Double Chocolate Mango Raspberry Shortcakes with Espresso Cream

It’s a long title, but such a delicious one.

This month’s #bakeogether recipe is double chocolate strawberry shortcake. I love strawberry shortcake. I love chocolate. My children love strawberry shortcake. And they love chocolate too.

I was so excited to make this recipe! It is family tradition to have a strawberry shortcake supper every year when the local berries ripen. There was only one problem. My strawberries are late this year, and not quite ready for picking. (Here in Southern Alberta strawberry season doesn’t usually start until the end of June.)

On the other hand, I did happen to have a case of lovely, ripe mangoes sitting on my counter begging to be used. Right, mango shortcakes it is.

The double chocolate shortcake sounded perfect. I didn’t change a thing there, well, except to use yogurt instead of buttermilk, but I always do that.

To up the zing and add more color contrast to the mangoes, I tossed in a handful of frozen raspberries. I did no add any additional sugar, liqueur, salt, or anything, just mangoes and raspberries.

Mascarpone is woefully hard to find out here, so I was left with just cream for the topping. I beat in powdered sugar instead of granulated to help stabilize it, then, on a whim, added a shot of espresso. I know it sounds odd, but the idea of coffee and mango just sounded good together. And it is.

And yes, this was supper.

Here is a link to the original recipe, as posted by Abby. Below is her recipe with my modifications.

Double Chocolate Mango Raspberry Shortcakes with Espresso Cream

For the Shortcakes:

• 4 oz. chilled butter, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Blend the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and blend it into the flour with your fingers as though you were making pie dough (see Oh Boy, Strawberry Pie for directions).
3. When only small pieces of butter remain unblended, add the yogurt and vanilla. Mix until it forms a shaggy, moist dough.
4. Pat (do not roll) the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness onto a lightly floured surface. Cut with a round cookie cutter. Reform scraps into a ball and pat out a 2nd time. Cut more shortbreads and discard the remaining scraps.
5. Place dough rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes, until shortbreads are puffed, and spring back when you lightly press them in the center.

For the Espresso Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cold espresso

1. Whip the cream with the sugar until foamy. Add the espresso and keep beating until soft peaks form.

For the Fruit:

• 6 ripe ataulfo mangoes
• 1/3 cup frozen raspberries

1. Peel and dice the mangoes. Toss with the raspberries and let sit until the berries thaw.

To Assemble:

1. Slice the warm shortbread in half.
2. Spoon about 1 T. of cream on the bottom half of the shortbread.
3. Add several large spoonfuls of fruit.
4. Top the fruit with a large spoon of cream.
5. Place the top half of the shortbread on the cream, and add another spoon of cream to the top of it.
6. Sprinkle dessert with cacao nibs.

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