Mango Cardamom Tres Leches Cake

Traditionally a Mexican dessert, I've re-worked the "Tres Leches" cake into a rich treat in which Near-East spice meets Far-East fruit.  Infused with cardamom, topped with a mango whipped cream, and surrounded by a mango-cardamom dipping sauce, this treat is to die for.

Tres Leches, of course, means "three milks"--this cake is meant to be eaten straight from the refrigerator, delightfully dripping with the blend of milks and creams with which it has been drenched.  I first got the idea to pair mango and cardamom after sampling a similarly flavored vodka cocktail at Clementine, an adorable little restaurant in Baltimore, MD.  But in sheer anticipation of my upcoming trip to Istanbul [*lookout for dinners and desserts made with spices from the Grand Bazaar following my return on March 10th!], I've been itching to put cardamom in everything.     

With a fruit-and-spice combination that gives this rich, creamy treat the color shades of "just before evening," I'm dying to pair it with the Fruit Bats' "Magic Hour," a truly pretty song that conjures the magical quality of both late-day visions and traveling on the road.

Cake ingredients:

--6 eggs

--1 c. granulated sugar

--2 tsp. vanilla

--1/2 c. almond milk (you could use whole milk or soy milk, too!)

--1/3 c. canola oil

--1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

--1 tsp. baking powder

--pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk, and oil until blended.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture until you have a cake batter.  Pour the batter into a buttered and floured 13 x 9" cake pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or just until tester comes out clean from the center.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cream syrup:

--1/4 c. heavy cream

--1/4 c. mango juice

--12 oz. evaporated milk (1 can)

--14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (1 can)

--2 tsp. ground cardamom

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl.  Using a toothpick, pierce the cooled cake approximate 100 times all over the cake (you want to cream a LOT of little holes that will allow the cake to soak up this syrup).  Pour the cream syrup over the cake, and spoon the runoff back onto the top until the cake has absorbed the liquid.  (You may need to poke more toothpick holes after pouring the cream syrup on top to allow the cake to absorb it.)

Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.  After it has chilled, then make the whipped topping. 

Whipped Cream topping:

--1 c. heavy whipping cream

--2 tbsp. mango juice

--1/2 c. granulated sugar

--1 tsp. vanilla

Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Spread over the top of the cake.  Now, it's time to make the mango-cardamom dipping sauce!

Mango-Cardamom dipping sauce:

--1 c. mango juice

--1/4 c. granulated sugar

--1-2 tsp. ground cardamom (you can use more or less, depending on how "spicy" you'd like your syrup to be)

In a small saucepan, heat mango juice and sugar over medium heat, stirring regularly, for approx 7-8 minutes or until the juice has thickened into a syrup.  While it's still warm, whisk in the ground cardamom.  Allow the sauce to cool--it will thicken a bit more.  Serve liberally with a large slice of cake!