Mango Cake

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. 

If you love cakes light cakes like this, 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 recipes are mango ice cream, 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 Notes & Substitutions

• Butter: I prefer salted butter for both the cake and cream here but you can also use unsalted as well.
• 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.
• 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.
  • This can also be replaced with an 8 ounce box of cool whip to make the recipe simpler and quicker. Omit the gelatin and powdered sugar too then and all the steps involving the cream. Just mix the custard with the whipped topping. 
• 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.

Chiffon Cake

1. For the cake, beat the egg whites with the lime juice and granulated sugar until they hold stiff peaks. 
2. Add the egg yolks, oil and vanilla extract and beat just until they’re combined. 
3. Sift in the dry ingredients, turn the mixer to slow speed and stream in the milk – mixing just until they’re combined. 
4. 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.

Finish Cream & Assemble

1. Finish the diplomat cream by mixing the jam with the cooled custard. 
2. 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. 
3. Spread a generous layer of mango jam onto the cake and then top with the mango diplomat cream.
4. Freeze the cake for 15-30 minutes so the cream can set a little before placing the second layer on top.
5. Place the second layer on top, smooth the sides a little and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
6. 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.

Swaps to make the cake simpler and easier

Cakes like this can be a little intense to make but there are always few ways to make them a little simpler and easier for beginners. 

• Replace the homemade whipped cream and gelatin with an 8 ounce box of cool whip. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using. This does make assembling the cake easier because the Cool Whip is already stabilized whereas the homemade whipped cream only thickens once it’s refrigerated.  

• Use store bought jam – they may 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 but you can make the custard the day before, refrigerate it and bring it back to room temperature before mixing with the whipped cream.

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 – I would use acetate and/or a cake ring. 

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. 

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.

• Egg White Cookies – these are my favorite way to use up egg whites but they use only 2 egg whites.
• 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… or you could just make 3/4 a recipe.

Serving & Storage

This cake needs to be chilled in order to set. I recommend serving it cold or slightly cold. I don’t recommend leaving it out at room temperature for a long time.

Because the cake is naked, I recommend covering it with plastic wrap, 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 and thaw in the fridge before serving.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.

If you make love mango cake, I’d love it if you left a 5-star rating or a review for me.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B