Spectacular, airy and light mango mousse cake made with fresh mango. A cake bursting with flavor, refreshing and rather easy to make.
Fruit Mousse Cake
Fruit mousse cakes or cakes with a light yogurt/ cream cheese and whipped cream filling are some of our favorite cakes. My son loves them especially, so I make at least one for every birthday or festive event in the family.
Today's mango mousse cake recipe is a rather new discovery. I happened to make this lovely mango mousse dessert not long ago, and shortly after that, I thought that the mango dessert would make a lovely filling for a mango mousse cake as well.
And it did. We loved the cake even more than we loved the simple dessert!
What to expect?
An elegant-looking torte that will impress any guest, soft sponge split in half and filled with the most aromatic, light, and slightly tangy mango mousse filling, topped with a delicious jello topping.
A perfect centerpiece for any celebration!
MANGO MOUSSE
As mentioned above, the idea for making this mango cake came to me after making a mango mousse dessert. A simple yet incredibly delicious blend of fresh mango, lemon juice, some sugar, and whipped heavy cream.
I filled some nice-looking jars with that mixture and let the mousse set in the fridge for several hours. Just before serving, I topped the dessert jars with some more fresh fruit and whipped cream. Wonderful! The perfect closure for a fancier dinner with friends.
How to make mango mousse filling?
Gelatin:
- Working with gelatin is pretty easy, although I know many people who never tried it because they assume it will not work or need some super baking skills to work with gelatin.
- Please don't stress about it, do it! It is really easy. It actually all comes down to strictly following the packet's instructions.
- I work with Dr. Oetker gelatin sheets, they are easy to use, and I have never encountered any problems when using them. But any other brand is perfectly ok; just make sure to read the packet's instructions.
Tips for working with gelatin:
- Place the required amount of gelatin sheets in a shallow bowl large enough to hold them all snugly.
- I place the gelatin sheets in a crisscross manner in the bowl; I find that they tend to stick less to each other if stapled this way.
- Cover completely with plenty of cold water. Make sure the water is cold. Warm water will ruin the gelatin at this point.
- Bloom the gelatin. I like to turn the gelatin sheets in the bowl at halftime; this way, I make sure that the upper sheet of gelatin gets soaked just as well as the rest.
- The blooming will take between 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the brand of gelatin you are using.
- Use the blooming time to prepare and puree the mangoes and mix them with sugar and lemon juice.
- Once the gelatin has bloomed, squeeze it lightly to remove excess water and place it in a saucepan.
- Dissolve it on very low heat, stirring continuously. Please don't leave it unattended, not even for 1 second.
- The gelatin will dissolve very quickly; I'd say that about 10-20 seconds would do it.
- Don't let it come to a boil at all; that will ruin the gelatin.
- As soon as the gelatin is dissolved, take it off the heat and immediately start stirring in the mango mixture.
- Add only 1 tablespoon mango puree at a time and incorporate it completely before adding the next tablespoon.
- Work very thoroughly but quickly.
- After incorporating about half of the mango puree, you can start adding 2-3 tablespoons puree at a time into the gelatin mixture; the danger of getting clumps in the mousse is gone now.
- Let the gelatin mixture rest in the fridge for a short while, just until only very slightly set. However, don't let it set too much, or it will not be smooth anymore once you try to add the whipped heavy cream.
- Whip the cream during this time and check the gelatin mixture every two minutes or so; it will not take long.
- Fold the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture.
- Taste and add more icing sugar and/or lemon juice if you find it necessary.
- Immediately pour the mousse into the prepared form over one slice of the sponge cake. Cover with the second slice and make the topping.
Sponge:
- I used my old and trusted sponge recipe for the base of the fruit mousse torte; I must have bake this a million times; it is quite rare that I use another recipe.
- The recipe is easy, tastes great, and always turns out the way it is supposed to be, with no surprises.
Mango Topping:
- I used nectar to make the fruit jello topping.
- The nectar will be boiled shortly with some cornstarch, which will help the mixture thicken and set.
- Whisk the cornstarch very well into the nectar until there are no more clumps.
- The color of the mixture will be pale and not very pretty at this point. But, don't worry about it, once the mixture comes to a boil, the color will brighten and be really nice and orange.
- Stir continuously with a spoon while heating the mixture, don't stop for one second; you don't want your jello topping to be clumpy.
- Only let the jello bubble once or twice, then remove it from the heat.
- Let it cool for 1 minute (not longer) and carefully pour over the cake, starting in the middle.
- Let cool for another 5 minutes on the counter, then transfer the cake to the fridge to set.
- Remove the adjustable baking ring and decorate the mango cake just before serving.
