Belinda Jeffery

There’s something about a simple cake like this that has huge appeal. I think it’s a mixture of the surprise of lifting off the tin and seeing the gorgeous fruit-covered bottom, and that first blissful mouthful of warm, buttery cake and caramelised mango.

Serves 8

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly butter a 22-24cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Don’t use a springform tin for this, as the caramel tends to bubble up the sides of the tin, and if it’s baked in a springform, it’s likely to leak at the base.

For the topping, melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and salt and stir it until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and tilt it to coat the base evenly.

Cut the cheeks of the mangoes away from either side of the stones then halve and peel each cheek. Slice them into 6mm thick slices and arrange them decoratively over the caramel in the tin, making sure they overlap. (You can cut away the rest of the flesh from the mango and peel and slice it to fill in any gaps. This, of course, leaves you with the mango stones, which any mango lover will tell you is the best part of all!)

To make the cake batter, put the butter and sugar in a mixer bowl and beat them on medium speed for 5 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, and finally add in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, use a balloon whisk to mix together the almond meal, flour, and salt, so they’re thoroughly combined. Fold this into the butter mixture in two lots. Gently dollop the batter over the mangoes and spread it evenly, being careful not to disturb the mango slices underneath.

Bake the cake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a fine skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. When it’s ready take it out of the oven and leave it to settle on a cooling rack. After a few minutes gently loosen the cake around the edges of the tin. Leave it for a couple more minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate.

Lightly brush the fruit with the maple syrup, if using, to give it a shine. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or lashings of cream.