Easy Mango Tea Cake

Mangoes in the fall?? Well, this friends and family favorite is made out of canned Indian mango puree. This super easy to make dessert can be served as a cake, tea bread, or Indian dessert barfi (a geometrical shaped, often square or rectangular, sweet usually made with milk).

Where can I find mangoes in the fall?

Fruits and vegetables offer the best taste and nutrition when fresh and in the season. However, even when mangoes are in season, we the natives of upstate New York are unable to find sweet mangoes that can be turned into a scrumptious cake. I grew up in India where different varieties of mangoes was often served as dessert during the summer months. I haven't really found such sweet mangoes anywhere in the world--at least in places where ever I have traveled to. More than a decade ago,  I started making this mango cake with the pulp of Indian mangoes available in Indian grocery stores to commemorate the Indian mangoes. Ever since, it has stayed as an infrequent dessert that comes super handy if I am taking a dessert to a potluck party or during festivals, like Diwali this week.

I have tried this recipe with frozen, thawed, pureed mangoes as well, but it doesn't taste as good as the "Kesar" mango pulp (no brand affiliation). Indian mango pulp is available in most Indian stores, a few regular grocery stores, and on Amazon.

Tea cake, cake, and barfi variations

I almost always make this in the tea cake form, which requires less oil and sugar, compared to the cake and barfi version--both of which use more sugar and oil. In the cake/teacake version I have used ground cinnamon while in making barfi, I have replaced cinnamon with slightly less amount of ground cardamom. A spice that shows up quite often in Indian sweets. This tea cake tastes really good with Almond whipped cream.

 Storing the tea cake

Store the leftover pieces in refrigerator in  an airtight container. You can enjoy this cake out of refrigerator for 4-5 days. Just reheat the cake either in a microwave (20 seconds) or toaster over (preferred, for about ~2 minutes).

Step-by-step recipe of Easy Mango Tea Cake

Here is the step-by-step recipe of the easy mango tea cake with variations. Please leave a comment if you try it out.

Mango Tea Cake (with Barfi Variation)

This super easy to make scrumptious mango dessert can be served as a tea cake, regular cake, or Indian dessert Barfi.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 29 mins

Resting time 10 mins

Course Dessert

Servings 16

Calories 79 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup cream of wheat* (preferably fine variety or any other)
• 1/4 cup Almond flour (can replace with cream of wheat)
• 1.25 cups+2 tbsp Mango Puree ( used in this recipe--Kesar Mango Pulp)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or sub with any other oil except olive oil)
• 1/3 cup acoconut nut palm sugar (or replace with equal amount white or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds** (flax meal)
• 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded dried coconut (can replace with equal amount fresh, optional)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (optional)
• 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded dried coconut (for topping)

Instructions

 

• Start out by pre-heating oven to 375°F (190°C). Also prepare an 8"x8" pan by smearing a teaspoon of oil. You can also use parchment paper cut to the size of the pan to prevent sticking.
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a wide-mouth bowl--cream of wheat, almond flour (if using), baking powder, ground flaxseeds, coconut palm sugar, and unsweetened shredded dried coconut. Stir the mix with a whisk. If using freshly grated coconut, add that to the wet ingredients.
• Mix all the wet ingredients in a big measuring cup or bowl--mango puree and avocado oil--and stir with a whisk. If using fresh coconut, add that to the wet ingredients.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a whisk until well mixed. Don't over mix. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.
• Add the cake mixture to the pre-prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick or fork toward the end of baking period ~30 minutes. If the fork/toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Turn the pan upside down and lightly tap the backside to transfer the cake from pan to the cooling rack.
  
• Cut it into 16, 2"x2" pieces. Make sure that the cake is completely cool before cutting. Enjoy with the almond whipped cream.

Notes

*Cream of wheat comes in two varieties--fine and coarse. The fine variety works better for this cake. I have tried this with the coarse variety as well, and in the absence of fine variety it works. 

**If not on hand, you can omit ground flaxseed, but the cake textures becomes slightly crumbly. 

To make the Barfi Variation

• • Reduce mango puree by 2 tbsp and increase oil by equal amount--2 tbsp. 
  • Replace cinnamon with 3/4 tsp ground cardamom powder. 
  • Increase sugar to 1/2 cup, if you like desserts on the sweeter side. 

To make the richer cake variation

• • This is a slightly richer version of the tea cake--reduce the mango puree by 2 tbsp and increase oil by equal amount--2 tbsp.
  • Increase sugar to 1/2 cup, if you like desserts on the sweeter side. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1PieceCalories: 79kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 18mgPotassium: 57mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!