Banana and Mango Mousse Cake

10 September 2005

This is another entry from Le Goût Authentique Retrouvé written by a Japanese patissier Hidemi Sugino. I’ve made a banana mousse cake called B-Caraïbe before – although I’m not that mad about bananas, for some reason I decided to make another one (it looked pretty in the book obviously). He named this cake Exotique – mango mousse and biscuit joconde encased in banana mouse, and coated with lightly roasted coconut. (you set the mango mousse with the sponge first, and push into the banana mousse – that’s how you get the one inside the other uniformly)

In the book, the banana mousse looks almost white and really pretty with the roasted coconut, but my mousse turned brown (although I added lemon juice straight after I made the puree, it didn’t do the trick) and so it didn’t look very appetising – so I cut them in half for the pictures. I wasn’t sure about the chocolate sponge for the base, but it actually works really well with the fruit and helps bring the whole flavour together. I was a little worried that the banana flavour might overpower the mango and other ingredients, but it was the right volume and I was quite happy with this banana experience :)
 

Food - Sweet        46 comments    Permalink

  • Wow. I think that is the most gorgeous piece of food I have ever seen. It’s like a precision-crafted work of art. Wow. :)

    Posted by Beth - The Zen Foodist | 10 September 2005 #

  • I can see being a touch disappointed with a brown mousse when you were expecting white, but I think (as usual) that this dessert looks fantastic, Keiko. Cute and elegant.

    Posted by Nic | 10 September 2005 #

  • Oh. My.

    Gorgous to the 10000th degree. If only I could eat it...*sob*

    Posted by Robyn | 10 September 2005 #

  • What a happy combination!! I’ll definitely love this cake!

    I wish your dessert were shipped to Japan, to my house...>m<

    Posted by akane(@rgb:nanairo-nianco) | 10 September 2005 #

  • Beautiful! I’m not sure about the flavour combinations, but I’d be just as happy to stare at the picture for...oh, say the next half hour?

    Posted by Cin | 10 September 2005 #

  • Looks great Keiko.

    Posted by Barbara | 10 September 2005 #

  • Really lovely moussé. Looks very tasty.

    And dont worry about that you’r bananas got darker, the moussé on the picture in the book was probably "adjusted" for the photo, it is very common that you do that. Not to mention what you can do with photoshop.

    Posted by hoppman | 10 September 2005 #

  • Lovely, Keiko, just lovely! Who eats all of your wonderful food? I find myself NOT making fancy things like these ’cause I would feel so weird sitting in the corner of my sofa in my jammies eating it! Maybe I should get over myself...:-)

    Posted by Zarah Maria | 10 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko, i discovered your blog a week ago and i must say, it is the most beautiful blog i’ve ever seen.All your dishes, desserts and so on look fantastic. Really amazing.And the banana-mango mousse cakes just looks so amazing!

    Keep up the good work.

    Lots of greetz from a belgian fan.

    Posted by Shanna | 10 September 2005 #

  • These mousse cakes look beautiful, Keiko! You make it sound so easy, but with all those different layers it must have been quite a task. Well done! (can I have a piece, please?:)

    Posted by Pille | 10 September 2005 #

  • hi keiko, that looks so beautiful and delicious. i love their meticulous appearance...i must say i am not crazy about bananas as a fruit per se, but they seem to always work well in desserts with chocolate...

    Posted by J | 10 September 2005 #

  • That looks beautiful! I wish I could read Japanese coz I would love to get that book! The dessert looks very elegant and delicious...I happen to love bananas and mangoes...I love your site by the way :) Beautiful pics :)

    Posted by soycap | 10 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko- Your cake looks so professional! The interior of the cake is soooo uniform I can’t believe it, you are really really good. Two thumbs up for the cake and I salute to you. Again in my country we got the sweetest ripe mangoes in different varieties and sometimes they are as sweet as sugar. Banana is another fruit that we are abundant in, they are very cheap and comes again in tons of variety. I personally loves banana in desserts but not to be eaten alone particularly banana flambee with rum. Mango is another favorite fruit of mine especially when they are nice and sweet. I made banana mousse before but it’s cream cheese base and I also layered it with chocolate sponge which like you said works really well. I like banana mousse especially when the bananas used in the mousse are the ones that are overripe, since they got more flavor and more aromatic. I also made a mango mousse before but it’s with vanilla sponge and almonds. I never combine them together so I got soooo excited when I saw your post. My banana mousse also turns dark a little bit and I think it’s ok, banana oxides quickly even if there is lemon juice present but it would somehow lessen it. Thanks for the wonderful cake that you shared with us.

