清新无比芒果鲜奶油香草戚风蛋糕。妈妈生日快乐 Vanilla Chiffon with Mango Cream ~ Happy Birthday Mum

3月19日是妈妈的生日，正值芒果的季节，所以一开始我就锁定妈妈的生日蛋糕主题为芒果。

虽然我仍然没有信心使用非中空模来烤戚风蛋糕，虽然少了添加物（例如发粉，塔塔粉）让我感到没有安全感，最后我还是决定舍去一贯使用的海绵蛋糕体，选用了这个用料极为单纯，完全没有添加物的戚风蛋糕食谱。

从制作到进入烤箱一切都很顺利，除了蛋糕烤到一半时涨了很厉害，还开花（我没有看火，看来是温度太高），直到冷却后发现蛋糕回缩得蛮厉害的，其中一个在脱模时还自己掉了出来。我对这蛋糕寄予厚望，看到成品简直失望极了，没有心情继续下去，打算隔天（就是妈妈生日当天）一早再烤过另一个蛋糕。经过一番研究后，我觉得应该是因为烤不够，蛋糕表面已经烤干了，但中间还没干透，蛋糕支撑力不足导致冷却后严重回缩。

隔天我还是不争气的无法早起（Lucius最迟7点钟就起身，我的早起意即是要赶在他起身前）。原本打算去买一个生日蛋糕算了，但试吃了做失败的蛋糕，其实味道和口感还是挺好的。原始的蛋香味十足，而且有股天然的纯香草香气，蛋糕组织还是软软的，也很湿润绵细，只是如果不回缩的话肯定更蓬松。

蛋糕还是可以用的。用剪刀稍微修剪平整，蛋糕的高度不够，所以我就不切片了。这时我想简化就干脆简化到底，反正妈妈和家人也不爱鲜奶油多多的蛋糕。冰箱里已经有一些之前Lucius的生日蛋糕剩下的打发先奶油，我切了一个芒果，一半的果肉用叉子压烂和鲜奶油混合，另一半的果肉切丁。

水果装饰需要glazing，除了有美化作用，还可以保护水果新鲜。Glaze可以使用果酱加少许水，但是家里只有深色的果酱我觉得不适合。于是，我用吉利丁（gelatin）和糖水做glaze，另外加入一汤匙在混合芒果泥的鲜奶油里。

把芒果鲜奶油淋在蛋糕上，加上芒果丁（本来想铺满芒果丁，但吝啬的Angel不舍得再切一粒芒果，想留下来做其他芒果甜品），草莓和蓝莓装饰，刷上吉利丁糖水，找来了一张蕾丝边蛋糕垫用它把蛋糕整个包起来再用丝带固定，就大功告成了。前后只用了大概半个小时。本来丑丑的蛋糕打扮后还勉强可以，我安慰自己说最重要是要有诚意，妈妈也一定会喜欢。

口味清淡的蛋糕体配搭芒果鲜奶油吃起来非常清新，一点也没有油腻的感觉。蛋糕很受大家的欢迎，我们4人，不应该是5个人（因为Lucius也有吃），一次过就把蛋糕瓜分完了。爸妈很给面子的说比外面卖的还要好吃。瓦咔咔

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers # 5: Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by Jess of Bakericious.

Vanilla Chiffon Cake

(Adapted from “拜拜蛋糕“ from the book《美味糕点新主张》 by 薛纪娟. I reproduce the recipe in English with my personal notes)

Ingredients: (make 2 round 6-inch cakes)

100g low-protein flour (I used top flour)

60g fresh milk

½ vanilla pod (I replaced with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)

50g vegetable oil

85g egg yolk (I used 4 large egg yolk weigh 80g)

170g egg white

85g castor sugar (I used 80g)

Method:

1) Sift flour into a medium mixing bowl, add milk, vanilla and oil, mix well. Add egg yolk, mix till incorporated. (I beat egg yolk with milk, vanilla and oil, and then sift in flour to mix together).

2) With an electric mixer, beat egg white till foamy, add sugar in 3 sessions, and beat till 90% peak (九分发). (I think this is very close to stiff peak. The meringue becomes very smooth and fine at this stage. When lift up the beater, the meringue won’t drip and the tip has slight bend).

3) Take 1/3 of the meringue to mix with the egg yolk mixture gently with a manual whisk.

4) Pour the above to the remaining meringue and fold gently with a rubber spatula till incorporated.

5) Divide the batter into 2 round 6-inch loose bottom pans (do not greased or lined with baking paper), level the surface. Hold the pan with both hands and bang on tabletop to release big air bubbles.

6) Bake in preheated oven at 150C/130C for about 50 minutes. (If your oven can’t adjust different upper and lower temp like mine, bake at 150C for about 50-60 minutes).

7) Invert to cool completely before removing from mould.

Frosting & Decoration

Some whipping cream (whip till peak)

1 mango

Some strawberries and blueberries

For glazing: 1 tbsp gelatin powder, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 cup water

1) To prepare the gelatin solution, mix gelatin powder and sugar, add water to let the gelatin swell before setting the bowl over a pot of simmering hot water. Stir with a spoon and once the gelatin melts, remove the bowl from the pot and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2) Puree half of the mango flesh (if the mango used is very ripe, you can just mash with a fork like what I did) and mix with the whipped cream. Then add 1 tbsp of the gelatin solution from step 1. Pour the mango whipped cream on the cake. The cream shall not drip to the side of the cake.

3) Top with mango cubes from the remaining mango (use additional mango if desired) and other fruits.

4) Brush the gelatin solution on fruits with a clean and dry brush. Place the whole cake on a piece of cake liner (for 6-inch cake, use a 10-inch cake liner), wrap the side of the cake and secure with a ribbon (you may also place the cake on the liner first before frosting).

5) Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Note:
Extra gelatin solution can be kept in the fridge, re-heat the harden gelatin before using.