Vanilla Mango Layer Cake

Ok, so… I’m back home from London for just under 36 hours before taking for the U.S. again.  We have another kid graduating from university – that’s worth suiting up and showing up.  This guy has earned a double major:  Philosophy and Russian.  Naturally that means he’s found a job working as a web developer in San Francisco.  We couldn’t be more excited for him.

About a cake… with so little time it would make sense to not have a cake to blog about.  But I haven’t baked in a week and was feeling a bit ansy.

I wanted to work with strawberries and vanilla, but as luck would have it… I arrived home on Easter Sunday (no stores open) and Easter Monday is also a holiday in Germany (stores still not open).  This means, I had to use what was in the house.

Thank goodness there were eggs!  And milk and frozen mango chunks.

I followed my White Cake recipe and added 1T clear vanilla instead of the vanilla and almond extracts called for in the recipe.

When it came to decorating, I wanted to have a white, peach, golden look to the slice.  But the peach color looks more pink and I’m not happy with the results.  I’m thinking next time, I’ll keep the buttercream white and only use the mango curd as an interior color.

This ‘cake plate’ is a vintage Fiesta Ware yellow luncheon plate .

Speaking of the Mango Curd – this recipe is a champ.  I love it and it’s simple.  Also, it was a perfect way to use up the egg yolks leftover from the White Cake.

I doweled this cake to keep the layers sturdy.  A single bubble tea straw down the center was just the ticket.

Keeping the look simple sounded like a good idea.  I covered the entire cake with vanilla buttercream.  When happy with the sides and top, I gently  swiped upwards with my off-set spatula from the base of the cake to the top.  The uneven vertical lines have a lovely effect.

The mango curd was spooned onto the top.  I contemplated toasted coconut for an additional garnish, but ultimately decided not to.  Next time for sure it’ll make it onto the finished cake.

After getting a slice for a snapshot, my life partner and I took this cake to a dear friend who recently was involved in a serious mountain cycling accident and is recovering a home following a stay in the hospital.  Cake has healing properties; we’re doing our part.

I’m crazy grateful for my life partner and his ongoing love and support.  I miss him terribly when either of us travel.