Vegan Gluten-Free Almond Mango Cake

       There are two words that when combined, they just equal yum!  Almond and mango!!!  Really, how could you go wrong with this combo?  Don’t ask why it’s taken this long for me to put them together when they are so obviously meant to be.  I hope you enjoy this instant tropical classic!

You'll need:

1 cup organic coconut oil

2 cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp orange extract

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup fresh mango, chopped

3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup mango juice

1/3 cup coconut cream

1 cup sliced almonds

       Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare two round 9” pans by greasing and flouring with gluten-free flour.

       In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, cream together coconut oil and sugar.  Next, mix in the extracts then continue whipping until fully creamed.  Finally, whip in the pumpkin puree and mango.

       In a liquid measuring cup, combine the mango juice and coconut cream.  Set aside until needed.

       In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Then stir into the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the juice/cream mixture.  Lastly, fold in the sliced almonds.

       Pour batter into prepared pans then Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center and the tops are a light golden brown.  Allow to cool fully before frosting.

Almond Cream Frosting

1 1/2 cup palm shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tsp almond extract

Mango juice, as needed

       In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the shortening until smooth.  Add in two cups of powdered sugar and cream together until the shortening is thick and crumbly.

       Add in the extracts and a splash of mango juice then whip together.  Add in another cup of powdered sugar followed by just enough mango juice to make the frosting nice and smooth.  Continue mixing until creamy.

       Assemble the cake layers, frost, serve, and enjoy! For some added fun, garnish the top with a sprinkle of sliced almonds!