Mango Mousse Cake

4.64 from 22 votes

This mango mousse cake has a light and luscious layer of cloud-like, fresh mango mousse floating on a moist coconut sponge cake.

Prep Time20

Cook Time28

Total Time48

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mango cake, Mango Mousse Cake

Servings: Servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Cake:

2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
1 cups All-Purpose Flour 120 rams
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
⅔ cup sweetened coconut flakes

For the Mango Purée:

6 medium mangos or 3½ pounds
½ cup granulated sugar optional
½ cup cold water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder 5 teaspoons (I used Knox)

For the Whip Cream:

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Spray the paper with non-stick spray, set the pan aside.
Place the eggs (while still in the egg shells) in a bowl of very warm water. The water should feel like very warm bath water. Let them sit in the warm water for about 10-minutes. Warming the eggs up will help them whip with more volume.
Crack the warmed eggs into a stand mixer (or use a hand held electric mixer), begin beating on high speed with the whisk attachment while gradually adding the remaining sugar. Beat until the eggs and sugar are thick, fluffy, and pale in color.
When you lift the beater the egg mixture should fall in a ribbon like pattern. That's how you know the eggs have mixed long enough. It should take 8 to 10 minutes (15 minutes with a hand-held mixer).
Stop the mixer and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture, then fold the flour in just to combine. The batter will be thick.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the oil, coconut milk, vanilla and coconut extracts, then stir about ½ of the cake batter into the mixture. (See notes) Pour this mixture back into the main cake batter, add the flaked coconut and fold the mixture to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Place the cake on a wire rack and cool for 5-minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Cut strips of parchment paper to line the inside edges of the springform pan. The strips should be wide enough to extend ½ to 1-inch above the top of the cake ring. Carefully place the cake inside the pan. (See note #4)

For the Mango Purée:

In a small shallow dish add ½ cup cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it sit to soften.
Peel and cube the mangos then add them to a food processor or blender and puree them.
Pour the mango puree into a sauce pan and add the sugar. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes while constantly stirring. This will reduce the puree and concentrate the flavors.
Set the dish with the gelatin in the microwave and zap it for 10-15 seconds to liquify it. Pour the liquified gelatin into the mango puree.
Refrigerate until cool, stirring every few minutes until slightly thickened. (See notes)

For the Whip Cream:

Place the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and begin whipping. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue whipping until you have stiff peaks.
Fold ½ of the whipped cream into the cooled mango puree, then fold in the other half of the whipped cream.

Assembling the cake:

Get the springform pan that you lined with a parchment collar and place the cake on the bottom. Pour the mango mousse on top of the cake and chill for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight until firm.
When the cake is firm, remove the outer ring of the spring-form pan and peal off the parchment paper collar. Garnish with cubes of fresh mango and mint sprigs.

Video

Notes

Incorporating the oil and milk mixture: the whipped egg-and-flour mixture will be quite thick. Mixing a small portion of it into the oil and milk mixture first makes it much easier to blend everything together without overmixing the batter.

For a smooth purée: if your mangos are stringy or fibrous, press the purée through a fine-mesh strainer. This step removes tiny lumps and gives the mousse a silky, velvety texture.

Quickly cooling the mango purée: set the bowl of purée inside a larger bowl filled with ice and water. Stir frequently until the purée is cool and slightly thickened.

Adding a parchment collar: line the inside edge of the pan with a tall strip of parchment before adding the mousse. We cut a strip about 32 inches long and 4 inches tall. It helps the mousse hold its shape and gives the cake clean, even sides.

Assembling directly on a cake plate: center the cake layer on a serving plate and place the rim of the springform pan over it. Slip the parchment collar between the rim and the cake, then tighten the hinge. Pour the prepared mousse on top, smooth the surface, and chill until firm.

To unmold and serve: if the cake was assembled on a plate, simply remove the springform rim and gently peel away the parchment collar. If it was assembled in the pan, remove the rim and parchment, then use a long, stiff spatula to loosen and lift the cake from the pan base onto a serving plate or cake stand.

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