Chai Pound Cake with Chocolate and Mango Curd
This week’s Star Baker, Steve, presented a spiced cake brightened with mango curd for his Signature Bake
Black tea and warm spices from chai-flavoured sachets deliver an aromatic punch in this crowd-pleasing pound cake. Topped with smooth mango curd, its flavour profile hits all the high notes.
The cake helped Steve become the first Star Baker of the season in Cake Week on The Great Canadian Baking Show.
Chai Pound Cake with Chocolate and Mango Curd
By Steve Levitt
Ingredients
Pound Cake:
- ½ cup plus 6 tbsp (200 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lime
- 4 eggs, at room tempature
- 1⅓ cups (189 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 chai-flavoured tea bags, tea removed from sachets and finely ground
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup plain 2% Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp lime juice, from about ½ lime
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (125 g) chopped pecans, toasted
- ¾ cup (125 g) milk chocolate chips or callets
Mango Curd:
- ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup mango juice or purée
- 2 tbsp lime juice, from about 1 lime
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, cubed
Preparation
Pound Cake:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until lightened. Scrape the sides of the bowl and with the mixer on medium-low, slowly add the sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the lime zest and combine on medium-low. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed until fully incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, salt and baking powder.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lime juice and vanilla.
Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the yogurt mixture followed by the remaining flour mixture and mix until almost combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the pecans and chocolate, and stir in gently by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning the cake onto a rack to cool completely.
Mango Curd:
Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add the mango juice or purée, lime juice and egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Place over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture begins to bubble. Continue to whisk for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until combined. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to avoid a film developing on top. Chill until set.
To assemble, place the pound cake on a platter. Spoon the chilled curd over the cake.
Makes one 9-by-5-inch pound cake