This may just be the perfect breakfast bread.
It's a tweaked version of Dorie Greenspan's (Baking: From My Home to Yours) dense, fruit studded mango bread. It's so good that it may even surpass my beloved Banana Bread with Toasted Coconut and Almonds. And that's saying something.
I first made it last winter when we had relatives visiting. It was polished off in two days, and there were only four of us. I have made it several times since, and it has consistently received stellar reviews. It's on my "go-to list" of recipes and will surely be on yours too once you try it.
What makes this mango bread so delicious? Creamy mango, chewy raisins, aromatic ginger, and crunchy cashews to start. It's a satisfyingly moist, highly textured, aromatic bread with just the right sweetness. The only hard part is stirring the batter which is stunningly thick. You think to yourself, this will never cook, but it does, perfectly, every time.
This mango bread tastes even better after it sits a day or two. So eat it plain, toast it with butter, or top it with tangy apricot marmalade. Any way you slice it, it's delightful.
Mango Bread with Raisins and Cashews
Serves 8-10
3 large eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 cups diced fresh mango
3/4 cup moist, plump mixed raisins, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
grated zest of 1 lime
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 1/2- x- 4 1/2- inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place the pan on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other to prevent the bottom of the bread from over baking.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and using a spatula, mix until well blended. The dough will be very thick, but as Dorie says, "persevere, it will come together." Stir in the ginger, mango, raisins, cashews, and lime zest. Scrape the batter into the pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake the bread for 1 hour 15 min. to 1 hour 30 min., or until the top is golden brown and a cake tester or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the bread is getting too brown on top, cover it loosely with a tinfoil tent). Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.
- Originally published on Susan Russo's site FoodBlogga.