Mango & Cardamom Cake (using ready made mango pulp)

Mango - the king of fruits. And if its the Alphonso mango............ well, then you know you have hit the jackpot.

Mango season in India is like a festival. These mangoes are expensive in Bombay and other citis and in those beautiful coastal villages where my ancestors hailed from - mangoes grow in abundance. Alphonso mango is grown in Ratnagiri and the surrounding areas.
Mango season is a family event - and every family makes it special in their own way. My mother used to make fresh mango pulp by grinding the pulp and adding sugar to it and then bringing it to a boil and preserving it in glass bottles which were frozen in the freezer. This way we enjpyed Alphanso mangoes all year through.

Nine years ago I moved to the United States with my husband. I have not tasted an Alphonso mango or any Indian mango for that period of time. I have eaten those Mexican mangoes - but, they are not like the Alphonso or the Kesari that we get back home. I remember the other varieties too. In our native village it was the most amazing ishad mango and then my aunt had a mango tree in her yard which grew the most sweetest mangoes called 'got'.

Well - thats the mango saga from back home in India. Here we do get mango slices at the Indian store. They are the frozen ones and are good for making mango milkshakes, mango lassis and even mango shrikhand (amrakhand).

I always have a can of mango pulp at home. At times I do not get those fresh mango slices and that's when this comes in handy. It is loaded with sugar I know - but, having one handy always helps. Below are the two pulps that I have in my pantry.
Both images were sourced from the net (I just did a google image search for mango pulp cans) 

I had opened one can and had some of the unused pulp inside

my fridge. Had to use it up before it got bad. So, finally gave in and made the mango cake. I have not been a fan of fruit cakes ever (except the banana bread) as these cakes turn a bit dense. But, I was pleasantly surprised at how this cake came out spongy and moist and had the right amount of spring to it. The addition of cardamom took it to a whole different level. The beautiful golden hue on the cake is what spring and summer are made of............. yes, we need that here. These below freezing temperatures are kinda getting annoying now.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 cup mango pulp
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp cardamom powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cake pan - I used a bundt pan. But, you could use a 9X13 (inch) baking pan. Or you could even get 20 to 24 cupcakes out of it.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder and salt and keep it aside.
In a mixing bowl - beat the eggs till they are nice and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix well till it gets dissolved. Add the melted butter (make sure it is not hot) and milk and mix well for about 5 minutes. Now add the mango pulp and fold the mixture lightly till everything is integrated.
Add the flour mixture and fold it in using a ladle. Mix it well till no lumps can be seen. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour it into the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. After 30 minutes check to see the doneness using a toothpick. Insert the toothpick in the middle of the cake and remove - if its clean, its done - else let it bake for another 5 minutes before checking.
For cupcakes the baking time will be in between 8 to 12 minutes.
Remove onto a cooling rack and cut after its cooled down.