Monday, April 4, 2016

Welcome Linda Wiken!



You may have noticed a new face in our header. Linda Wiken, who also writes as Erika Chase, will be joining us on Thursdays. Not to worry, Roberta Isleib, aka Lucy Burdette, will still be here too. They're going to share Thursdays!

Linda has been our guest before, so you may be familiar with the Ashton Corners Book Club series which she writes as Erika Chase. But TOASTING UP TROUBLE, the first book in her brand new Dinner Club Mysteries by Linda Wiken will be here in just a few months! I'll let her tell you more about that. Watch for her first post later this month!
  
Can you believe that I'm still finding things in the freezer that I bought last December? If you have never made frozen drinks with mangoes, you're missing out on something really delicious. I'm sure that's what I had in mind when I bought the bags of frozen mango chunks.

Now that we've come off the chocolate and sugar high of Easter, we wanted something sweet but not quite as fancy so I used one of the bags of frozen mango in a simple streusel coffee cake.

There are a lot of pictures but don't let them fool you into thinking this is complicated because it isn't. You could easily substitute blueberries if you prefer, although I think mangoes are a nice switch.

The crumb in this cake is lovely and loose. Almost too loose. It doesn't cut beautifully. But it tastes wonderful. The cake itself isn't overly sweet but the streusel makes up for it.

When you make this, note that the butter for the cake and the milk need to be at room temperature. So set them out first while you do something else. (Note: I also let the egg come to room temperature.)

I love this streusel because it doesn't require any fancy gadgets. It's made in a minute!


Mango Streusel Cake
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one eight-inch square baking pan

Streusel

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into 16 pieces, add to sugar mixture, and work with your fingers until blended. Refrigerate.

Cake

butter and flour for the pan

1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
10-ounce bag frozen mangoes
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Take butter and milk out of the fridge. Add vinegar to the milk. Bring to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour the pan. If the mangoes are in large chunks, cut them in fourths. Pour the flour into a bowl. Take 2 tablespoons flour out of the bowl and sprinkle on the mangoes. Stir to combine. Add the baking powder and salt to the flour (not to the mangoes) and stir to combine.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg and beat. Add vanilla and beat. Alternate slowly adding the flour mixture and the milk until completely blended. Add the mangoes to the batter and fold gently to distribute.

Pour batter into the pan. Spread to corners. Crumble the streusel on top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown.



Cut the butter for the streusel.

Make the streusel with your fingers.

Cut the mangoes if the chunks are large.

Mix with 2 tablespoons of flour.

Cream the butter and the sugar, and add flour and milk.

Fold in the mangoes.

Sprinkle with the streusel.

Bake at 375.



5 comments:

  1. Linda, enjoyed your post. The cake looks delicious and sounds easy enough I could give it a try, thanks.

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  2. Welcome, Linda! The cake looks delicious! I am not really a fan of mango so maybe I would substitute blueberries but maybe I would try the mango. Sometime when more people are around to help eat it, just in case...

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  3. I'm drinking a cup of tea, wishing for a piece of that lovely cake, Krista.

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  4. That looks wonderful! I made some kind of a mango coffee cake years ago. It was labor intensive, but delicious. I will have to try this recipe. Thanks!

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  5. Nice intro and I look forward to learning more about Linda's book. I love toast!

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