Mango Cake with Coconut, Lime & Passion Fruit

If there’s anything that can get me in the summer mood, it has to be this summer cake! I love mango in pretty much everything, and mango in cake is no exception.

The combination of mango, coconut, lime, passion fruit, and white chocolate reminds me of exotic travels, holidays, sun, and summer. Plus, it tastes absolutely amazing!

Happy baking <

Biscuit Base:

150 g oat biscuits
75 g butter
a pinch of salt

Crush the crackers into crumbs by placing them in a freezer bag and pounding them with a rolling pin.
Melt the butter and stir it into the cracker crumbs along with the salt.
Spread the biscuit mixture into an 18 cm cake ring lined with plastic wrap and parchment paper. This smaller insert will later be enclosed by the mango mousse in the 20 cm mold. Press the base evenly with a glass and place it in the freezer.

Passion Fruit Ganache:

150 g white chocolate (28%)
50 g passion fruit purée (store-bought or homemade)
50 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)

Gently melt the white chocolate (in a double boiler, if desired) and set the chocolate aside in a bowl.
If you’re making your own passion fruit purée: cut the passion fruits in half and scrape out the pulp. Strain the pulp to get a smooth purée without seeds.
Heat the passion fruit purée and cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over the white chocolate.
Stir from the center of the mixture with a spatula until the ganache becomes glossy.
Pour the ganache over the biscuit base.
Return the cake to the freezer. It needs to set for at least 2–3 hours before the next layer can be added.

Tips & Notes:

Only heat the cream almost to a boil, as a too hot cream will seize the chocolate mixture.
Stir the mixture with a spatula until glossy.

Coconut Layer with Lime:

120 g toasted coconut flakes
100 g condensed milk
zest from 2 organic limes
a pinch of salt

Coarsely chop coconut flakes.
Mix together the coconut, lime zest, condensed milk, and salt.
Spread the filling over the ganache. If necessary, smooth the surface with a glass to create an even layer.
Return the cake to the freezer while you make the first mousse

White Chocolate Mousse:

1.8 gelatin sheets (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
136 g white chocolate (28%)
300 ml heavy cream (min. 35%) (180 ml should be whipped, 120 ml should be heated)

Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Gently melt the white chocolate (in a double boiler, if desired) and set the chocolate aside in a bowl.
Heat 120 ml of cream to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate while stirring in the center with a spatula until it comes together.
Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
Whip the remaining cream (180 ml) to soft peaks and fold it into the mixture, which has cooled to lukewarm (if it’s too warm, the cream may separate).
Pour 260 g of mousse over the cake and return it to the freezer. Let it set for at least 3 hours. You can save the rest of the mousse for some mousse bombs or as a little extra dessert.

Tips & Notes:

Only heat the cream almost to a boil before pouring it over the chocolate to avoid seizing the chocolate.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, as overwhipped cream can result in a dense and grainy mousse.

Mango Mousse:

4.5 gelatin sheets (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
300 ml mango purée (store-bought or homemade)
75 g caster sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla paste
juice of ¾ lemon
450 ml heavy cream (min. 35%) (or 300 ml heavy cream and 150 g Greek yogurt [10%], if you want to make the cake even more tart)

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
If you’re making your own mango purée: Boil the mangoes in a saucepan until smooth. Strain the fruit pulp to obtain a smooth purée or juice.
Heat the mango purée, vanilla paste, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it into the mixture, which has cooled to lukewarm (if it’s too hot, it can cause the cream to separate). If you’re also using yogurt, fold it into the whipped cream.
Fill a 12-cavity Silikomart quenelle mold with some of the mango mousse. Place them in the freezer overnight.
Pour the remaining mango mousse into a 20 cm round silicone mold. If your mold isn’t tall enough, extend the height with a parchment collar.
Remove the frozen cake (with its biscuit base, ganache, coconut layer, and white chocolate mousse) from the freezer and carefully place it into the mango mousse (with the white chocolate mousse facing down).
Place the cake in the freezer for at least overnight.

Tips & Notes:

Let the fruit syrup cool completely, as syrup that’s too hot will seize the whipped cream when added.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, as overwhipped cream can result in a dense and grainy mousse.

