Mango Sponge Cake: Light & Airy Tropical Dessert (8 Ingredients, 50 Minutes)
Mango Sponge Cake is an incredibly light, airy cake with intense tropical mango flavor. This classic Asian-style sponge cake uses whipped eggs for structure and reduced mango puree for moisture and flavor, creating a delicate, cloud-like texture that melts in your mouth. Perfect as a base for layered celebration cakes or elegant served plain with fresh fruit. The key is properly whipping the eggs and folding gently to preserve maximum airiness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes mango reduction)
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (plus cooling)
- Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake, serves 8
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Celebration Cake
- Method: Baking, Whipping
- Cuisine: Asian, Fusion, Chinese bakery-style
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For Mango Reduction:
- 1 cup mango puree (to be reduced to ½ cup)
Cake:
- 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (divided)
- ½ cup reduced mango puree (cooled)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Reduce mango: Simmer 1 cup puree until reduced to ½ cup (10-15 min). Cool completely.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 8-inch pan bottom with parchment (don’t grease sides).
- Yolk mixture: Beat yolks with ½ cup sugar until thick ribbons form (3-5 min). Mix in cooled mango, milk, vanilla.
- Sift dry: Sift flour, baking powder, salt twice. Set aside.
- Whip whites: Beat whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, beat to stiff glossy peaks.
- Fold flour: Sift flour over yolk mixture in 3 additions, folding gently after each.
- Fold whites: Add ⅓ whites to lighten batter, then fold in remaining whites gently in 2 additions.
- Bake: Pour into pan, tap out bubbles. Bake 35-40 min until golden and springy.
- Cool inverted: Immediately invert pan onto rack/bottle. Cool completely upside down (1 hour).
- Release: Run knife around edge, turn out onto plate.
Notes
- Room temp eggs essential for maximum volume
- Don’t grease pan sides—cake needs to grip while rising
- Reduce mango puree—critical for proper texture
- Fold gently—overmixing deflates air
- Invert while cooling—prevents collapse
- Use cake flour for lightest texture
- Can be made 2 days ahead, wrapped well
- Freezes beautifully for 3 months