Mango Cake
This mango cake is made with a gorgeous chiffon sponge layered with homemade mango jam and a super light and fluffy mango diplomat cream.
Finally I’m posting a recipe using a chiffon sponge! I paired it with a homemade mango jam and used that jam to make a mango diplomat cream, the same way I made my cranberry orange cake.
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Why you’ll love this mango cake
- Chiffon sponge is the GOAT. She’s fluffy, she’s moist, she’s spongey, she’s sturdy, she’s versatile, she’s everything.
- Diplomat cream is SUPER creamy and fluffy – although she can be difficult to frost with but all you’ll need is patience and a refrigerator.
- Mango can be subtle so I left the recipe simple with no other flavors involved, to allow the mango to shine.
- Works well with dairy free butter and gluten-free flour substitutes.
If you love cakes with diplomat cream filling, I think you’ll love my chocolate mousse cake, coffee oreo cake and honey lemon cake (use any jam, try mango!)
If you’re here for the mango, my only other mango recipe is my peach mango pie and the jam I used for this cake, which can be used in SO many ways. Use it to fill macarons, layer it in a cake or swirl it into a buttercream.
Ingredients
- Butter: I prefer salted butter here but you can also use unsalted butter. Dairy free butter also works for the cake and the diplomat cream.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour and I haven’t tested this type of sponge cake with cake flour but I imagine it would work well with either. Can also use self rising flour, just omit the baking powder.
- I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- Baking Powder: to leaven the cake.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cake, the diplomat cream and the mango jam. I don’t recommend swapping it or reducing it.
- Milk: I use 2% milk. Any milk will work for the cake, even dairy free.
- Eggs: use large eggs and make sure they’re at room temperature. Place them in hot water for 5-10 minutes if you’re in a pinch.
- Egg yolks are used for the diplomat cream. You can freeze egg whites in a clean tupperware and use them later in another recipe (see below).
- Heavy Cream: I use heavy whipping cream to make the whipped cream for the diplomat cream.
- Make sure to use something between 35%-45% fat. I haven’t tried a dairy free cream but if you have a dairy free heavy cream or whipped topping you like, feel free to use that instead.
- This can also be replaced with an 8 ounce box of cool whip to make the recipe simpler and quicker. Omit the gelatin and all the steps involving the cream and gelatin. Just mix the custard with the whipped topping.
- Gelatin: Diplomat cream is a custard mixed with whipped cream. If you make your own whipped cream at home, you’ll need to stabilize it with some gelatin. I use powdered gelatin.
- Mango: I used fresh, ripe mangos. Although the mangos were just coming into season so they weren’t super flavorful. I’m sure the the jam would turn out even better if you find ripe mangoes in season.
- I haven’t tested it but frozen mangos should work just fine. I’ve used both fresh and frozen for my blueberry cake filling and other fruits as well and it always works fine. Don’t thaw them, just follow the recipe and allow it to thicken, it may just take a little longer to cook.
- Lime: Mango is oftentimes paired with lime so I used a little lime juice in the jam. Chiffon cake is generally made with a splash of lemon juice for a little acid so I swapped that out and just used lime juice for the cake as well. You’ll need two small limes or 1 large lime for both.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Start by making the mango jam – bring mangos, sugar and lime juice to a boil for a few minutes and then simmer for about 15 minutes until the mangos are soft and mushy.. Allow it to cool to room temperature. I left my jam chunky for some added texture but if you want it smooth, you can blend it in a food processor once it cools a bit and then press it through a sieve.
Step 2: Make the custard for the diplomat cream by cooking the egg yolks with the sugar and butter until it’s thickened like lemon curd. Cover and set it aside to cool completely.
Step 3: For the cake, beat the egg whites with the lime juice and granulated sugar until they hold stiff peaks.
Step 4: Add the egg yolks, oil and vanilla extract and beat just until they’re combined.
Step 5: Sift in the dry ingredients, turn the mixer to slow speed and stream in the milk – mixing just until they’re combined.
Step 6: Bake the batter in two 8 inch pans and then let them cool to room temperature. The cake will be slightly puffed when done baking and shrivels a little once it’s cooled.
Step 7: Finish the diplomat cream by mixing the jam with the cooled custard.
Step 8: Whip the cream and then fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the custard, along with the gelatin. Then add it all to the whipped cream and mix just until it’s all combined.
Step 9: Spread a generous layer of mango jam onto the cake and then top with the mango diplomat cream. Freeze the cake for 15-30 minutes so the cream can set a little before placing the second layer on top.
Step 10: Place the second layer on top, smooth the sides a little and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight. Top with powdered sugar (I used the kind that doesn’t dissolve) and mango chunks and serve.
*I sliced my cake before it was fully set so don’t worry, if you let it rest in the fridge, the cream will set fully and shouldn’t squish out.
How to make the cake simpler and easier
There are a few ways to make this cake a little simpler and easier.
The first way to make this cake is easier is to replace the homemade whipped cream and gelatin with an 8 ounce box of cool whip. Don’t use off brand whipped topping, they don’t all work the same.
The second way to simplify the cake is to use store bought jam. These are all different but if you look at my photos, you can see how thick the consistencies should be at each step.
What can I make ahead of time?
The mango jam can be made 1-2 weeks in advance.
The cakes can also be made in advance. If it’s 1 day, wrap them in plastic wrap as soon as they’ve cooled and leave them at room temperature. If it’s longer, freeze the cakes for a few weeks or months. Remove them from the freezer 1-2 hours before assembling. Slice them in half before assembling.