Mango Glaze:

8 gelatin sheets (14 g, bloom value 240)
200 g white chocolate (28%)
147 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
67 g water
187 g caster sugar
200 g glucose syrup
yellow food coloring paste (optional)

If you’d like to make a simpler version, you can skip the glaze and simply garnish with the quenelle mousses.

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a large pitcher.
Heat the sugar, mango purée, cream, and glucose syrup to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate in the pitcher. Blend with a hand blender until the glaze comes together (insert the hand blender at an angle to avoid air bubbles). Add a little food coloring if you want a more yellow hue.
Cover the top of the glaze with plastic wrap and let it cool to 34-35°C / 93-95°F.
Remove the frozen cake from the freezer just before glazing. Place the cake on a wire rack lined with parchment paper
Pour the glaze over the cake. Use two large palette knives to run along the bottom of the cake on the rack to remove any glaze strands.
Place the cake on a cake plate and let it thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours

Tips & Notes:

Let the hot syrup set for 30 seconds so the chocolate can melt a bit.
Insert the immersion blender in the jug at an angle to prevent creating air bubbles.
The cake needs to be completely frozen when the glaze is poured on. If the correct temperatures have been met, you’ll get a perfectly shiny mirror glaze.

Decoration:

flowers (edible or secured with safety seal / edible wax)
(quenelle mousses from the Mango Mousse layer)

Remove the quenelle mousses from the mold (refer to Mango Mousse layer). Place an 18 cm cake ring lightly on top of the glazed cake to mark a guide.
Arrange the quenelle mousses in a circle around the guide, then remove the cake ring. If necessary, wear plastic gloves when handling the mousse balls to prevent the mousse from melting.
Garnish with edible flowers just before serving.

Cake Layer Overview:

Cake Base:

Biscuit Base 15 minutes

Crunch:

Coconut Layer with Lime 5 minutes

Creamy Elements:

Passion Fruit Ganache 15 minutes

Mousse:

White Chocolate Mousse 25 minutes Mango Mousse 25 minutes

Decoration:

Mango Glaze 20 minutes

Recipe Details:

Skill Level: Intermediate

Flavor: Coconut, Lime, Mango, Passion Fruit

Categories: Entremet Cakes, Seasonal

Yield & Time:

Servings / Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Total Active Working Time: 1 hour & 45 minutes
Approximate hands-on time only. Excludes weighing ingredients, baking, cooling, freezing, resting and assembly time, as well as the time required to prepare chocolate decorations.

troubleshooting guide

Cake Base

Issue	Cause	Fix
Biscuit base is too crumbly	Not enough butter, crumbs too coarse, or crumbs blended too much into powder	Blend biscuits into fine crumbs (not dust) and mix thoroughly with melted butter
Biscuit base is too hard	Too much butter or base pressed too firmly	Measure butter accurately and press gently with the bottom of a glass
Biscuit base becomes greasy	Butter too hot or too much butter used	Let butter cool slightly before mixing and avoid adding extra butter

Crunch

Issue	Cause	Fix
Crunch layer is too soft	Not pressed firmly enough into the ring/mold	Press the coconut mixture firmly and evenly so the layer becomes compact before freezing.
Crunch layer crumbles when unmolding	Layer not fully frozen	Freeze the coconut crunch fully overnight so it holds its shape when unmolded.
Crunch layer separates from the below layer	Surface not leveled flat	Level the crunch layer flat so it makes even contact with the layer above.
Crunch layer is patchy in texture	Coconut not mixed evenly with condensed milk	Stir until the mixture is uniform before filling the molds.
Crunch layer deforms when adding next layer	Layer not frozen enough	Freeze until fully firm before adding the whipped ganache layer on top.
Crunch layer has loose shreds	Not compacted enough	Gently press down with a spoon to compact the layer

Creamy Element

Issue	Cause	Fix
Ganache is grainy	Chocolate was overheated or cream was too hot	Heat cream only to approx. 80-85°C Before pouring the hot cream over the chocolate, it should cool to approximately 50–55°C Pour gradually over finely melted chocolate and stir
Ganache separates	Emulsion (mixing heavy cream and chocolate) not formed due to temperature difference	Stir in the middle of the bowl using a spatula Use an immersion blender if needed to restore texture
Ganache is thick	Ganache wasn’t hand blended	Use an immersion blender to fully emulsify the ganache and achieve a smooth, fluid texture
Ganache is too thin	Too much cream, or ganache still warm	Allow the ganache to cool in the fridge or freezer to thicken naturally.

