Mango-ginger muffins with cashew-coconut streusel

We've all heard of drunk dialing and drunk texting...but sleep dialing?

The other night My Dear Little Cardamummy gave me a call. Nothing truly out of the usual...except she's currently back in India and our usual routine is to chat on Sunday mornings, unless something's wrong.

No, nothing was wrong.

She told me of the trip to the Ashram, how uncle was doing, visiting the book store, how My Big Strong Cardapoppy parked under a tree and the car was covered in copious amounts of bird poo.

I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I didn't expect to, so I just listend.

From her voice I could tell she wasn't quite awake, but awake enough to dial me. It was about 7am her time, so she probably rolled out of bed and reached for the phone.

At the end of her 15 minute one-woman show she asked me how things were. I wished her a happy Mother's Day. She thanked me and launched into a shorter soliloquy about mangoes.

"There are so many mangoes in our trees. They are falling everywhere."

"And falling on your head?"

"And making me grow short."

So there you have it. Mum's ever-shrinking stature is now being blamed on over-ripe fruit hurtling towards the ground, with only her own self cushioning their fall.

Needless to say I'm not spending Mother's day with My Dear Little Cardamummy, but I am thinking of her. Those ripe mangoes, squelching with sweet juices--along with the flavours that compliment them so well-inspired this week's breakfast baking.

These mango-ginger muffins topped with cashew coconut streusel are easy to pull together. You don't need fresh mangoes for these and can use frozen or tinned fruit (in fact, unless you live in an area where they grow, you may be better off to buy frozen or tinned). Serve them warm with a bit of butter and a hot cup of tea.

Mango-ginger muffins with cashew-coconut streusel

Yield 12 muffins

Ingredients

for the streusel topping

50g (125ml/0.5c) chopped cashews

25g (60ml/0.25g) shredded coconut

50g (60ml/0.25c) brown sugar

35g (60ml/0.25c) all purpose flour

2Tbsp (30ml) soft butter

for the muffins

210g (375ml/1.5c) all purpose flour

1tsp (5ml) baking powder

1tsp (5ml) bicarbonate of soda

0.75tsp (3ml)ground ginger

0.25tsp(1ml) salt

100g (125ml/0.5c) sugar

55g (0.25c) butter

3Tbsp (45ml) flavourless oil

60ml (0.25c) yoghurt

1 egg, beaten

225g (250ml/1c) diced mango

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line a 12-bowl muffin tin with papers.

Make the streusel by rubbing the butter into the rest of the streusel ingredients. Set aside.

For the muffins, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt. Set aside

Mix together the sugar, butter, oil, egg and yoghurt. Mix into the dry ingredients until about half combined--there will be clumps of flour and clumps of wet. You just want to get the mixing process started. Fold in the chopped mango until everything is just mixed. Do not aim for a smooth cake batter.

Divide into the papered bowls. Top with streusel mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and an inserted skewer escapes with a few crumbs clinging to it.

Notes:

• You can use fresh, frozen or tinned mangoes. If you are using tinned, use a 398ml tin, drained of syrup.
• If you don't have raw cashews, but have roasted ones, simply rinse the salt off those and use them instead.
• You can substitute almonds or pistachios for cashews

cheers!
jasmine
I'm a quill for hire!