Chef notes
My mom was famous for her upside-down pineapple cake, so I took her recipe to the tropics and made it with mango and coconut. Soft, tender and delicate, it's perfect with a nice cup of tea or a cappuccino.
Special equipment: 9-inch spring form pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 2 large mangoes cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups whole milk
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.
2.Combine the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Bring the mixture to a boil until it turns a light amber color. Remove from the heat immediately and carefully pour into the prepared spring form pan.
3.Arrange the mango on top of the syrup in the pan, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top and set aside.
4.Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
5.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add half of the flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Mix in the milk, then add the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
6.Gently spoon the batter over the mango slices and spread evenly. Place the spring form pan on a baking sheet and transfer to a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7.Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside edges of the pan, then place an upside down plate over the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Cool completely on the plate and serve the cake at room temperature.
Courtesy of Casa Marcela by Marcela Valladolid. Copyright © 2017 by Marcela Valladolid. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
