My goals this 2018 included investing money, learning Spanish and memorizing more poetry. It did not include skill-building in the kitchen, and yet here we are.

I previously blogged about our family’s new year feast. The ‘recipes’ were vague, but anyone reading through the post can probably reproduce the potato salad and macaroni salad.

This time, let’s try (another) dessert!

Introduction: Mango Graham Float Cake

I love this dessert. In the pantheon of must-have Filipino desserts, I’d even rank this higher than halo-halo. From my days eating this in high school until today, it is definitely The Best.

It’s sweet, creamy and cold. Plus, the addition of mango slices gives it the illusion of fruity nutrition. It’s also really easy to make! Especially when you do away with the need to whip and measure things…

LAZY KITCHEN PICK: This only requires 4 ingredients and a working fridge!!!

I also had a lot at stake with this experiment. The canteen at school sells a teeny slice of graham cake (with a rip-off piece of peach instead of proper mango slices) for PHP25 ($0.5). A criminally high price. I felt compelled to see if I can make the dessert at a more reasonable price (I can).

Ingredients: Mango Graham Float Cake

Ingredients:

• 250mL Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 500mL All-Purpose Cream, chilled
• 1 pack (200g; around 15-20 pieces) Graham Crackers (Honey or Chocolate)
• 1-2 Mangoes, sliced (the more the merrier!)

The ratio of ingredients really depends on you. I’m sure there’s a more exact magic to this mess, but basically I just bought 1 can of condensed milk, 2 cans of cream, a pack of graham crackers and a bunch of mangoes.

All the sweetness comes from the sweetened condensed milk so that’s the bit to watch out for.

(I also tried to mix it up by trying to alternate the honey with the chocolate crackers.)

Recipe: Mango Graham Float Cake

I’m going to try my hand at writing instructions… It also took me two batches to achieve a Look, so I’m not sure I could be trusted.

Prep time: IT TOOK ME SO LONG but I’m sure you could do it in an hour.

1. Mix the milk and chilled cream together, then freeze for around 1 hour until the mixture has thickened. In theory, you should whip the mixture to the proper texture, but I had no patience and no whip. Freezing did the trick.
2. Line the bottom of a rectangular/square container with a layer of the crackers. If it doesn’t fit exactly, cutting the pieces will make it fit. No one would know.
3. Pour the chilled cream/milk mix on top of the crackers until the surface is fully covered (maybe a quarter-inch thick).
4. Put a layer of mango slices on top of the mix. You can do it haphazardly or one piece per slice. Again… no one would know. Or care.
5. Repeat with a layer of graham-milk/cream-mango slice, until you run out of ingredients. I got maybe 5 layers in with my measure of ingredients.
6. Pour in the remaining milk/cream and mango slices. Think of the aesthetic.
7. Top with crushed graham. No need to buy a pack of pre-crushed graham –just get some extra crackers and happily crush them to dust.
8. Freeze overnight before eating. Chilling is a valid life choice if you want the graham crackers to absorb the milk/cream better. Freeze it before serving so that the cracker aren’t soggy.

EAT TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENT.

Calorie Watch: Mango Graham Float Cake

Because I’m still an actual medical school student, here’s a helpful breakdown!

There are actually more important things to know, like fat content, sodium levels, sugar and so on. But that’s harder to google. Maybe next time.

• 250mL Sweetened Condensed Filled Milk = 1044 calories
• 500mL All-Purpose Cream = 1350 calories
• 200g Graham Crackers = 846 calories
• 2 Mangos = 180 calories

PARTY SERVING (12 slices) Total = 3420 calories
SINGLE SERVING Total = 285 calories

285 calories for a single slice? Well… WORTH IT. Plus the milk offers calcium content? And there’s fruit.

Kitchenomics: Mango Graham Float Cake

I’m just a part-time freelancing full-time studying poor person. But I am driven by the desire for food.

Everything’s been rounded up. While googling for the prices, I found out that some of them (specifically the M.Y. San Grahams) are available on Lazada. Wild.

• 250mL Sweetened Condensed Filled Milk = PHP50
• 500mL All-Purpose Cream = PHP100
• 200g Graham Crackers = PHP35
• 2 Mangos = PHP80

PARTY SERVING (12 slices) Total = PHP265
SINGLE SERVING Total = PHP22

So my creation (with expensive mangoes) cost PHP22 a slice, which would make the canteen’s PHP25 selling price reasonable. HOWEVER. The value is different. My cake had 5 layers of mango goodness, while the canteen’s version only had 1 sad fruit slice per serving, and thin layers of milk/cream. I could probably drive the prices down more if I bought fruits from the wet market instead of the grocery.

In short: I did it cheaper and better!!!

Until the next episode! (Which will be messier!)

P.S. Can I get sponsored to make food? LOL!