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This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time. My parents live across the country from us, and I had wanted to send my mother something yummy for Mother’s Day. And hey, my mother adores mangos! It’s her favorite fruit of all time. My family traveled a lot when we were growing up, and whenever we’d visit Southeast Asian countries, she’d fill up on the sweet, juicy tropical fruit. I always think of my mom when I eat mangoes.

Clearly, I inherited my mother’s taste buds. It was hard for me to control myself when making this bread. As I diced the mangoes, I kept stealing bits to munch on. Thankfully, I had bought a huge box of mangoes from Costco—about 10 for $7.99. So even though the recipe called for one large mango, I think by the end, I’d used two :)

Instead of making one large loaf, I made four mini loaves. I wanted to send two to my mother, another to a beloved aunt and keep the last one for B and myself.

The smell of this bread baking was amazing. The mangoes, the golden raisins, the ground ginger… they all made the bread smell fantastic. But I was somewhat disappointed when I pulled the loaves out—the tops were extremely hard and borderline crunchy. I probably should have decreased the cooking time much more than I did.

I was counting on the crust softening up a bit as it traveled to California. I made sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then put each loaf into its own cellophane bag. Each bag was tied with a pink ribbon.

I’m happy to report that by the time my mom received her package the next day, both mini loaves of Dorie’s Fresh Mango Bread were indeed fresh, tasty and very soft! She enjoyed the bread very much, as did my aunt and B and I. We all loved the pure mango flavor, and even though I had decreased some of the sugar in the recipe, the bread was still sweet enough. And just as Dorie said in her notes, the fruit and spice flavors intensified when the bread was wrapped in plastic, so it was the perfect baked treat to send overnight.

I’m so glad Kelly picked this recipe for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge. I’ve posted my variation of the recipe below, but for Dorie’s original recipe, visit Kelly’s blog, Baking with the Boys.

Recipe: Fresh Mango Bread
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango)
• 3/4 cup moist, plump golden raisins

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over-baking).

Begin by dicing the mangoes. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs and oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended—the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together.

Stir in the mango, raisins and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent). Transfer the pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Serving: As good as this bread is freshly baked, I think it’s even better the next day. One day spent wrapped in plastic seems to intensify the fruit and spice flavors. Of course, if you can’t wait, don’t. Just cut the loaf into thick slices and serve with tea, hot or iced, or coffee.

Storing: Wrapped in plastic, the cake will keep for about 4 days at room temperature.