Easy is the name of this Mango Cake today!
It is a proven fact that I am in love with easy recipes in my old age and this triple mango cake tops the list!
Another “throw it all in the food processor” cake method
But honestly this easy mango cake can also be mixed up by hand in a large bowl with a whisk!
The texture of this Mango Cake is more like a pound cake
Which makes it great for carving and stacking since it is very sturdy and has very little crumbs!
I’m also using my lower sugar recipe for buttercream flavored with more mango!
It’s an Ermine Buttercream spinoff which uses apples as the base, but instead of apples I am using more mangoes!
Be sure to watch the video for how to make this awesome buttercream, it is the best way to incorporate fruit flavors into your buttercream since the base is a cooked custard rather than a traditionally mixed buttercream.
The recipe below lists mango instead of apples, but the mix method is the same
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Notes for Success:
If you do go the food processor route you will need a 14 cup capacity model for this hefty recipe!
Otherwise just mix the recipe by hand in a large bowl with a whisk!
In the video I mistakenly said I used baking powder in addition to the baking soda, this was an error there is only baking soda in this recipe
Canned Mango Pulp is my new obsession because somehow it has more mango punch than fresh mango!
Of course you can use fresh mango if that’s all you have or if you don’t want to use canned since these ingredients are interchangeable
I am making 2- 7″ cake layers instead of my usual 3 layers so this cake will only serve about 8-10 people
Or approximately 20 cupcakes from this amount of batter
If you need a larger cake simply make 1½X the recipe and divide the batter between 2-8″ or even 9″ cake pans but be careful of you math!
Additionally it is wise to use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients especially the flour since some people have had bad results from a heavy hand measuring flour with a volume cups measure
Many people like to use cake flour instead of all purpose, you can easily substitute cake flour here
For the buttercream recipe it will be helpful to watch the YouTube video tutorial to see how I made this recipe and although it is using apples
You will simply substitute the mango puree as listed below in the recipe
Cornstarch is a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure
So while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.
WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR HOW I MADE THIS EASY MANGO CAKE
Easy Mango Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- Chopped Fresh or Frozen Mango 1½ cups equal to 1 cup puree
- OR Mango Puree 1 cup (240ml)
- Plant Milk ½ cup (118ml)
- Vegetable Oil ¾ cup (177ml)
- Lemon Juice 2 tablespoons (30ml)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Granulated Sugar 1¼ cup (250g)
- Baking Soda 1¼ teaspoons
- Salt 1 teaspoon
- All Purpose Flour 3 cups (375g) *see notes
For the Compote
- Fresh or Frozen Mango 2 cups
- Granulated Sugar ¼ cup (50g) *optional
For the Buttercream
- Mango Puree 1 cup (237ml)
- Grannulated Sugar 1 cup (200g)
- Cornstarch 10 Tablespoons (80g)
- Plant Milk 2½ cups (600ml)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Salt ½ teaspoon
- Vegan Butter 6 sticks (672g)
- Confectioners sugar 1 cup (120g) *see notes
- OR USE YOUR FAV BUTTERCREAM RECIPE!
Instructions
- Prepare your cake pans (I am using 2-7" cake pans today) with grease & parchment paper lining
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- First prepare the mango cake layers by whizzing the fresh or frozen (but thawed) mangoes to a food processor to a puree or if using canned pulp simply proceed to add all the rest of the ingredients to the food processor (this is the flour, sugar, oil,lemon juice, plant milk, baking soda & salt)
- Process everything for about 10 seconds until smooth and then divide the cake batter between your greased & parchment lined cake pans
- Place the cakes in the 350° oven but turn the oven temperature down to 325F for approximately 30-35 minutes or when you gently press the centers they cakes are springy to the touch OR when a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs
- Cool the cakes in the pans until you can safely touch them without burning then flip out onto a cooling rack to cool to cold
- Now make the buttercream (*also watch the YouTube video tutorial for a visual)
- Soften the vegan butter at room temperature so it is still firm, but pliable
- Prepare the mango puree by whizzing up 2 large mangoes in a food processor or blender OR use canned mango pulp
- Add the mango puree to a medium sauce pot with the sugar, cornstarch and plant milk, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil.
- Add the vanilla extract and then strain the mango custard through a mesh strainer onto a sheet pan (no parchment paper or grease!)
- Refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold & set
- Meanwhile whip the vegan butter & salt with an electric mixer with the whip attachment until it is aerated & light and fluffy and starting to look whiter in color (about 5 minutes) scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
- Add the sifted confectioners sugar and whip for another minute or two until smooth scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
- Add the cold custard a large spoonful at a time to the vegan butter while continuing to whip on high speed until all the custard is incorporated, scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
- Continue whipping until the buttercream is smooth & silky
- Now make the mango compote by gently cooking fresh or frozen chopped mangoes in a medium sauce pot with optional sugar until it turns into a chunky sauce. I used a stick blender to get my compote to a more sauce like consistency
- Assemble the cake as shown in the video tutorial
Notes
Mango cake can be kept at room temperature in a cool environment for one day
For longer storage refrigerate for up to 1 week, for best results bring to room temperature before serving
Rocio
I am a little confused. How long do i leave them in the oven?
Gretchen
Hello in step #5 i write:
Place the cakes in the 350° oven but turn the oven temperature down to 325F for approximately 30-35 minutes or when you gently press the centers they cakes are springy to the touch OR when a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs
I am using 2-7″ cake pans so if you use another size pan you may have to adjust the time
Asha Ganesan
How many days in advance can I prepare and refrigerate the frosting?
Gretchen
Since this is an Ermine style icing, I prefer to make it the same day I am using it on the cake, Ermine icing tends to be very finicky on a rewhip, because of the high moisture content it LOVES to separate & break!
READ MORE HERE
Asha Ganesan
Cake came out tasty. But the frosting seems to melt when I apply it on the cake. Frosting wasn’t too thick like in the video 🥹. What could be wrong ? I used earth balance vegan butter
Michelle
I have just had the same problem
I hope it firms up in the fridge before I put the compote in
Maria Fernanda Alvarez
The cake recipe doesn’t has eggs?
Gretchen
Hi Maria this is an all vegan recipe website. You would be surprised at how many amazing recipes you can make without eggs! I hope you try!
Katie
How much cornstarch? It’s missing from ingredient list.
Gretchen
Oh wow thank you for pointing that out! When I implemented the “jump to recipe” button many of my recipes got messed up! Uggh!
However I am not seeing anything missing on my end. The only part that has cornstarch is the Mango Ermine Buttercream and this is listed as 10Tbs (80g)
Let me know if I am not seeing something else!
Lisa scott
Hi-thanks for the recipe! Is it possible to make this with dairy products? Thank you.
Quinn
Can I make this with dairy products? This recipe looks delicious and so simple but I don’t have vegan products.