Mango Bravo à la Conti's

I baked this cake for my daughter's 20th birthday. She first tried this when we first went home to the Philippines after 5 years living in Vancouver. Conti's Restaurant is a 10 minute walk from our house. Our family always dined at this restaurant. We have tried almost everything on their menu and our favorite dessert is their Mango Bravo.

Mango Bravo is the most sought after dessert on their menu. It is a sponge cake with meringue with cashew, just like sans rival, chocolates and mangoes. I tried to replicate this dessert as I remembered it.

I had to prepare this cake in 2 days because it has different layers and flavours. On day 1, I did the sponge cake and ganache filling. It is best to chill the cake first so that it's easier to put the frosting. On the second day, I prepared the meringue and frosting and assembled everything. It looks daunting at first but it feels really good once you've done it.

Yield: 8-10

Author: Malu Bonifacio

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Mango Bravo à la Conti's

It is a sponge cake with meringue and cashew, chocolates and mangoes.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 egg whites
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 6 egg yolks
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp mango extract (optional)

Chocolate Mousse

• 1 Dr. Oetker Double Chocolate instant mousse mix
• 1 cup milk

Meringue

• 3 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup cashew, finely chopped

Frosting & Filling

• 4 cups whipping cream (1 Liter/carton)
• 4 tbsp sugar

Garnish

• 8 pcs slices of ripe mango (Costco's Del-destino mango slices)
• ½ cup cashew, coarsely chopped

Chocolate Ganache

• ½ cup whipping cream
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate (Costco's semi sweet chocolate)
• ¼ cup dark chocolate (Lindt piccoli)

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift all purpose flour, salt and ¾ cup of sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a standing mixer, with whisk attachment beat egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and mix until soft peaks form.
3. In a steady stream, add ½ cup sugar, until stiff peaks form. Mix in a tsp of mango extract.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar with a whisk until it is thick and pale. Add ¼ cup water and beat until thickened.
5. Fold the yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. Then fold in ⅓ of the flour mixture. Repeat two more times until everything is just combined. Do not over mix.
6. Pour the cake batter into three 8-inch round cake pans sprayed with non stick spray and lined with parchment at the bottom of the pan. Use a spatula to smooth the top of the batter. Tip: Use a weighing scale so the batter is equally divided.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden and the sides of the cake detaches from the pan.

Chocolate Mousse

1. Pour 1 cup (250 mL) cold milk into bowl. Add contents of Dr. Oetker Dark Chocolate Mousse.
2. Beat on low speed of electric mixer until thickened, then whip at highest speed for 3-5 min. Chill.

Meringue

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Take a parchment paper and make a pattern by outlining the bottom of an 8 inch round pan.
2. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites. When it starts to bubble, add the cream of tartar then slowly add the sugar.
3. Once the egg whites become stiff and glossy, fold the cashew nuts.
4. Prepare the piping bag and round tip. Place the egg whites mixture in the piping bag. Take the parchment with round outline and start piping the mixture in a baking tray.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until it becomes golden brown color and the tips darker than the rest. Let it cool in a rack.

Frosting & Filling

1. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, add whipping cream and sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

Chocolate Ganache

1. In a saucepan, bring the whipping cream into a boil (about 3 minutes).
2. Pour the whipping cream in the chocolates and let it sit for a minute before stirring. Stir until it is smooth.
3. Transfer to a bottle with cap and tip so it is easier to drizzle.

Assembly of Cake

1. Prepare the ingredients before assembly : 3 cakes, mousse, meringue, whipping cream mixture, cashews and mango slices.
2. Place the first layer of cake on the cake board.
3. Spread the mousse on the cake.
4. Then top with the second cake. Spread the whipping cream. Garnish with mango slices and cashew.
5. Follow with the meringue. Cut the excess meringue with a knife.
6. Top with the last cake. Spread the whipping cream. Garnish with mango slices and cashew. Use the star tip 1M to pipe the frosting. For the sides of the cake, apply light pressure to frosting bag and start from the bottom going up.
7. For the top portion of the cake, make a star or a swirl (still using the 1M Wilton tip) around the top of the cake. Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the sides of the cake.
8. Chill before cutting.