My, my Mango Madness!

Well, I did it! I finally brought my idea of creating a refreshing take on Mango Cheesecake! My version starts with it's Vanilla Cookie Wafer crust which has crushed almonds mixed into it. It really compliments the flavor of this light and tropical cheesecake very well.

I use ripe Manila Mangoes since I like it's sweeter, creamier Mango flavor, as well as a touch of almond extract to add a whole new dimension to this recipe. I wasn't quite sure if it would work, but I really wanted to incorporate two flavors that I love into one single dessert and I think I succeeded in doing just that.

Of course, I had to top it with a double ring of Mango Almond Whipped Cream to bring this dessert over the top delicious.

I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into another bite! Absolutely yummy.

The First Flour

The story of how My Flour Garden Grows cannot be told without mentioning the dessert that started it all ~ my Signature Original Flour Pot Cakes! I literally dreamt about making these cakes and turning them into a beautifully appealing dessert that would tie in with the whole "garden" theme for my online bakery business.

I thought to myself...how cool to have a dessert that would be the literal equivalent of picking flowers from a garden. I've actually seen the concept for larger cakes which have been referred to as "dirt" cakes, but these were on a larger scale. Martha Stewart even did a version where a gardener's pail was filled with cookie "dirt" and layers of cake and pudding (I think). It's been awhile since I've seen it, but I recall her making something like that.

I loved the idea, but wanted to bring it down to a smaller, cuter scale. Thus, my Flour Pot Cakes were born! I basically bake my cakes in containers shaped like mini-flower pots and decorate them with frosting, cover them in cookie "dirt" and top it off with either a silk or sugar flower ~ whichever my customer prefers.

Pictured are my traditional dark chocolate Flour Pot Cakes with a single, white silk flower.

Out of the mind of wackiness comes great ideas! So now you know how my garden started to bloom.

Taro Cream Cheesecake (aka Ube Cheesecake)

I love desserts! I love it, perhaps, a little too much. My mind is always racing trying to figure out the next crazy (yet delicious!) sweet treat recipe that no other bakery out there offers.

Well, the latest crazy recipe I came up with is what I call Taro Cream Cheesecake. I feel the need to clarify for my Filipino dessert fans that it's basically an Ube Cheesecake. I have checked around and don't believe this is a dessert that so far exists anywhere, but out of my wacky brain.

I tried it out with my family and everyone LOVED it~! It didn't even last 2 days. People were licking their plates and forks.

The next recipe I want to try is perhaps a crazy Mango inspired cheesecake, but that has yet to be implemented into reality. I also thought about stuffed marshmallows! Doesn't that sound yummy!

Anyway, I often get asked if I went to Culinary School to learn how to bake. The answer is no. I'm pretty much self-taught simply because my love of desserts and wanting to learn how to make them myself eventually became my passion.

My folks were in the food business as my younger sister and I were growing up. Of course, we never had a lack of food (savory and sweet) while our parents were in the business. I, especially, actually resented having to give up my Summer to work at our deli and bakery business (which eventually turned into several business ventures that proved to be too much for the family). Long story short, I took it for granted.

I worked the counter when we owned our bakery business and it never entered my mind that that's where my love of desserts would take me back sometime in the future. Well, here I am. In the future that I could only dream about years ago. Except now, my dream is to one day have a retail store location where my customers can come in and purchase my baked goods, rather than waiting for me to deliver them. Of course, I don't think I will ever stop offering my dessert delivery service for it's what's made my bakery business stand out from the rest.

So that's where my thought processes are right now. I hope you check in often to catch up on my latest, newest dessert ideas - whether they work or not.

Until next time.