Mango Yogurt Cottony Cake

This is a really light and soft cake. The texture, as it's name suggests, is cottony soft. This recipe comes from Kimmy of Cooking Pleasure with slight adaptation of her Mango Yogurt Cottony Cake recipe. I have been a follower of Kimmy's blog and I love her souffle cakes and home style recipes. She also has quite a number of bread and bun recipes which I am very eager to try.

I was quiet impressed with this recipe as it is so simple and  yet it yields a really light and delicious cake. The sweetness is just nice and takes into account the sweetness that comes from the fruit yogurt.

All the ingredients.

The first time I attempted this cake, I used peach flavoured yogurt. After 45 minutes of baking time, I checked and the top had already browned. I tested the cake with a skewer and noted that my cake was already done. Kimmy's baking time is 70 minutes so it is best to check and adjust as our ovens behave differently.

I left the cake in the pan a bit to long after it was inverted and the bottom became a bit wet. I felt that an 8 inch pan is a bit too small, the batter rose up quiet high and the centre of the cake  really bulged up in the oven.

Cake pan lined with parchment paper.

I loved this cake so much that I baked another one the following week. This time round, I used a 9 inch deep cake pan. I also lined the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. The cake was done in 45 minutes and the top was slightly over browned. And like the first time, the cake was so soft and fluffy that if I had my way, I would have eaten at least another 4 slices hee..hee...

Cake inverted on cooling rack. The middle part
does sink a bit.

Last weekend I attempted this cake again, this time using mango yogurt just like Kimmy's original recipe. I decided to reduce the oven temperature as I think my oven is too hot. I baked the cake at 140C and it was done in 55 minutes. The top was nicely browned and this time I lined the cooling rack with parchment paper before inverting the cake. Bad idea. 

Some spots peeled off with the parchment
paper. So don't line the cooling rack.

Some parts of the cake got stuck to the parchment paper and peeled off together with the paper after the cake was cooled.  After inverting the cake, let it cool for about 10 minutes before peeling off the parchment paper. If not, you will end up peeling off some of the cake like I did :( And be patient, slice the cake after it has cooled completely. I was too quick to cut the cake and did not get neat clean cuts :(

This cake has to be steam baked and I used the method that Kimmy mentioned in this post.

Put hot water in a tray and place rack over 
the tray.

Place cake tin on the rack. This photo was
taken after cake was baked.

I highly recommend this cake and it is now on my regular baking list. I am reproducing Kimmy's recipe below with my adaptations in red. 

Mango Yogurt Cottony Cake

Recipe from : Cooking Pleasure

Ingredients :
Egg Yolk Mixture
- 65g superfine flour (sifted)
- 1/4 tsp salt (I omitted)
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 45 ml corn oil
- 80ml mango yogurt (I used the whole tub of 135ml)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (I omitted)

Egg White Mixture
- 5 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (I used 1/4tsp)
- 65gm castor sugar

Method :
For egg yolk mixture :
- Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Add in eggs, corn oil, lemon juice and yogurt.
- Using a paddle hook, beat ingredients until creamy and well combined.
- Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 160C for 10 minutes.
I mixed eggs, corn oil and yogurt using a whisk. When combined, I add sifted flour and mixed until just combined. I preheated my oven to 140C.

For egg white mixture :
- Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy, add in cream of tartar until slightly foamy.
- Add sugar in 3 batches. Whisk until soft to stiff peaks form. (I beat until stiff peaks)
 - Using a spatula, fold in 1/2 of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture. Lift and fold until well combined, then add in the rest of the meringue. Fold again until well mixed.
- Pour into a 8" square tin (line base with baking paper at the bottom only). Smooth the surface with a spatula and steam bake in oven at 160C for 70 minutes.
- Invert the cake after baking and let it cool before removing the baking paper.
- Cool cake before slicing to serve.

This is what I did :
- I folded 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it.
- Then I poured the egg yolk mixture into the balance of the meringue and folded using the only way I know how, my bare hand.
- I lined a 9" deep square baking pan and poured the batter in and smoothed the top.
- I baked for 55 minutes at 140C.

I have always mixed my egg white and egg yolk mixture  using my hand as it works best for me. I can never get it right using a spatula or whisk. If you are curious how it is done, you can check out the video below :

My egg yolk mixture, done using a whisk.

Egg white and egg yolk mixture.

Both mixtures mixed using my hand.

Pour batter into lined baking pan

I sliced the cake into thick squares.

Love the soft cottony texture. One or two slices is simply not enough.