Orange and Lemon Cake with Lemon Mango Sauce

A delightfully citrusy cake. The sauce is both refreshing and creamy rich. The lemon brings out the deep flavor of the mango.

Serves 8 to 12

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk

LEMON MANGO PEPPER SAUCE
2 mangoes
1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
Freshly ground back pepper

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large Bundt or tube cake pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, salt, and citrus zest until the mixture is light; about 2 minutes with a mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl once. Add the citrus juices and blend the batter well, scraping the sides of the bowl.

Place the flour mixture in a strainer and sift one-third of it over the batter. Gently blend the ingredients on the low speed of the mixer or with a rubber spatula. Add half of the buttermilk and mix it gently. Add half of the remaining flour, the remaining buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour, mixing gently between each addition. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, placing roughly a fourth of the batter into 4 different places in the pan. This makes it easier to spread the batter evenly in the pan without overworking it. Smooth the top of the batter and bake the cake for between 40 and 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out hot and dry after a count of 10. Cool the cake, still in the pan, on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold it and allow it to cool completely.

While the cake bakes, make the sauce. Peel the mangoes, cut into irregular slices or chunks, then set them aside on a plate. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemon. Squeeze the zested lemon and add the juice to the 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the lemon zest and boil for 5 minutes. Add the mango and bring the liquid back to a boil. Gently boil the sauce for 2 minutes and immediately pour it into a bowl to cool. When the liquid is cool, remove the zest. Serve the sauce at room temperature or cold on slices of the cake.

Recipe Copyright Deirdre Davis 2020
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