Put That Thing Back Where It Came From, Or So Help Me

Disney/Pixar # 4 - Monsters, Inc.

I remember watching a feature on Pixar's animation triumphs, (although I don't remember what - it may have been bonus features!), and on that it was mentioned the Monsters, Inc. was the first time that a 3D computer animation had been able to successfully create long fur/hair. I mean, I wouldn't want to be quoted on this, but it was my inspiration for these cakes. If Monsters, Inc. was a triumph in texture for Pixar, then I would focus on texture too - smooth for Mike Wazowski, and furry for Sully!

I knew I'd be using coconut for Sully's fur, so I decided to make a cupcake version of the Jungle Fruits Cake I baked for Jungle Book way back when. It worked really well, although you will find yourself with rather a lot of mango left over!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 12 cupcakes (6 Mike and 6 Sully)

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1/4 of a medium sized ripe mango
1 medium sized ripe bananas
1tsp vanilla extract
110g margarine
70g light brown sugar
1 egg
25g desiccated coconut
110g self raising flour
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp mixed spice

To decorate:
150g cream cheese
300g icing sugar
Juice and zest of half a lime
40g desiccated coconut
Blue, purple and green food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and line a bun tray with cupcake cases
2. Peel, stone and chop the mango, and then puree the flesh. Put the mango to one side for now. Peel the banana and break this up into a small bowl. Mash the banana to a pulp using a fork, ensuring that there are no large lumps remaining. Mix the mango puree into the mashed banana, and add the vanilla extract. Put this fruit mixture to one side.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, and then add these to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. 
4. Stir in the banana and mango mixture, and then add the desiccated coconut.
5. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, and fold into the mixture until thoroughly combined. 
6. Place 2tsps of mixture into each cupcake case and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
7. Whilst the cakes are cooling, colour your coconut. I coloured 15g blue, 10g purple and 5g green (the other 10g is used later!). Put the coconut into a food bag with a drop of the desired colouring and seal the bag. Massage between your hands until the coconut has soaked up all of the colour. Tip: if your colour isn't spreading too well, add a drop of water to soften the coconut
8. Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the frosting by mixing the cream cheese and icing sugar together until just combined. Split this into two bowls. For the first bowl, add the remaining 10g of dessicated coconut and some blue food colouring. For the second bowl, and the lime zest and juice, then put 2tbsp to one side. Colour the remaining icing green.
9. Now for assembly! 
• For Sully - cover 6 of the cupcakes with the blue frosting, and then sprinkle the blue coconut all over it. Place dots of purple coconut on top of this and press lightly into the icing. (refer to photo below)
• For Mike - cover the remaining 6 cupcakes with the green frosting, and sprinkle some of the green coconut around the edge. Place a dollop of some of the reserved white frosting in the centre, and then put a pinch of blue or purple coconut into the middle. (refer to photo below)

And there you have it! The two types are slightly different due to one having lime frosting and the other having coconut, so I'd suggest trying one of each :-) I think these are my favourites so far in terms of look and taste!

Next time it's Finding Nemo, and I'll be experimenting with seaweed!

Happy Thoughts
x

Don't Pick the Prickly Pear by the Paw

Disney Classic # 19 - The Jungle Book

I got my inspiration for this cake when flicking through a recipe book. I came across the recipe for a mango, banana and coconut cake, and immediately I thought "JUNGLE FRUITS = Jungle Book!" It's amazing actually, I think I'm constantly subconsciously looking for cake ideas, just any old thing can trigger it and make me think of a Disney movie.

I have to admit I was a bit dubious about this weeks cake - somehow the thought of mixing mango, banana and coconut just didn't seem to sit right in my mind. My Mr. agreed, he thought that instead I should make a chocolate cake, as chocolate is brown it could represent the bark of the trees in the jungle. *rolls eyes* If the Mr had a say in it, we'd have chocolate cake every week. However, the purpose of this challenge was to experiment, so experiment I did.

Unfortunately my local grocers was fresh out of paw-paws and prickly pears...

I found the recipe in the old trusty BBC Good Food 101 Cakes and Bakes. (Page 54 - Mango, Banana and Coconut Cake). I've never baked a cake with fresh fruit before, but I know that adding fresh fruit to cake mixture can do strange things so I decided to follow the recipe to the letter.

I'd like to make a note here that at various stages this cake mixture looks all kinds of wrong and nasty. Do not despair! Once you've added the flour it will return to something resembling a normal cake mixture, and once baked it tastes delicious and is really very moist!

Prep time: 20 mins     Cook time: 30-35mins      Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe mango
2 medium sized ripe bananas
1tsp vanilla extract
225g margarine
140g light brown sugar
2 eggs
50g desiccated coconut
225g self raising flour
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp mixed spice

For the filling:
200g packet soft cheese
2tsp lemon juice
50g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and grease and line two 8 inch baking tins
2. Peel, stone and chop the mango, and then puree the flesh. Put the mango to one side for now. Peel the bananas and break these up into a small bowl. Mash the bananas to a pulp using a fork, ensuring that there are no large lumps remaining. Mix half of the mango puree into the mashed banana, and put the other half of the mango puree in the fridge for later. Add the vanilla extract to the banana and mango mixture and mix well. Put this fruit mixture to one side.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, and then add these to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. (Note: this is when the cake mixture starts to resemble something not very nice - do not worry, just keep at it and it will taste delicious!)
4. Stir in the banana and mango mixture, and then add the desiccated coconut.
5. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, and fold into the mixture until thoroughly combined. (Note: by now the cake mixture should look fairly normal, if a bit stiff!)
6. Divide the mixture between the two baking tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm to touch, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cakes have baked, leave to cool in the tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
7. Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the filling. Beat together the soft cheese, lemon juice,and icing sugar until smooth and glossy. Stir in the reserved mango puree. Spread the filling evenly onto one of the cakes, and then place the other cake on top of that. Dust the cake with icing sugar to decorate, and serve!

Next time round it's the Aristocats, and I'll be making some very yummy millionaire's shortbread.

Happy Thoughts
x