It’s mango season, baby!
The Queen of fruit is back in town so we’re serving it up two ways with my no churn Coconut &Mango Ice-Cream and a Mango, Toasted Coconut & Passionfruit Pavlova. Grab a spoon, it’s time to tuck in.
Hey Friends!
It feels like it has been an eternity since I have spent some time writing a proper intro for the newsletter without me just diving headfirst into all things book related - HOW RUDE OF ME I KNOW. Super sorry about how rushed the newsy has maybe have come across of late but wowee wow, I truly don’t know where time has or is going.
The countdown for publication day for the book in the UK and US is looming (soz, it didn’t take long for that to crop up in convo again did it), I am also currently working on a new, SUPER fun project which I will share with you all soon (isn’t that such a drag when someone teases stuff like that – but I promise, the minute I am able to share, I’ll spill the deets here) and in amongst all that madness, I am trying to keep my never ending, lifelong commitment to the cake series going and that is all before I embark on the mania that will be my cousins wedding week next week, which I am MAKING THE CAKE FOR.
This all seemed like a great idea last year but what a TOTAL prat past Rubes was. How did I think this is a good idea? I am without doubt the Queen of procrastination. I have always been guilty of it, no matter what the task. Even back in my uni days, I could only start getting going on projects when the two-week deadline was looming. I don’t know what it is about having too much time to do stuff that just renders me incapable of being productive – yes practically it makes sense but is it as enjoyable as the thrill and chase of the ‘will I make this deadline I have definitely not left myself enough time for?’. Absolutely not. Is the thrill and chase worth the stress? Not a chance. Will I ever change? Highly doubtful. Come to think of it, what a prat my cousin is too. It’s not like she doesn’t know any of this about me (Tarvs if you are reading this, why did we collectively think this was a good idea??).
I am admittedly like this with flights (James if you are reading, SORRY), trains, appointments of any kind, travel plans, plans to meet my girlfriends (Sofe, if you are reading, SORRY), work projects and general life. I am convinced I will be late for my own wedding and not out of having any possible doubt but probs because I thought I could squeeze in a quick 15 minute nap 1 hour before we’d have to leave anywhere. I will nap given half the chance, anywhere, for any duration. It’s a life skill I am truly proud of.
Some people take this for scattiness, being ill-prepared or not respectful of other people’s time but I am here to tell you, none of that is true. Quite truthfully…I am just far too bloody optimistic. I know how delulu that probs reads but I swear! I always think I can do something far quicker than it will inevitably take me. I either overestimate my abilities or underestimate how long something will take me, but I will say…never travel with me as my relaxed nature and getting to a gate on time isn’t a match made in heaven.
How have I digressed so quickly into me being late all the time?? I have no idea but thanks as always for coming along for the ride. I always feel very Michael Scott when I start the newsletter – you know when he says that he starts a sentence and never knows where it is going to end up. Yup.
Welcome to the newsy, baby!
B O O K - M I N
So this bit is kinda like admin but book related…so welcome everyone to a bit of Book-Min! We are going to keep it brief this week but in case anyone missed it, I have started a new mini-series over on Instagram where I am showing off a recipe from each chapter, just to tickle those tastebuds and show you there truly is a little something to float everyone’s boat in One Bake Two Ways.
First up, we have one of my faves from the cake chapter ‘Oh, Crumbs’ with my Self-saucing Sticky Toffee Pud Tray-Cake with Stem Ginger & Chocolate and wowee WOW, it is a goodie. It is jam packed full of yum and is an incredibly easy dessert to whip up. It is best enjoyed by the bucketful, whatever the weather, in good company or taken down solo (speaking from experience on the latter).
You can find both the dairy AND plant-based version of this recipe in One Bake Two Ways, which currently is on offer at a few places – Waterstones are still offering £6 off for my UK friends, whilst Amazon in America has the book available with a 10% discount and Amazon in Canada has it available with a whopping 28% OFF! I am totally unsure who has allowed such daylight robbery to occur but Canadian friends, grab it now to not miss out!
I’m keeping my peepers peeled for any discounts in any other countries and will be sure to keep you posted if and when there are any.
Rather shockingly there is no ‘Around the World’ this week – ya girl is SWAMPED with work and impending wedding festivities (my cousins, not mine) where I am also making the cake so stress is near peaking, time is near non existent and my food consumption has gone to whack as I seem to living off the 87% cake and 13% iced coffee diet. Must say, I do not recommend it.
That being said, I still squeezed in a bit of time to get some delicious bits for the menu this week. We’ve got:
My no-churn Coconut & Mango Ice-Cream. I love the effortlessness of a no-churn number and this one is no different. If you aren’t feeling summery yet, this one will truly wallop you in the face with it and bring that sunshine no matter the weather. A super easy one to make and a great way to end any dinner or to just tuck into as you slob it on the sofa.
The main bake of the day is my Mango, Toasted Coconut & Pomegranate Pavlova. I don’t think we have done meringue on the newsletter yet (tbc??) but we go full throttle with this little golden pav giving you a slice of tropical nice. We’ve gone decorative on the meringue front because why not go all fancy and extra when you find yourself tight on time (make my brain make sense, please) and we have topped it with a pillow of mango crème diplomat (think custard mixed with whipped cream mixed with mango equals heaven) and topped with a tonne of fresh, plump, sweet, juicyyyyyyyy mango, fresh mint, pomegranate and a sprinkling of toasted coconut.
