Description
This Mango Mousse Cake is a luscious, tropical dessert featuring a light and fluffy cake base topped with a creamy mango mousse. It combines the natural sweetness and vibrant flavor of fresh mangoes with a delicate marbled effect and a cool, refreshing finish, making it perfect for warm weather or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Mango Mousse
- 2 cups fresh mango puree (or frozen mango, blended)
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Decoration
- 1/2 cup mango puree (for drizzle)
- Diced mango (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a cake pan to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly.
- Blend Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, cream the unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in sour cream, vanilla extract, and whole milk until the batter is smooth.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan to maintain moisture.
- Make Mango Mousse: In a small saucepan over low heat, gently warm 2 cups mango puree and sprinkle in the gelatin, stirring until fully dissolved and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Whip Cream: In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form, ensuring a light and airy texture.
- Fold Ingredients: Carefully fold the whipped cream into the mango and gelatin mixture to create a smooth mousse. Add lemon juice and mix to combine. Chill the mousse in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until it sets.
- Assemble Cake: Once the cake is cooled, spread the mango mousse evenly over the surface of the cake base.
- Create Mango Swirl: Drizzle the additional 1/2 cup mango puree over the mousse layer and gently swirl with a knife to form a marbled effect for a beautiful presentation.
- Chill to Set: Refrigerate the assembled cake for 3-4 hours to allow the mousse to fully set and flavors to meld.
- Serve: Garnish the chilled cake with diced fresh mango for added texture and freshness before serving.
Notes
- Use ripe, sweet mangoes for the best flavor in the mousse and decoration.
- If using frozen mango, thaw completely and blend until smooth before using.
- Ensure the gelatin is fully dissolved in the warm mango puree to avoid lumps in the mousse.
- For a firmer mousse, you can increase gelatin to 1.5 tablespoons, but be careful not to overpower the delicate texture.
- The cake base can be prepared a day ahead and stored covered at room temperature.
- To make slicing easier after chilling, run a knife under hot water, dry it, and then cut the cake.
