THE idea for this recipe came to me several years ago when I had too many ripe mangoes in my fruit basket. The combination of mango with the aromatic cardamom made for a delicious taste-treat dessert. It's an irresistible mixture of flavors and a dessert I'm always eager to prepare and share. A friend is stopping by this afternoon en route to her home in Alexandria, Virginia. I'll accompany warm wedges of cake with steaming cups of tea.
Tidbits for perfection: Plan accordingly, if ripe mangoes aren’t available it can take about 3-4 days to ripen, when ripe, it will yield to slight pressure. If you can’t find a ripe one, place in a paper bag at room temperature until the flesh yields; the ripening process can take several days. To get the flesh of the mango, slice lengthwise on both sides as close to the pit as possible. Crisscross-cut the pulpy side of each piece and then turn inside out by holding each half with both hands and pushing in on the skin side. (Think about turning an orange or lemon wedge inside out.) Once you've got the fruit exposed, cut the mango from the skin. You can get some additional fruit from the top and bottom of the remaining section of mango; the section containing the pit. You probably won’t get much meat, but any additional mango is worth it!
1 cup mango, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup raspberry cranberry juice
Preheat oven to 400°. Generously oil a 10-inch baking dish with canola oil. Distribute mango evenly in the bottom of baking dish and pour raspberry cranberry juice over fruit.
2 eggs, room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Confectioners sugar, optional
In a large bowl, beat eggs and gradually add sugar, beat until well combined. Add vanilla, butter and oil, beat until well combined. Add flour and cardamom, stir until fully blended. Spoon batter over fruit mixture, (fruit will show through in some places, cooking will distribute the batter evenly). Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown and bubbly. Allow cake to cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.