    Posted by Cathy | 11 September 2005 #

  • Dear Keiko

    This looks lovely. The pristine perfection of each piece of cake is breathtaking. Have you considered trying ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder)? Claudia Fleming uses it in her sorbets to prevent fruits from oxidizing. I tried it in her concorde grape sorbet recipe and it worked really well. I’ve since taken to adding some ascorbic acid into our morning juices too, to stop them from getting oxidized. It can make things taste sour, though. But I assume that the sugar in the mousse would mask it. However, I don’t know if adding it will affect the recipe. I was able to buy ascorbic acid at a health supplements store.

    Posted by S | 11 September 2005 #

  • hi keiko, having been a regular silent visitor, I must now come forth and say, your posts and pics are incredibly good (the pics are like poetry in motion) - salute .. salute... :)

    Posted by eatzycath | 11 September 2005 #

  • Those look so chic...and delicious too I’m sure. I love bananas actually, as a fruit AND in desserts, so I would have no problems with this (especially as it’s paired with mango and chocolate...YUM!)

    Posted by joey | 11 September 2005 #

  • Oh wow. These are so precisely made. They look wonderful, and it sounds like they tasted as good as they look! Beautifully photographed as always!

    Posted by AugustusGloop | 12 September 2005 #

  • It’s a great exercise in depth of field Keiko. I’m holding an imaginary ruler from one side of the cake to the other. What size lens did you use?

    I’m off to punish my food for being unruly.

    Posted by anthony | 12 September 2005 #

  • I really should get myself down to that patisserie. Thank goodness it’s finally cooling down in Tokyo, which means I don’t have to hide at home all day.

    And Keiko, I think the beige colored cream is really nice. After all, who would expect banans to be pure white? Nice job slicing it in half for the photo too!

    Posted by Lynn | 12 September 2005 #

  • Gorgeous Keiko!

    Posted by clare eats | 12 September 2005 #

  • Oh my, are you an architect Keiko? ;)

    That is one sure example of precision baking.

    Wonderful as usual and I love that mango-banana combination.

    Posted by celiaK | 12 September 2005 #

  • These are so beautiful. Food as art. Perfect.

    Posted by Chubby Hubby | 12 September 2005 #

  • Spectacular! You are a gourmet architect!

    Posted by Mel | 13 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko, that cake looks so perfect! The banana and mango sound wonderful together.. stunning as usual!

    Posted by Michele | 13 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko,

    I love the way these cakes look and can just imagine their flavor. I’m sure it must have tasted quite tropical, especially with the mango, coconut and banana flavors.

    Posted by Reid | 14 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko, your creations are always so visually perfect, never a crumb out of place! I really enjoy it when you showcase a dessert from one of your Japanese cookbooks, as they’re often so unusual and many of us would never be able to discover them otherwise. This one has a very tempting combination of ingredients - I hate eating bananas but I love their flavor in desserts!

    Posted by melissa | 14 September 2005 #

  • Wow...Gorgeous!!! If I ever made something that beautiful, I’m not sure I could bring myself to eat it....who am I kidding...it’d be gone in a second!

    Posted by Alice | 14 September 2005 #

  • Keiko, another beautiful masterpiece...I can almost taste it looking at this picture. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got next!

    Posted by Cath | 15 September 2005 #

  • Hi there, sorry for being late getting back and thanks so much for all your kind notes!

    Akane-san - you could come over anytime ;)

    Hoppman - I try to use PS in an *effective* way, but I’m not very good at it to start with therefore all my pictures come out the same as when I started!

    Zarah - you have probably guessed that I make plain things more than fancy things ;)

    Shana - thank you for your kind words, I visited your site but sadly I couldn’t understand it... What a shame!

    Pille - once you get used to making them, it’s actually more tedious than difficult.

    Soycap - I think I’m gonna try lots more recipes from the book - I started feeling like I *must*!

    Cathy - I always appreciate your kind words and useful tips. I’m sure if you use local fruit, it would have much more flavour. Banana and cream cheese sounds like a great combo!

    S - thank you for your tips. I’ve only got the last course, if it’s not the one, could you let me know which book you are referring to?

    Anthony - I just got my first SLR (canon 350D), which blew my bank balance and I haven’t (and won’t) be able to afford any lenses at all, so sadly I’m stuck with the kit lens for a while.