Mousse & Cream

Issue	Cause	Fix
Mousse is runny	Gelatine not activated, not enough chilling time, too weak gelatin	Ensure gelatine is fully soaked and dissolved; chill mousse thoroughly before unmolding, ensure bloom value matches recipe
Mousse is runny	Whipped cream too soft	Whip cream to soft peaks, but not too loose
Mousse is grainy or seized	Chocolate or cream overheated	Let ganache cool to 29–33°C before folding in whipped cream
	Cream added too quickly or too cold	Temper mixture gently, fold in cream in 2–3 batches
	Whipped cream overwhipped	Only whip to soft peaks
	Overmixing after folding	Fold just until incorporated, do not stir aggressively
Mousse collapsed after assembly	Mousse not set before layering	Allow mousse to partially set in mold before adding cake or inserts
Mousse collapsed after assembly	Insert (e.g., cake layer) pushed down too hard	Gently place insert, don't press down
Mousse is too firm / rubbery	Too much gelatine	Reduce gelatine or use a more precise scale
Mousse is too firm / rubbery	Gelatine not evenly dispersed	Fully melt and strain gelatine mixture before adding to ganache
Mousse has air bubbles / holes	Folding too aggressively or too fast	Fold gently and slowly to preserve even texture
Mousse has air bubbles / holes	Not tapping the mold after filling	Lightly tap the mold on the counter to remove air pockets
Mousse stuck to mold or cracked when unmolding	Unmolded too early or mold not properly prepared	Freeze until completely set

Issue	Cause	Fix
Mousse is runny	Gelatine not activated, not enough chilling time, too weak gelatin	Ensure gelatine is fully soaked and dissolved; chill mousse thoroughly before unmolding, ensure bloom value matches recipe
Mousse is runny	Whipped cream too soft	Whip cream to soft peaks, but not too loose
Mousse is grainy or seized	Cream added too quickly or too cold Whipped cream overwhipped Overmixing after folding	Temper mixture gently, fold in cream in 2–3 batches Only whip to soft peaks Fold just until incorporated, do not stir aggressively
Mousse collapsed after assembly	Mousse not set before layering	Allow mousse to partially set in mold before adding cake or inserts
Mousse collapsed after assembly	Insert (e.g., cake layer) pushed down too hard	Gently place insert, don't press down
Mousse is too firm / rubbery	Too much gelatine	Reduce gelatine or use a more precise scale
Mousse is too firm / rubbery	Gelatine not evenly dispersed	Fully melt and strain gelatine mixture before adding to ganache
Mousse has air bubbles / holes	Folding too aggressively or too fast	Fold gently and slowly to preserve even texture
Mousse has air bubbles / holes	Not tapping the mold after filling	Lightly tap the mold on the counter to remove air pockets
Mousse stuck to mold or cracked when unmolding	Unmolded too early or mold not properly prepared	Freeze until completely set

Decoration

Issue	Cause	Fix
Glaze is too thick	Temperature too low or glucose syrup too viscous	Reheat gently to 34–35°C Use a medium-viscosity glucose syrup
Glaze is too thin and won’t stick	Too hot, wrong gelatin ratio, or cake not frozen	Cool glaze to 34–35°C before pouring Ensure cake is fully frozen
Glaze has bubbles	Overmixing or improper blender	Use immersion blender with open-head design Avoid over-stirring when cooling
Glaze looks dull	Temperature too low or poor ingredient ratios	Pour at correct temp (34–35°C) Use proper gelatin-to-liquid ratio
Glaze is shiny first but turns dull later	Glaze applied too cold or syrup was too thick	Apply at proper temp Use the right glucose syrup texture
Glaze is too transparent	Glaze too hot	Cool to correct temp before pouring