Tropical Mango-Cashew Dessert with Silk Chocolate Layers

If a trio of mangoes, cashews, and chocolate sounds like the perfect combination in your books, then try this Mango Bravo recipe, which is a Filipino dessert popular for its varied layers. In layman terms, you may dub it as a mango dessert with cashew and Silk chocolate, which has crispy cashew layers, with chocolate mousse and mango cubes in a fluffy core of whipped cream. There are more layers whipping cream, more mango cubes with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. For this recipe will need: stand or hand mixer, a standard oven, baking pans, an offset spatula, and apiping bag with a star tip.

Mango Dessert with Cashew and Silk Chocolate Recipe

(Serves 16 people)

Ingredients:

For the Cashew Meringue:

• 1 cup roasted cashew nuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Mousse:

• 1 cup Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• A pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the Filling:

• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 7 tbsp cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 pack whipping cream stabilizer, optional
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe mango, cubed

Stabilized Whipped Cream for Icing:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup cream cheese, chilled
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 packs whipping cream stabilizer, optional
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the Topping:

• 1 ripe mango, in cubes

Instructions:

Step 1: Making the cashew meringue

1. Pick 2 baking pans or cookie sheets and line both with parchment paper. The parchment paper should have an outline of 3 rectangles marked, in pencil, around 8x6-inches, and placed face down on each pan. Grease the top side of the parchment, so the meringues can peel off easily.
2. Preheat the oven to 140°C. While the oven heats, chop the roasted cashews roughly using a sharp knife. Add them to a bowl with cornstarch and mix. Set aside.
3. Take a big bowl, add the egg whites and use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to beat them on medium speed with the lemon juice, until soft peaks form.
4. Gradually add the sugar while increasing the speed to high and beating until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the chopped cashew nuts, cornstarch and vanilla extract.
5. Divide the meringue equally among the two pans. Spread it evenly in the pans with an offset spatula.
6. Bake the meringue for 1hr 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). Pause every 20-30 minutes to turn the pans in the oven. The meringue wafers should be dry and be golden brown.
7. Once done, turn off the oven and keep the door ajar, allowing the meringue to cool in the oven itself, so they retain their crispness.Set aside.
8. If you are making them ahead, wrap them well in plastic and freeze until using.

Step 2: Making the chocolate mousse

1. In a heatproof bowl, add the chocolates and butter, and use either the double boiler method or microwave it until melted. Make sure to stir in between and once fully melted and smooth, set aside.
2. Take a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt until pale. Temper the eggs, by adding a bit of the melted chocolate and butter into the bowl. Pour the egg-chocolate mix into the melted chocolate bowl and mix. Set aside until lukewarm.
3. Whip the cream and the sugar until stiff peaks form. Divide the whipped cream into 3 parts and fold it into the chocolate mixture in thirds until smooth.

Step 3: Assembling the 1st Layer

1. Arrange one cashew meringue wafer on a cake board, then spread a dollop of chocolate mousse on it, until smooth and even.
2. Top with the second meringue wafer, making sure it sticks to the bottom layer. Make sure to clean any excess chocolate mousse oozing from the sides and that the meringue is aligned.
3. Freeze again for the mousse to set.

Step 4: Making the Mango Filling

1. Take a big bowl, and use a hand or stand mixer. To the bowl, add the cream, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and whipping cream stabilizer, if using.
2. Mix it on low speed, and increase to high speed until it increases in volume and stiff peaks form.
3. Fold in the mango cubes into the bowl.

Step 5: Removing the 1st layer from the freezer

1. Spread the mango filling on top of the remaining cashew meringue wafer and smoothen.
2. Pat down the sides and smooth it out again, and ensure you have straight sides, then return it to the freezer.

Step 6: Making the stabilized whipped cream

1. Take a big bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, and add all the ingredients.
2. Whip them on low speed, then increase it to high speed, whip again until thickened and stiff peaks form.

Step 7: Assembling the cake

1. Take out the cake from the freezer, and cover it with a thin layer of stabilized whipped cream. Smooth it out with an offset spatula.
2. Transfer the rest of the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
3. Next, mark out a rectangle on top of the cake, with the sides about 2 cm from the edge.
4. Pipe the frosting from the bottom and go up, ending at the marked rectangle, going all around the cake.
5. Pipe a shell border, and mark out the rectangle in the middle. Fill it with mango cubes.
6. Freeze the cake overnight for best results.
7. Remove from the freezer 1 hour before serving, and drizzle with chocolate sauce.