Milky Mango Tango
the perfect summer cookout cake
We’re wrapping up our Summer Cookout Series so y’all know what that means: dessert. I’m not a gifted baker, so any sweet you see me whip up in the kitchen has been a labor. This one is no different. My first attempt had a weird skin from overzealous agar use. ‘Twas a mess. I’ve mixed, burnt, frosted, and drizzled this cake ten thousand ways over the last several weeks and I’ve FINALLY got it to taste exactly how I wanted. But before we get to that let’s look back at the recipes we’ve worked on together to make your next summer cookout a success.
Let’s not forget all the great recipes for the summer from last year either. There’s Charred Cabbage and Lime Slaw, Cherry Grenadine for Shirley Temples, and a Fire Season Sunrise to slurp on. You’ve got options, now all you need is to convince someone else to handle the dishes.
Back in the kitchen, we’re whipping up a Fresh Mango Tres Leches Cake. This cake is wonderful all by itself if you don’t wanna go full leche with it but you absolutely should at least once. If you’ve an avid baker, you’ll notice I’ve fucked around with the typical order of things. Instead of creaming the nondairy butter and sugar together first, I’ve mixed all the dry ingredients and the sugar together then added the softened butter.
This method is called reverse-creaming and is now officially my favorite way to make a cake. According to the folks over at King Arthur, the reason this method makes such a tender, yet sturdy crumb is because the flour gets coated in fat before it comes into any contact with liquid. This means that the amount of gluten that can develop in the batter is limited and you don’t run the risk of overmixing. Thank fucking god. It also better mimics the boxed cake mixes we all grew up on and loved. Those premade mixes, as explained by Emma Laperruque, have fat already emulsified into the flour mixture which helps them come out moist every single time. Who knew?
I personally love mango for this cake but you could sub in peaches or even strawberries instead. Just pick something that makes sense, not whole grapes or something weird. Have some sense and this cake won’t fail you or your cookout.
Fresh Mango Tres Leches
Makes one 9 by 13 cake, enough for at least 12 people
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup potato starch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup cane sugar
1 stick nondairy butter, 8 tablespoons, softened
2 cups nondairy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Milk Mixture
1 cup sweetened condensed oat or coconut milk*
1 ¾ cups evaporated oat or coconut milk or one 12.2 oz can*
½ cup nondairy creamer or milk
Nondairy whipped cream and 2 fresh mango, chopped to top
Warm up your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
In the bowl of your stand mixer or a big bowl, mix together the flour, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cane sugar. Cut up the softened butter into clumps about the size of a nickel and mix it into the flour until it looks sort of sandy and there aren’t any more big chunks of butter. In a large glass mix together the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and apple cider vinegar. Stir this into the flour mixture until there are no dry spots and you’ve got a relatively smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and stick it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before adding the milk mixture.
In a bowl or large glass, mix the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and creamer together. These are the famous three milks. Take a fork and poke holes down to the bottom of the cake every couple inches. This will help all that flavor soak in so don’t be shy. Poke or stab the fuck out of it. You could use the release. Now, pour half of the milk mixture over the cake and spread it over the top a couple times using a brush or spatula to help it absorb into the holes. This will look like a ton of milk that couldn't possibly absorb into the cake. You are wrong, trust the process. Stick this in the fridge and let it chill for at least an hour and then pour the rest of the milk mixture over. Now let this chill for a bit or up to overnight. Milk pooling at the bottom is totally ok. It’s supposed to be MOIST.
Once the cake has chilled, cover the top with whipped coconut cream (like the recipe in our first book) or store bought. Slice up the mango or your favorite fruit and dollop it every couple inches. Serve chilled.
*These products are increasingly common on the baking aisle next to the dairy condensed milk or near the canned coconut milk.
Thanks for joining us here every week. It means so much.
I am a baker and I totally appreciate how fussy baking can be. Reading the recipe, this cake sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing this gem!
Dropping knowledge again. "Coat the flour with fat before it comes into contact with liquid"
Thank you for the recipes and for teaching me!