- If you live in Germany, use 1 small package of Tortenguss and mango nectar to make the jello topping. Work according to the packet's instructions.
Tips for working with a baking ring:
- You will need an adjustable baking ring to make the mango mousse cake or any other cake with a gelatin filling (Amazon affiliate link).
- Place the ring around the lower slice and adjust it tightly around the cake so that no runny mousse can escape before setting.
- Only remove the ring when the torte is completely set, most cakes will need at least 4-5 hours, but it is preferable to leave them set overnight.
- To remove the ring, run a butter knife around the edges, to help the ring detach itself from the cake. If you try to open the ring and pull it away, parts of the filling might stick to it, and that will not be nice.
More fruity cakes:
- STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE - The best strawberry cheesecake ever, a soft base with delicious cream cheese, yogurt, and heavy cream filling, topped with beautiful and aromatic strawberries.
- BERRY PUFF PASTRY CAKE - A simple recipe with puff pastry and lots of berries, this pastry cake looks impressive, but it's easy to make.
- MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE - A straightforward recipe with canned mandarin oranges, whipped cream, and almond meringue, everybody loves this!
- LEMON BUTTERMILK TORTE - This buttermilk torte with lemon or lime juice is one of the best ever!
- TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE - milk, white and dark chocolate mousse topped with chocolate glaze.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Mango Mousse Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cake base:
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 85 g/ 3 oz/ ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 40 g/ 1.4 oz/ ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Mango mousse:
- [6 sheets gelatin I use Dr. Oetker]
- 450 g/ 1 lb mangoes See note 1
- 5 tablespoons icing sugar to taste
- juice of 1 to 1 ½ lemon to taste
- 300 ml/ 10 fl.oz/ 1 ¼ cups heavy/double cream
- Mango topping:
- 250 ml/ 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup mango nectar
- 25 g/ 0.8 oz/ 3 ⅓ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 small mango See note 2
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped pistachios optional
Instructions
Cake base:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a springform (26 cm/ 10 inches diameter) with parchment paper.
- Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites and the warm water until stiffer. Slowly start adding the sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Finally, carefully fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks.
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder and sift them over the egg mixture. Fold in carefully.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Release the cake from the form and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, slice the cake base lengthwise to have two slices. Place one slice on a serving plate and place the adjustable baking ring around it.
Mango mousse:
- Place the gelatin sheets in a shallow large bowl. Cover with cold water and let bloom according to the packet's instructions, usually between 7 and 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, peel and stone the mangoes. Weigh the required mango quantity. Blend the mango until completely smooth. Add the icing sugar and the juice of 1 lemon. Squeeze the gelatin lightly and place it in a saucepan. Heat gently while stirring continuously until the gelatin dissolves. It will take seconds, don't let it come to a boil.
- Once dissolved, immediately remove from the heat and start stirring the pureed mango into the gelatin, one tablespoon at a time, working thoroughly but quickly.
- Place the mixture into the refrigerator until only slightly set (not too long). In the meantime, beat the heavy cream until stiff. Then, carefully fold the cream into the mixture.
- Adjust the taste with more sifted icing sugar or lemon, if necessary. Pour the mango mousse on the cake slice inside the baking ring. Place the second cake slice on top.
Topping:
- Place the mango nectar and the cornstarch in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring continuously. Let bubble once or twice, the mixture will thicken, and the color will brighten.
- Remove from the heat and wait for 1 minute. Then, carefully pour the mango mixture onto the cake. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the mango mousse cake to the refrigerator.
- Let the cake set for at least 4-5 hours or overnight. Remove the ring.
- Cube the mango and decorate the cake with it shortly before serving. Sprinkle with some pistachios, if desired.
Notes
- I weighed the 450 g/ 1 lb after peeling and removing the stone of the mangoes. 2-3 mangoes, depending on their size.
- Either use leftover mango from making the mango mousse (kept refrigerated in an airtight container) or another small or half a mango.
angiesrecipes says
That looks so beautifully vibrant and tempting! So good to have a mango cake in the cold winter season!
Lauren says
Hello! quick question! Can I make this a day before serving and keep in the fridge for about 24 hrs?? Or will the mousse make the sponge cake too soggy?
Adina says
Hi Lauren. You can definitely make the cake in advance, it needs time to set anyway.
Anna Arrington says
Is there a way to make it vegetarian? I cant have the gelatin
Adina says
Hi Anna. There is agar agar, but I have no experience working with it.
Swapna says
Hello! What did you use for 'mango nectar', is this the same as mango pulp we get here in the UK? Thanks!
Adina says
It's a juice. Contains more water, sweeteners and maybe additives, but it's basically a juice.