat until all gelatin dissolves. Add it to the mango juice (which should be strained twice to get a clear liquid). Pour on top of the set cake and embed saffron strands into it. Allow to set until the jelly cools.
