Mango Mousse Cake

Mango mousse cake recipe

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Prep: 3 hrs
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 3 hrs 12 mins
Servings: 22 servings
Yield: 1 cake

This sponge cake filled with mango mousse is quite spectacular. It looks professional but is doable if you use a springform pan.

Sponge cake lines the sides and bottom of the pan, which is then filled with mousse and another layer of cake. The sponge cake is soaked with a fruit-flavored syrup, which complements the delicate sweet-tart flavor of the creamy mousse. This beautiful cake will wow guests. If you're in a rush, you can use store-bought ladyfingers for the sponge cake. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh sliced mangos or raspberries for an extra-beautiful effect.

Ingredients

For the Sponge Cake:

  • 4 large eggs, separated

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sifted

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

For the Syrup:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 tablespoons fruit-flavored liqueur

  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the Mousse:

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen mango chunks

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from 1 to 2 limes

  • 1 tablespoon gelatin

  • 1/2 cup water, divided

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 large egg whites

  • 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

  • Mango slices, raspberries, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Cake

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for sponge cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  3. Beat the egg whites with a standing or hand mixer until stiff.

    Whip egg whites
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until you have a stiff and glossy meringue.

    Add sugar
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are well-mixed.

    Yolk
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  6. Whisk 1/4 cup of the meringue into the egg yolks.

    Add eggs
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  7. Fold the egg yolk mixture gently back into the meringue with the vanilla and coconut flavoring.

    Fold egg yolk mixture
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  8. Gently fold the flour and salt into the meringue, in 2 parts, until the flour is just mixed in.

    Mix
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  9. Place the mixture in a zip-top bag, seal, and cut off one corner to make a 1/2-inch wide hole.

    Put cake in ziplock
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 
  10. Place a piece of parchment onto a baking sheet. With a pencil, lightly trace the inside diameter of a 9-inch springform pan in two places.

    Springform pan shape
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  11. Fill in the circles with the cake batter, piping it in a spiral fashion. You should use about half of the cake batter to fill the 2 circles.

    Fill in circles
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  12. On a separate baking sheet lined with parchment, mark with a pencil two bands with a width equal to the height of the springform pan. The bands should be about two-thirds the length of the cookie sheet, enough to line the inside of the springform pan with a little extra in case of mistakes.

    Outline of pans
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  13. Pipe diagonal lines of batter to fill the bands. These bands of cake will line the springform pan.

    Outline batter
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  14. Dust the top of the cake pieces with confectioners' sugar.

    Powdered sugar
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  15. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until just golden brown.

    Bake cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  16. Remove the cakes from the oven and peel the parchment off the backs while still warm.

    Remove cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Make the Syrup

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for syrup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  2. Bring the sugar and water to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.

    Bring water and sugar to boil
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  3. Remove from heat and let cool briefly.

    Remove from heat
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. Stir in liqueur.

    Stir in liqueur
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  5. Generously brush the bottom and inside walls of the springform pan with melted butter.

    Butter pan
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  6. Place one circle of cake in the bottom of the pan, trimming to fit if necessary.

    Cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  7. Brush the cake generously with the syrup.

    Brush syrup in
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  8. Brush the plain sides of the bands of cake with syrup and place them in the pan so that the visible stripes face outward and are pressed against the sides of the pan. Trim them so that they fit tightly into the pan, completely lining the sides.

    Brush cake with syrup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Make the Mousse

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for mousse
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  2. Puree the mango with the lime juice until smooth.

    Puree
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  3. Strain and set aside.

    Mango puree
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. In a bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of water and let rest for 5 minutes.

    Add gelatin
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  5. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (do not let bowl touch the water) and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.

    Spoon in gelatin
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  6. Stir the mango puree into the gelatin and mix well.

    Stir in mango puree
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  7. Strain once more and set it aside.

    Strain
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  8. Bring the sugar and 1/4 cup water to boil in a small saucepan.

    Boil water and sugar to boil
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  9. Beat the egg whites until stiff.

    Whip eggs
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  10. Leave the mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar syrup reaches 248 F, then remove the syrup from the heat and slowly pour it into the egg whites while continuing to beat them.

    Add syrup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  11. When the egg whites are stiff and shiny—now a meringue—stir 1/4 cup of the meringue into the mango puree.

    Add meringue
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  12. Fold this mango mixture back into the meringue.

    Fold in mango
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  13. Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.

    Whip
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  14. Gently fold the whipping cream into the meringue-mango mixture.

    Fold in
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Assemble the Cake

  1. Fill the cake pan halfway with the mousse mixture, spreading it over the circle of cake on the bottom.

    Add filling into pie crust
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  2. Place the other circle of cake on top.

    Add second layer
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  3. Brush the cake generously with the rest of the syrup.

    Add syrup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. Fill the pan to the top with the mousse, using a long spatula or the flat side of a knife to smooth across the top, making it level with the top of the pan.

    Add mousse
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  5. Place the cake in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.

  6. Remove the cake and place it on serving platter.

    Remove cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  7. Using a hairdryer, gently warm the outside of the springform pan. Carefully open the band of the pan slightly and lift the sides up and off the cake.

    Heat springform pan
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  8. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh mango slices or raspberries.

    Decorate
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  9. Chill the cake until you are ready to serve.

    Mango mousse cake
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness.

Recipe Variation

If you prefer to skip the syrup's fruit liqueur, use 1 teaspoon orange extract plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract instead.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
221 Calories
9g Fat
33g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22
Amount per serving
Calories 221
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 58mg 19%
Sodium 36mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 15mg 76%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 111mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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