Mango Mousse Cake

Spectacular, airy and light mango mousse cake made with fresh mango. A cake bursting with flavor, refreshing and rather easy to make.

MANGO CAKE RECIPE

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 cake that will impress any guest, soft sponge cake 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 mango and whipped cream. Wonderful! The perfect closure for a fancier dinner with friends.

How to make mango mousse?

Gelatin:

Working with gelatin is pretty easy, although I know many people who never tried it because they just assume it will not work or that they need to have some super baking skills in order to work with gelatin.

Please don’t stress about it, just 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 once 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. 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 mango mixture rest in the fridge for a short while, just until only very slightly set. 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 mango 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.

CAKE BASE:

• I used my old and trusted sponge recipe for the base of the mango mousse cake, I must have bake this a million times, it is quite rare that I use another recipe.
• The recipe is easy, it tastes great and it always turns out the way it is supposed to be, no surprises.

MANGO TOPPING:

• I used mango nectar to make the fruit jello topping.
• The nectar will be boiled shortly with some cornstarch, which will help the mixture thicken and set on the cake.
• 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. Don’t worry about it, once the mixture comes to a boil, the color will brighten, it will 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 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 in order to make the mango mousse cake or any other cake with a gelatin filling.
• Place the ring around the lower slice of cake and adjust it tightly around the cake, so that no runny mousse can escape before setting.
• Only remove the ring when the cake 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 of the cake, to help the ring detach itself from the cake. If you try to just open the ring and pull it away, parts of the cake filling might stick to it and that will not be nice.

MORE AIRY AND 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 cake recipe with puff pastry and lots of berries, this pastry cake looks impressive, but is so easy to make.

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE – A very easy cake recipe with canned mandarin oranges, whipped cream, and almond meringue, everybody just loves this cake!

LEMON BUTTERMILK TORTE – This buttermilk cake with lemon or lime juice is one of the best cakes ever!

PEACH YOGURT SQUARES – Soft layers of cake filled with an aromatic peach or apricot mousse.

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