    Lynn - looking forward to your report ;)

    Reid - I’m sure this would taste much nicer if you make it with the fresh fruit you can get there...

    Melissa - your words reminded me of a story... I played tennis (a lot) when I was a student and my coach *forced* me to eat bananas during a match!

    Posted by keiko | 15 September 2005 #

  • Hi Cath - thank you for your notes, I’ll email you shortly!

    Posted by keiko | 15 September 2005 #

  • Hi Keiko

    Yes, I’m talking about The Last Course (which you inspired me to buy after your caramel chocolate tartlet post). On page 54, you’ll notice that she purees the grapes with ascorbic acid. Perhaps this trick might help with the bananas?

    Posted by S | 15 September 2005 #

  • Keiko, you’ve clearly succeeded with this attempt, and it looks so pretty. Looks like alot of work too putting them together. And congrats with the new SLR camera!!

    Posted by steffles | 15 September 2005 #

  • I once made a banana cheesecake and it turned brown too :( eventhough it did not affect the taste it was still visually compromised...........

    Posted by Rabbit | 15 September 2005 #

  • Keiko

    This looks absolutely marvellous. Do you have an English version of the recipe as I have to make a cake for a friend’s birthday and this would just fit the bill!

    Posted by Anne | 15 September 2005 #

  • Sorry you couldn’t understand the articles on my site Keiko,it is in dutch. I don’t know if i’m that good in writing in English.But i’ll try. I also put a link to your site on my blog. Your blog is just so marvellous.

    Posted by Shanna | 16 September 2005 #

  • I like the repetition of the pieces of cake. They look delicious.

    Posted by Smoove D | 17 September 2005 #

  • Hi there,

    S - thanks for letting me know!

    Steffles - thank you, but I’ve been struggling with the new camera as I’ve never used SLRs before...

    Rabbit - banana cheesecake! Yum!

    Anne - I suspect it’s only in Japanese, I can try to translate if you really want it though.

    Shanna - thanks for posting in English, looking forward to coming posts :)

    Smoove D - I didn’t mean to take this kind of shot, but I ended up like this...

    Posted by keiko | 26 September 2005 #

  • hi keiko, your cake looks very nice indeed!! would you happen to have an english recipe to share? i clicked on the link and it took me to a japanese website. it would be great if i could read jap but i cant!! very sorry to bother you really but was wondering if you know of an english version of the book coz your pic look so tempting i really would like to try it out!!

    Posted by zhicong | 30 November 2006 #

  • Hi Keiko..

    I like to get this recipe book but its in japanise i guess?? :(

    Posted by Hale | 5 December 2006 #

  • Hi Zhicong & Hale – I’m sorry I didn’t get back sooner. This book is only available in Japanese, but he has another book called Dessert Book which has a brief English translation along the Japanese. As for the recipe, I simply don’t have time to translate it, I’ll try when I can!

    Posted by keiko | 12 January 2007 #

  • Hi Keiko1

    I love your website, the photos are fantastic! I think this cake would actually look better in brown rather than white. You make some really excellent food!

    Posted by brookie cookie | 22 January 2007 #

  • Great perspective ! May I ask you what kind of lens do you shoot the most of your desert? I took photos of the desert sometimes (not often) I did with Sigma DC 17/70 F2.8-4.5, wondering which one is better? Thanks !

    Teresa ( From Taiwan )

    Posted by Colourful Life | 15 May 2008 #

  • Hi Teresa – sorry for the late response. I normally use 60mm and 90mm macro for food shots, I haven’t tried the Sigma so I can’t say which is better. You should actually try some at a shop.

    Posted by keiko | 1 July 2008 #

  • Hi, I am so inspired by all your desserts! Espically your photography. I had a question though. Is there a way to get Hidemi Sugino books in english? Or find a translated version into english?

    Posted by Ajay | 18 December 2008 #

  • your pictures are fantastic!!!!!!,.....it givs me ideas on presentations…...im from the phillipines and this pixs are sum wat new to my eyes…......very good!a job well done for u…il be looking at this site more often….

    Posted by kathleen | 9 March 2009 #

  • Hi Ajay and Kathleen – I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you, thank you for your kind notes.

    Ajay – he has two books and one of them has a brief English translation, see the amazon jp link below;
    http://www.amazon.co.jp/杉野英実のデザートブック-杉野-英実/dp/4388059382/

    Posted by keiko | 27 April 2009 #

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