The smells! The sight!! The sound when you take that first slice!!! I really didn’t need to go this hard cause I am not even sure I can handle this sorta crunchy, mallowy, fruity, juicy yum. It’s rather evident that my self-restraint is at an all-time low as I am currently sat eating the family sized pav to myself with a massive serving spoon as I type. Carbs convert to energy folks! When you are playing life at this level of delusion, anything is possible and everything makes sense. Everything.
I don’t quite know if it was a mild case of sunstroke or whether it was the last minute surge of baking panic knocking on the door which spurred this last-minute act of generosity but either way, everyone wins with this recipe. We are in a constant yo-yo state with the weather over here in the UK of late (it is THE go-to topic whenever you meet someone new – nothing quite breaks the ice like weather chat here) so I was gearing up to post a load of soul warming, belly hugging, comfort inducing recipes, but as the sun has decided to have a resurgence, I’ve decided to hit you with two of my summer faves. NOTE: I am now re-reading this a day after writing the aforementioned resurgence and it is currently raining. Did I jinx it? Am I the problem??
First up we have a tropical, Solero inspired no churn ice cream (fyi, I’ve included both dairy and plant based version in the PDF download cause I am the best like that). It is just the tonic for impending sunburn, sweat moustaches, screaming kids in the garden and the inevitably incessant chat over the weather being too hot (I told you, weather convo is ALL the rage). Whether you cone it, bowl it, sandwich it between biscuits, sponges or meringue – you are going to love the simplicity of this one. The base is laden with vanilla bean and the addition of white chocolate helps to knock up the yum a peg or two. We are just using mango puree in this recipe but if you fancy a little chunk to nibble on, dice up some Alphonso mango (if you can find them – they are known as the King of Mangoes) or settle for a Kesar (the Queen) and fold through.
And if coconut and mango aren’t your jam, first of all, ask yourself if you are okay and if the answer is still no, get fun and fruity and mix it up. There is a plethora of ways in which you can make a no-churn tickle your pickle, for instance my Chocolate and Cherry number from a few weeks back, sees chocolate sponge chunks mixed into a cherry syrup rippled vanilla base.
It is every bit as delicious as it sounds but if on the super odd occasion, neither of these options are drawing a dribble from your mouth…
How about switching out the mango for passionfruit?
Or what about a nice classic raspberry ripple with white chocolate and topped with a pistachio crumb?
For something delightfully fresh, you could go for lemon zest, lemon curd and a smidge of basil.
And for my sweet-toothed sinners (this includes me fyi), how about a Nutella, salted caramel (or dulce de leche cause you should know by now, I am OBSESSED) and choccy muffin chunks sorta number? Now I say this, I am adding to my immediate must-make list.
Whichever gets you going, here’s how you make my no churn Coconut, White Chocolate & Mango Ice Cream.
Recipe Makes: 1 x 2lb / 900 g Deep Loaf Tin (so…a lot)
Recipe Serves: This is a stupid note. It will serve however many or little you want it to serve.
Y O U – W I L L – N E E D –
1 x 347 g tin Condensed Milk
250 g Coconut Cream
650 ml Double/Whipping Cream
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
75 g White Chocolate, melted & cooled
225 ml Mango Pulp, tinned (click the link to see what I use, not an aff link)
M E T H O D –
Into a large bowl, add the condensed milk, coconut cream, double/whipping cream and vanilla bean paste.
Mix using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer until the cream hits medium peak. NOTE: as the cream to other ingredients ratio is nearly 1:1, getting to medium peak will take longer than you expect. Be patient – you want that lovely, velvety, mock gelato texture so as long as the cream goes past the ribbon stage but not beyond the holding peak stage, you will be good.
Add the white chocolate and use a rubber spatula to fold through.
Pour ¼ of the cream into your freezer proof Tupperware/tin before drizzling on top ¼ of the mango pulp and rippling through using a knife or skewer. Repeat.
Once you’ve used up all the cream, transfer to your freezer for at least 6 hours.
Before you are ready to tuck in, remove the ice cream from the freezer for about 20 mins to sit at room temp to thaw slightly. Use a hot ice cream scoop to serve.
And now moving onto the main bake of the day – let’s get stuck into my Mango, Toasted Coconut & Pomegranate Pavlova. I know that name alone makes it sound truly wonderful but in reality, it is really underselling the beauty of this baking beast. Not only do we have a crunchy outer, mallowy middle vanilla bean pavlova decorated like it is some artefact from some Roman/Greek bygone era (I saw a pic on insta and got far too influenced but like…it works, no??), but it serves as the perfect foundation for a mango and mint silky smooth crème diplomat (if you are cba about the custard base, there’s a simple mango whipped cream alternative), which is topped with a MOUNTAIN of juicy, fresh, ripe, sweet, heavenly mango, bejeweled with pomegranate to bring a pop of sugary zing and finished with a healthy scattering of toasted coconut.
Sounds a lot but when is it ever simple? I honestly begged myself to keep it uncomplicated this week but low and behold we have a monster sized pav, decorated to an inch of its life which left me with zero time all week to breathe but ya know, I think it was worth it??
Cause, look at her.
Big Queen Energy worthy of any dinner table, any setting, any occasion, at any time of the year. Whilst we are keeping it tropical this time around, you can use the base recipe for the pavlova and make the rest your own. We chat about that in Rubes Recommends so make sure you check that out before giving it a try.
If you couldn’t tell, I really love this recipe. It’s a crowd-pleasing, guaranteed winner which looks great however it is served up. Give yourself a bit of time and ensure you prep ahead for max yum and minimal stress.
Recipe Makes: 1 x 7 inch pav
Recipe Serves: 12 generously
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