Eggless Mango Mousse Cake
This Sunday is Mother’s day in United states and my home country India. Though UK has mother’s day in the month of March. Well, I don’t cease to be a mother any-day, whether March or May :). So, I baked an Eggless Mango Mousse Cake cake for myself this year since I didn’t do anything earlier. This is an absolute stunning show stopper and has all the goodness of Alphanso Mangos. I have made three variations of this cake but this one is a house favourite. Though I have to confess my children are so health conscious, they don’t over indulge in anything sweet or savoury. So my neighbours and friends are lucky who keep getting my food parcels. I have adopted this recipe from my friend Nisha’s website @myKitchenAntics.
Ever since the beginning of this pandemic there has been a strong shift in the people’s mindset and they have tried to become more self-sufficient. So what is self sufficiency ?
Dictionary.cambridge.org describes self-sufficiency in two ways:
It is a way of getting back to nature and living a more healthier, sustainable and frugal life. It echos with something which my mum always taught me, “self help is the best help”.
Self sufficient living has some key ideas to follow. There is a so stress to follow each snd every pointer as a doctrine but rather minimal changes in trying to achieve some of them.
- Having a life where you are trying to sustain for your own food needs by growing your own fruits and vegetables and increasing the percentage contribution every year.
- Eating seasonal and using the local produce to fulfil your needs. Supporting local farmers and livestock.
- Living off-grid where you manage to contain and produce your energy needs. Like rain water harvesting and using solar panels to compensate for your energy needs. Installing energy meters which monitor your consumption.
- Ability to live by yourself, doing your own cleaning, cooking and mending with minimum use of products and man power.
- Believing in yourself not many consider as a part of self sufficiency but the ability to fend for your own financial needs and emotional needs is also a strong sign of your self sufficiency.
- Non indulgence in extravagance is a tricky topic but when practised leads to a better future and looking for simple joys within your universe without the requirement of material gains to fulfil your happiness.
- For the génoise sponge
- 125g caster sugar
- 3 medium free-range eggs
- 125g plain flour
- 25g butter, melted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Sugar syrup
- Caster sugar- 1/2 cup
- Water- 1/2 cup
- Mango mousse
- Fresh Mango puree and sieved to remove any fibres – 2 cups
- Caster sugar- 1/4 cup
- powdered agar agar gelatin or pork gelatin – 12g
- Warm water- 7 tbsp
- Double cream (whipping cream) – 600ml
- Mango mirror glaze
- Fresh Mango puree and sieved to remove any fibres – 300 ml
- Castor sugar- 2 tbsp use as per your liking
- Powdered gelatin- 6g
- Warm water- 5tbsp
- For the génoise sponge, place the sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick and pale.
- Gently seive in the flour and melted butter and baking powder and fold in with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour it into a prepared 8 inch cake tin or sandwich tin.
- Bake for 20, or until the cakes are risen and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled divide the cake into two halves.
- For the sugar syrup, just stir in the sugar into warm water and set aside. Brush the sugar syrup over the cake to keep it moist.
- For the mouse, mix the mango puree and sugar in a bowl. Mix the gelatin in tepid water and it should never be boiled. Ensure that all the gelatin has dissolved.
- Then whip the cream to soft consistency and then gently fold in the gelatin and mango puree. Until well combined.
- Then take a spring form cake tin and remove the base. Then place it on a baking sheet. At the centre of the tin place the first layer of sponge cake. Then pour over the mousse until 1/2 of the cake tin is filled.
- Follow it with another layer of cake over the mousse to give that beautiful layering inside. Then pour over the remaining mousse and place it in the fridge to set for 2-3 hours. Remmeber to keep atleast 1-2 cm for the mirror glaze to be poured later. I generally wrap it with a clingfilm.
- For the mango mirror glaze, add the mango puree and sugar together in a bowl.
- Mix the gelatin powder with 5 tbsp of hot water. Stir well to dissolve the gelatin completely.
- Add this to the mango puree and mix well.
- Pour over the set mango mousse layer. but make sure you cover the entire top of the mousse.
- Keep in the refrigerator to set for at least 2-3 hours.
- I could be a odd one to eat it with rum and raisin ice-cream but fresh berries and mango slices are equally good as accompaniment.
