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Mango Sponge Cake Recipe: Light, Fluffy Tropical Dessert

“Life is not a fairy tale. If you lose your shoe at midnight- you are drunk.” – Bill Murray.

The mango season is in full swing, and yes, I still adore the fruit.

What I find more challenging is baking fruit-flavored cakes. Citrus is straightforward, but many fresh fruits are tricky to incorporate directly into the batter.

Baking is a science of ratios and technique, and fresh fruit introduces variables: is the banana medium or large, is the pineapple sweet enough, is the puree too thick or too thin, is the fruit perfectly ripe? With hundreds of mango varieties, these questions are even more pronounced.

For that reason I usually prefer tea cakes flavored with lime or orange, and reserve fresh fruits—especially mangoes—for fillings, frostings, and other desserts.

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So why post a mango sponge cake? Many of you asked, and after multiple trials (and errors), I finally developed a mango sponge with both good texture and flavor.

For this cake I used the reverse mixing method: instead of creaming butter and sugar, then adding eggs and flour, the butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients first and the liquid ingredients are whisked in afterwards. This reduces over-mixing and gluten development, resulting in a very soft, tender crumb.

It really is very soft.

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Mango Sponge Cake

A light, fluffy mango sponge with a tender crumb and bright mango flavor.
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Ingredients

  • 100 grams or 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (maida)
  • 100 grams or 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 42 grams or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 60 ml or 1/4 cup mango puree from one medium mango
  • 2.5 tablespoons milk at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F).
  • Grease and flour a 6-inch round pan. Line the bottom with parchment if you like.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mango puree, egg, milk and vanilla until smooth.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • Rub the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  • Using a whisk or electric mixer, whisk the liquid mixture into the dry mixture until smooth. Avoid over-mixing.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 35–42 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. My measuring cup is 240 ml. Omit the salt if using salted butter. I used Alphonso mango puree. You can bake this recipe in a 7-inch pan for a thinner cake. To make caster sugar at home, pulse granulated sugar once in a mixer to reduce the grain size—do not powder.

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As promised, the cake is soft and light, and the mango flavor comes through nicely. Try it and let me know—did this one turn out to be a hit or a miss?