Mango Mousse Cake

1) Mangoes were in season. 

2) I love Mango Mousse Cake. 

3) I was stressed from work.

 These 3 factors drove me insane enough to bake last night despite returning home late from work. I started out baking several years back with a Chocolate Banana Cake and I fell in love with baking layered cakes. I've stopped baking them since I moved out of my mum's when I got married. 

Yesterday, I decided to recreate a Mango Mousse Cake that was mango-er... one that would be close to the Bakerzin one that I adore. This is pretty close. in flavour... though the texture is slightly different. The mousse isn't as firm as that of Bakerzin but it's still good. 

This cake takes about 3 - 4 hours to bake and I'd rate it a difficulty level 3 out of 5. 

Mango Mousse Cake Recipe

This recipe yields 1 8" round cake

Sponge cake

4 eggs, room temperature (55g eggs)

100g cake flour

100g castor sugar

100g oil

Mango mousse

1 1/2 cup fresh mango puree

1 tbsp castor sugar

1 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp gelatin (You may use 1 1/2 tbsp if you want a firmer cake, especially one that needs to travel a fair bit before refrigeration is available)

1/8 cup water

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup fresh mango cubes

Mango mirror

1/2 cup mango puree

2 tbsp castor sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp gelatin

Strawberries

Apricot glaze

Method

Line the baking tin with baking paper

Sift the cake flour

Whisk eggs till stiff peaks

Whisk...

Stop when you get a rich, thick batter that resembles stiff peaks. Check out this tutorial for baking this sponge cake. After the eggs have reached stiff peaks, alternate addition of the flour and oil and fold in well.

Pour mixture into baking tin of 7". Tap the tin on the table a couple of times to rid air bubbles. Bake sponge cake in a preheated oven of 160 degree Celsius (fan mode) for 20 - 25 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake.

Slice and puree mangoes

Remove cake from oven

While cake is still hot, invert the cake and remove baking paper

Pretty cake!

Invert the cake and allow to cool

Add gelatin to water

Double boil mixture till gelatin dissolves

Squeeze fresh lime juice

To the mango puree, add gelatin mixture, sugar and lime juice. Mix well and leave in fridge to set for about 30 minutes

Whisk whipping cream till stiff peaks are formed

Stiff peaks

Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the puree mixture

Mixed

Add remaining whipped cream and fold in

Once cake has cooled, slice off the top

Split cake into 3 layers (You may split it into 2... my cake was too tall so I used 2 of these slices and reserved the 3rd slice for another mango mousse cake)

Place cake in the middle of cake ring

Scoop/pour the mango mousse into the cake ring. Add some mango cubes

Add cake and repeat layer. Set cake in freezer for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or till surface has set

Add water to mango puree for mango mirror layer

Add sugar and gelatin. Stir well.

Double boil mixture till gelatin dissolves

Allow mixture to cool completely

Pour mango mirror layer gently onto the cake. Set in freezer for 10 - 20 minutes or till mango mirror layer has set

Remove from freezer and run the back of a paring knife along the sides of the cake ring to release cake. Decorate with strawberries brushed with apricot jam (you may mix the jam with some water [1:1] if it is too thick)

Here's a trick to keeping your cake moist!