It's halfway through to winter in this part of the Southern Hemisphere, and I'm dreaming of tropical places. I miss my home country during this time especially when family and friends have just gone back from their summer outings and post drool-worthy photos online. Sigh.
Personally, the only upside of winter is wearing boots, scarfs and jackets. I just love wearing them. And since I come from the tropics, winters always leave me cold even with the slightest dip in temperature. I'd be walking around with the complete package while some people in the shops are simply wearing T-shirts and thongs. Seriously. It's winter people! Gear up! I found this article in the SMH back in May which I support completely. Dress for the winter cold!
And while some of us can only dream of warm sunny skies and tropical escapes, here's a summer inspiration for those in the Northern Hemisphere who have access to some fresh ripe mangoes at this time. And if you're really keen, keep this somewhere and make it when its summer at your place.
This is a mango torte that's famous in the Philippines. You'd see these at specialty cake shops like Dulcelin Gourmet and Cuerva Bakeshop among a few. Original mango tortes sold in Manila are made of a cashew-meringue base and topped with buttercream. I made this version very light using creme chantilly (whipped cream with icing sugar) spread around the base and piped in between the mango balls, instead of a basic buttercream. The base is a recipe for a classic dacqouise which I made for my version of the sans rival for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop in March last year, but substituted the almond meal with hazelnut meal.
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| Whip egg whites to stiffness. A beautiful sight! |
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| Fold through the 110g ground hazelnut (hazelnut meal) |
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| Pipe two 20cm rounds onto a baking sheet with baking paper. Left overs are piped into small rounds, for sampling and testing. Bake at 100*C for 1 hour and 15 minutes. |
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| Mangoes are scooped with a melon baller. Sweet! |
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| They look really fancy, schmancy.... |
To make this hazelnut torte, you'll need:
3-4 fresh mangoes
Using a melon baller, scoop out balls from fresh mangoes and set aside.
Assemble the torte.
Place your dacquoise on a round tray. Spread some creme chantilly on top, then layer the other round dacquoise and spread some more creme chantilly.
Place the mango balls on the top.
Using a piping bag with star tip, pipe the creme chatilly in between the mango balls and around the torte.
Serve immediately.
Tips:
* If you can make the base as thin as you can, the crispier and crunchier it will be as a base. Make sure to keep the dacqoise in an airtight container when making a day ahead.
* Because this is a meringue-nut base torte, using whipped cream for the topping will moisten the base so it's advisable to assemble the cake a few minutes before serving. Otherwise, susbtitute the topping with your favourite buttercream recipe.
* When making creme chantilly (or whipped cream), make sure your mixing bowl is cold. Keep it in the fridge for half an hour before you start whipping. You can add as much icing sugar as you want (I usually just use 25 grams - not too sweet). You can also opt not to flavour the whipped cream with vanilla. Its up to you.
* When making creme chantilly (or whipped cream), make sure your mixing bowl is cold. Keep it in the fridge for half an hour before you start whipping. You can add as much icing sugar as you want (I usually just use 25 grams - not too sweet). You can also opt not to flavour the whipped cream with vanilla. Its up to you.
PS - I have made this recipe many times during the summer but have only recently been able to clean up photos and files. Been fighting the monkey mind mode for some time. Thanks to Chari-G from My Glory Box for the inspiration and pushing me once in awhile from my lazy mode. xx
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