Yellow Cake with Mango Cream Cheese Frosting

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Today's my birthday and the first step towards the descent into latter half of my 20s. Not to be completely cliche, but where does the time go? Sometimes I feel the days and weeks are in time warp mode. Time to heed the advice of the great philosopher Ferris Bueller... Time to slow down and take a look around, or else I may miss something.

Regardless, it was a regular, low-key Saturday for us. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Kruse and Muer on Main last night, and today I puttered around the kitchen while Gabe worked his way through some homework. Only a few more days and he'll have completed his Master's degree. No small feat, especially when working full time as well. Certainly, a good reason for him to be proud of himself and his accomplishments.

Of course, no birthday is complete without some kind of sweet treat. I wanted to venture on the road less traveled, and try my hand at something non-chocolately. A travesty to some, I know; however, nothing ventured nothing gained. [...] Right?!?


















So the result? A moist yellow cake (via Crepes of Wrath) with mango cream cheese frosting. A fun dessert to make and eat, although I wish the mango flavor would have shone a little brighter. Perhaps I need to purchase some mango extract to help the fresh mango puree along just a touch.

Here's to 26 being my best year yet!

Ingredients
1 c. + 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg

1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks
1 1/2 Tbs. white sugar
1 tsp. lime juice

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/4 c. mango puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 c. powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8-inch square pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to incorporate. Add shortening, buttermilk, vanilla and egg. Beat until thoroughly combined, but do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To make mango puree, combine chopped mango, sugar and lime juice in a food processor. Pulse until fully pureed.

To make the frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, 1/4 c. mango puree and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat until fully incorporated. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency and taste is achieved. If desired, add food coloring (gel) to tint your frosting.

To assemble the cake, cut cake in half length-wise. Spread some additional mango puree on top of one half. Top with remaining half. Frost entire cake and decorate as desired. Enjoy!