The diplomat cream should be made fresh before using.
Expert tips on getting the perfect cake
- Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
- Don’t reduce the sugar in the cake, cream or jam as it helps with the structure.
- Weigh the ingredients with a digital scale.
- Weigh the batter for each cake to make them even (21 ounces each for two 8 inch pans).
- Use a light colored stainless steel cake pan for a more even bake and browning.
Different size pans you can use for this mango cake
I used two 8 inch pan pans. You can also use:
- Two 9 inch cake pans but they’ll be a little thinner (reduce bake time by about 5 minutes)
- Two 7 inch cake pans but they’ll be a little thicker (increase bake time by about 5 minutes).
- Four 6 inch cake pans (reduce bake time by about 5-10 minutes) – this may be difficult to assemble.
How to frost/decorate this chantilly cake
If you want to frost the outside of the cake too, it may be a little difficult since the cream is so light and soft. You can lightly frost after refrigerating (or freezing) the assembled cake for a little, once it’s more sturdy.
If you want to actually frost it nice and decorate the outside of this cake you’ll have to pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the first layer of cake and then use the diplomat cream and mango jam as a filling. You can see how I did that for my cranberry orange cake and my blueberry chocolate cake.
I recommend a Swiss Meringue buttercream for decorating but American buttercream also works fine.
Make sure to check out my cookbook Frosted for a million frosting options and how to use them! I also have an ebook, Frosted 2.0, that shows step-by-step photos of all the types of frostings in the cookbook. You can download that below.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use dairy free butter and milk but I haven’t tested it with dairy free cream. You can sub coconut cream but it will give it a coconutty flavor.
I haven’t tested it on this one specifically but generally all my cakes (people even tested the other sponge cakes I have) do well with a 1:1 substitute like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour. Make sure the flour blend you use has xanthan gum in it.
Yes! I cannot wait to try similar cakes with different fruits. I would use a different flavor of jam but follow the same steps for the diplomat cream.
Feel free to swap the lime juice with lemon juice when paired with other flavors like strawberry raspberry or blueberry. You can also add the zest of the lime or lemon to the cake or the jam.
Just like all the rest of my cakes, I test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.
What to do with leftover egg whites
Diplomat cream uses three egg yolks leaving you with leftover egg whites. The best part about egg whites is that you can place them in an airtight container and freeze them. I’ve frozen them for weeks/months and made Swiss meringue buttercream with it just fine.
You can certainly just make something simple like an egg white omelette but here are some other fun recipes you can use egg whites in.
- Chantilly Cake – uses a lot of egg whites but you can use carton pasteurized egg whites for this so just through them all in together and weigh the total amount.
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream – uses four egg whites, leaving you with an extra yolk…(can make a 3/4 batch with 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup butter). You can freeze the finished buttercream as well and just thaw before using.
- Pistachio Cake – uses a lot of egg whites but you can use pasteurized carton egg whites for this too so just add it to the mix.
- Caramel Tart – PERFECT because it uses three large egg whites for the meringue!
- Macarons – uses four egg whites, leaving you with 1 leftover egg yolk…
How to store this mango cake
Cover the cake with foil, a cake dome or a cake carrier and refrigerate for up to a week.
If it’s any longer, feel free to freeze the cake. Slice it and place the slices in an airtight container and freeze for a few weeks.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.
If you make this mango cake, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Can I make this in a rectangular sheet cake? I am attempting to do a simple cake and soak it in passion fruit ! Do you think it might work?
It should work just fine!
This cake is delicious. Great amount of mango flavor. Just loved this all around. The cream is divine. I used a pound of frozen mangos, and everything came out pretty perfectly, aside from one of my cakes pulling away from the side of the pan quite a bit, leaving the two layer cake to as a bit of an hourglass shape. Just had to put on a thick layer of cream around the outside to cover up the shape, darn.
I did reduce the sugar in the jam down to 1/4 cup and added a teaspoon of cornstarch. Jam consistency seemed good. Thanks for this wonderful recipe, it was fun to make and more fun to eat!
Delicious! Wanted to try and bake something a little out of my comfort zone, and gave this one a go today for my partners birthday. Much simpler to make than it seems despite the lengthy instruction, so don’t let that put you off giving it a go! I halved the recipe, and also chose to add some passion fruit to the mango. All worked perfectly, right up until finishing off the diplomat cream. It unfortunately began to split (I realised on reflection that I hadn’t let the thickened cream come to room temp before using, and/or perhaps something may have gone wrong with the gelatin). Managed to bring it back together somewhat by adding more whipped thickened cream, but couldn’t rescue the thick fluffy texture. Other than that issue, which was 100% my fault, the flavour was absolutely wonderful and the cake was so light and fluffy. Will definitely attempt this one again sometime soon. ?
Hi Izzy, thank you so much for the review and trying my recipe! Passionfruit sounds amazing with the mango and def something I need to add to my baking to do list now lol.
Diplomat cream can be a little finicky so I hope it goes better next time 🙂
making this was far less complex than it seemed…but i couldn’t get my egg whites to merengue for the life of me. i went with them anyway, and the cake consistency was more pound-cakeish but still good. none of the people that ate it were the wiser. in fact, they were all requesting the next fruit I should make using this recipe 🙂
So glad it still worked out and I know they seem so complicated but once you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad ?
For the meringue, try using a metal bowl and wiping your bowl and whisk attachment with a little vinegar. That should help 🙂