Mango Upside Down Cake
When you are “in touch” with your taste buds as I believe that I am, I can explain why I dislike certain foods/tastes and why I am drawn to others. My attachment for mangoes has one such explanation: The winter that our youngest was 6 months old, our oldest had suffered a catastrophic illness and our son was a going- concern, we were given an all expense trip to Hawaii. We could not believe this blessing-a time to be a couple again as opposed to round the clock care-givers. We loved the people of Kona, the typography of the Big Island, their coffee, macadamia nuts, pineapple AND my first taste of mango. So even though I crave the taste of bowl-ripened pears and tart Mac apples, mangoes are my favourite fruit not only because of the taste but my entire mango experience. Now you either get this or you don’t….
I always have a bag of mangoes in my freezer. I plop mango chunks onto cottage cheese for a healthy breakfast or into a chicken wrap or salad for lunch. In a pinch they are ready to build a fast dessert around. Such was the case this past Friday when we were hosting our monthly young families’ group. Daughter #2 had made pumpkin cookies for the kids but I wanted a dessert that the parents could linger with over coffee.
Ta da-Mango Upside Down Cake was born! I sauteed 1/2 c of brown sugar with a 1/2 c of butter over medium heat until the mixture started to caramelize then I added a bag of defrosted mangoes. I poured this into the bottom of a buttered 9 x 12 baking pan and then made up a yellow cake mix according to package directions and poured it over top. I shook the pan to evenly distribute the batter and then baked it (also according to package directions).
When I pulled it out of the oven, I immediately ran a knife around the edges and placed a platter of equal size as the baking pan over the cake. I then turned it upside down and voila. I intended to serve it with a cappuccino ice cream but was distracted by the gaggle of kids that D had already escorted downstairs for play time.
Kath’s quote: “The appetite is sharpened by the first bites.”-Jose Rizal
