Vegan mango cake or cupcakes

Mango mania! I discovered the recipe for this cake a while ago but somehow never got round to baking it. This week I asked my mum to buy a couple of tins of mango puree and oh my god the cake was simply divine! Why oh why did I wait so long to bake it? It was devoured within a couple of day so of course I had to make more, but the second time round I made cupcakes instead. They of course turned out just as yummy, as I'm sure the other students on my will attest to. I took some cupcakes with me to celebrate the last day of our last attachment ever earlier this week :D

Makes 1 cake (8-12 slices) or 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 1/2 cups mango puree (you can use fresh mangoes, it takes 4-5, or use tinned mango puree like I did)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar (double if using fresh mangoes - the tinned mango is sweetened)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a 8 inch cake tin with grease proof paper. If you want to make cupcakes instead, line a muffin tin with cupcake cups.
2. In a bowl sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the cardamom and mix until blended.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the mango, oil, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the flour a little at a time and stir until just combined.
4. To make a cake pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. To make cupcakes divide the batter into the 12 cupcake cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cold, yummy either way!

Original recipe: Eggless mango cake

Taste of the tropics vegan smoothie

This my first variation on the 'Pretty in purple' smoothie. All I did was substitute the berries for equal amounts of mango and pineapple. I also used only one banana because the first time I tried it I felt that the banana was too overpowering. Now the flavour is just right!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup rolled oats

3 cups soya milk

2 cups mango pieces (fresh or frozen)

2 cups pineapple pieces (fresh or frozen)

1 banana

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp honey (or agave nectar/ maple syrup)

Method

1. Add the soya milk to the oats and allow to soak in the fridge overnight (though I only soaked them for a couple of hours out of the fridge so it was slightly warmer and therefore faster).
2. Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until mostly smooth, and it's ready to serve!

Original recipe: Pretty in purple smoothie

Week 1 Dish 2: Ultimate vegan mango and coconut muffins

This recipe is actually one of the MOST DELICIOUS things I have EVER baked. I cannot even describe the heavenly smell in my kitchen right now, let alone the taste of these gorgeous muffins. Please make these before mango season finishes, or you are missing out! Inspiration for this recipe was that I needed something amazing to eat while watching The Great British Bake Off.

 

Makes 10 muffins
Ingredients
250 g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp linseed meal (ground linseeds - I bought whole linseeds from asda and ground them myself. Also know as flaxseed and available from Hollan and Barret too [but more expensive there])
55 g desiccated coconut, plus extra for topping
125 g caster sugar
1/3 tsp ground cardamom
175 ml soya milk
5 tbsp rapeseed oil (you can also use canola oil - I think they are more or less the same thing)
250 g fresh, ripe mango, chopped
Method

1. Preheat oven to 190° and place 10 muffin cases in a muffin tray.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.Mix in the linseed meal, coconut, cardamom and sugar.
3. Whisk together the soya milk and oil and stir into the mixture, adding the mango at the same time. Do not over-mix, only mix until just combined.
4. Share the mix equally between the 10 muffin cases and sprinkle each with coconut. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tray.

Original recipe from Vegan 100 everyday recipes by Parragon books.