Mango Curd Bars

Bars as in fruit crumble bars, fruit curd bars, or even chocolatey smores bars are a versatile dessert to take to any kind of parties. Especially as we approach summer. They are easy to put together, are portable and most importantly, they do not last long!

Different kinds of mangoes I grew up eating

Growing up in Mumbai, summer, which usually lasted the months of April, May and June – were filled with aam ras or mango juice with every meal. It was perhaps my favorite season of the year, and favorite fruit! There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes found in India.

The most popular ones that I grew up eating were Alphonso, Payari, Kesar and Langda. Payari variety is juicy and truly makes the best raas that you can ever have in your entire life! The other varieties are great for eating as is.

With mango season in mind, I really wanted to make a fruit curd bar, so here are my Mango Curd Bars. Also, with Mother’s Day around the corner, I wanted to make these bars to make for the most special mom in your life!

Mango curd bar pulp – where can I get it from?

These bars are gluten free. I have used canned Alphonso mango pulp that I get from the Indian grocery store. The can is also available on Amazon here. I would highly recommend the pulp from the Indian grocery store. Because the pulp is so sweet, you will end up using less sugar for the bars themselves.

Mango Curd Bars – Crust ingredients:

The crust is gluten free, and it’s ingredients are:

• Unsalted butter: I almost always use unsalted butter, because you can control the amount of salt in your final product. But I have made these bars with salted butter too, and eliminated the added salt. It turns out great.
• Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar has caramel properties, and it also helps sweeten the crust.
• Almond flour: I have been a fan of almond flour since my early blogging days. I love the nutty flavor it brings to the final product.
• Gluten free oat flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour and it gives a lovely texture to the crust.
• Ground ginger and cardamom: Ginger, cardamom and mango are a stellar combination and I wanted to incorporate the spices in the crust.

The crust is a gluten free crust, and it comes together really quickly, simply by mixing all the ingredients together. Place the filling in an 8×8 inch baking pan, lined with parchment paper, that is adhered with cooking spray. This helps to remove the entire bar, neatly, once baked and cooled.

The crust is baked for about 20 minutes or until golden brown in color

 What baking pan do you use for these bars?

I use the 8×8 baking pan for these bars. It ls linked here.

Mango curd ingredients:

The ingredients of the mango curd are:

• Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is used to sweeten the mango curd.
• Eggs: Eggs help to bind the curd mixture, especially once baked, the curd layer remains steady.
• Lime juice and zest: Lime and mango are a match made in heaven, and addition of lime gives the necessary tartness to the sweet mango.
• Canned Mango pulp: I get the canned mango pulp from the Indian grocery store. It is inexpensive, and really flavors mango desserts beautifully.
• Ground ginger: Mango and ginger go really well together, it’s a given to have them together.
• Vanilla extract: Generally bakers do not add vanilla extract in curds, but I love the added flavor.
• Corn starch: It helps to hold the curd together, and keeps the layer steady once baked and cooled.

The mango curd is simply mixing all the ingredients by whisking together, and then pouring it onto the baked crust. The bars are baked for about 25 to 30 minutes. Ground ginger or sooth(as in Gujarati language), is added to mango raas, to aid digestion.

Decoration of the Mango Curd Bars

Once completely cooled, and chilled, you can choose to decorate the bars either by a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or if you want to make them fancy, pipe whipped cream on top of each bar with a sprinkling of freeze-dried strawberry powder.

If you want to make them even more festive, add sprinkles or a gold leaf speck on the top of each bar.

How long will the bars keep?

The bars must be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for upto a week.

If you do make these bars, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.

Other Mother’s day recipes that you can make from my blog:

• Passion Fruit Tart with Passion Fruit Ganache
• Ferrero Rocher Mini Cheesecakes
• Chocolate Cookie Sandwich with Strawberry-Hibiscus Marshmallow

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day and celebrate her with these lovely bars!

XO
Amisha

Mango Curd Bars

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• Amisha Gurbani

Sharing these easy gluten-free mango and ginger curd bars with you that are pretty and delicious! The crust is made with almond flour and gluten free oat flour, along with ginger and cardamom. The mango curd has ground ginger too, along with lime and zest, to balance out the sweetness of the mangoes. Be sure to get very sweet mangoes, or use the Canned Alphonso Mango pulp from the Indian grocery stores. Feeling lazy to pipe whipped cream? Simply sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar or freeze dried strawberry powder.

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Ingredients:

Crust:

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 (110g) cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup (120g) almond flour
• 1 cup (130g) gluten free oat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Mango Curd Filling:

• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup canned Alfonso mango puree
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch

Whipped Cream:

• 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon gelatin

Garnish:

• 2 tablespoons strawberry powder

Equipment:

• 8x8 inch baking pan
• 1 12 inch pastry bag
• Any size french tip

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Method:

Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C.
2. Grease the insides of an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place a ¼ quarter sheet parchment paper to adhere to the sides. Repeat with another ¼ quarter sheet parchment paper to adhere to the opposite sides. Overhang will help to remove the bars, once baked and cooled.
3. In a large bowl, add the melted and warm butter and light brown sugar. Whisk the mixture until incorporated. Add the almond flour, oat flour, salt, ginger and cardamom. Mix until well combined.
4. Add the mixture to the pan. Using a small offset spatula, pat on the mixture to even it out completely, up until the edges of the pan, to form a smooth even layer.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown in color

Mango Curd Filling:

1. In the meanwhile, let’s make the mango curd filling.
2. In a large bowl, add the eggs and granulated sugar. Whisk until well incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients like mango puree, lime juice, lime zest, salt, ginger, vanilla extract and corn starch. Whisk until well combined and the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the mixture on top of the baked crust. Pop any bubbles on the top.
4. Place the baking pan again in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until set. When the pan is lightly shaken, the top will jiggle ever so slightly.
5. Remove and cool completely.
6. Cool in the fridge for atleast 4 hours.

Whipped Cream:

1. In a small bowl add the water and the gelatin, mix to combine. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add all the ingredients including the gelatin and whisk at medium speed for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes, or until stiff peaks are formed.
3. Place the whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with the french tip. Squeeze the whipped cream towards the tip.

Assembly:

1. Remove the pan from the fridge. With both hands, gently remove the bar using the parchment paper overhang, onto a cutting board.
2. Cut the bars equally into 16 squares, using a sharp knife, cleaning the knife with a wet paper towel between cuts, for a clean cut.
3. With the piping tip at 90 degrees to the bars, pipe whipped cream in a pretty pattern on the top of the bars.
4. Using a fine sieve, shower strawberry powder on top of the bars for a festive touch.

Note:

1. The bars must be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for upto a week.

Notes

• I use the 8×8 baking pan for these bars. It ls linked here.
•  I have used canned Alphonso mango pulp that I get from the Indian grocery store. The can is also available on Amazon here. But you can use fresh or canned mango puree.
• Cut the bars equally into 16 squares, using a sharp knife, cleaning the knife with a wet paper towel between cuts, for a clean cut.
• Once completely cooled, and chilled, you can choose to decorate the bars either by a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or if you want to make them fancy, pipe whipped cream on top of each bar with a sprinkling of freeze-dried strawberry powder.
• The bars must be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for upto a week.