Mango Bread

For the first time since college, I don't have a digital camera. After I got the new Sony DSLR, I gave my old cameras to my parents, thinking I'd never have a use for them again. But this week I lent my camera to a friend of mine his impending trip to Europe. So I'm faced with a quandary, either post without pictures or *ahem* borrow pictures from elsewhere on the internet. Although I am unabashed in stealing recipes because I don't feel that they fall into the category of intellectual property and should belong to everyone. I do believe that photos are very much, and should be, protected from theivery. So with that said, I have chosen to post someone else's pictures. For the record, they are much better than any pictures I could have taken (although I am working on my snapping skills) and do not belong to me in any way. They are borrowed from Shari Goodman at Whisk: A Food Blog. The bread smells amazing and I hope to post reviews tomorrow.



Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
• 2.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 c diced mango
• 3/4 c moist, plump raisins (soak 10 minutes in hot water to plump up)
• Grated zest of 1/2 lime

Directions

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from overbaking).
2. Whisk the eggs and oil together.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended — the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together. Stir in the mango, raisins, and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake the bread for 1.5 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted ino the center comes out clean. (If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent). I did this at 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Mango Lime Cupcakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

This week's recipe falls clearly into the definition of a cupcake. See, my earlier post on cupcake vs muffin, supra. It has a light cakey texture and is topped with cream cheese and buttercream frosting. This recipe originally called for lime zest and chili powder to be sprinkled on top of the frosting, however I don't think such a combination would be appreciated on the morning of the first work day after a holiday weekend and as such I've omitted those ingredients. I did however add a bit of lime juice to the frosting to give it a little kick. The reason it includes mangoes is because my parents have three mango trees that are absolutely overflowing with produce. If you would like mangoes, drop by our office, I brought in 5 or 6 pounds and will bring more. Reactions tomorrow.



Ingredients

Mango Lime Cupcakes
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup of milk
1 1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
good pinch of salt
1 mango, peeled and chopped
zest of one lime
1 tablespoon of lime juice



Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup of butter (1/2 a stick), room temperature
4 oz of Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature (alternatively, light cream cheese)
2 cups of powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




Directions

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Beat the butter for about 2 minutes until well creamed. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
2. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat for 45 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
3. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder and sift together. Combine the milk, lime zest, and lime juice together. Add some of the flour mixture, then some of the milk, alternating between dry-wet-dry and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix together until just combined.
4. Fold the mango into the batter. Scoop into cupcake papers until almost full.
5. Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Cupcakes will be dense, heavy, and moist. A toothpick should still come out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
6. When cupcakes are cool prepare icing as follows: Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scraped down the sides and bottom (unless you're using a silicone flat beater, in which case you don't have to beat down because it does it for you).
7. Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Add the lime juice vanilla to taste. Spread on cooled cupcakes with a pastry bag. If you want you can add chili powder and strips of lime zest (use a bar zester to get the long strips rather than a microplaner)