Mango tres leches cake is a mango version of popular latin dessert, tres leches cake. This heavenly mango cake recipe features a rich & delicious eggless mango sponge cake soaked in sweetened mango flavored 3 milk mixture and is topped with fluffy mango whipped cream.
This cake is bursting with mango flavor in every bite. It is perfect to make during mango season. Bake it for summer birthdays or for summer gatherings.
What is Tres Leches Cake
Tres(Three) Leche(Milk) cakes are traditional to Latin America and they are sponge cakes that are poked after baking and then soaked in a sweetened milky mixture made of three kinds of milk - evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. The sponge itself is airy and it absorbs the milk mixture to form a luscious, dense and rich cake.
Here's another of my favorite flavor- do check out my masala chai tres leches cake recipe.
About My Recipe
The first time I made the mango tres leches cake was for Diwali celebration a few years back. Diwali is one of the most important Hindu festivals and usually people do not consume eggs or non vegetarian food on that day.
Since I was serving it for a festive occcasion, I made an eggless mango sponge keeping the guest list in mind. Everybody loved the texture and flavor of the cake so much that I never bothered to change it. This mango tres leches cake recipe is -
- Perfect for feeding a crowd.
- Has a saturated mango flavor- I use mango in the sponge, in the soaking liquid as well as the whipped cream. Its truly mango mania in cake form!
- Can be made 1-2 days in advance. If you are hosting, you can get dessert out of the way uptown 2 days in advance!
- Soft, rich and creamy- really really delicious! Everything you expect from a tres leches cake!
- Use fresh mangoes or canned puree- Yep! You can make this cake year round. I have tested this recipe with canned mango puree and it works.
- Fuss free simple ingredients - You need pantry staples like flour, sugar, oil, milk etc for the cake. The only "special" thing you need to purchase is mangoes.
Elements of the Cake
There are a few steps and components of tres leches recipe but nothing too complicated. You could divide the work between 2 days. The 3 essential steps of making the cake are -
- Baking the mango sponge
- Soaking in milk mixture and,
- Topping with the whipped cream.
You can bake and soak the cake on first day and then next day just make the whipped cream and add it on top. I do it all the time.
Mango Sponge
The eggless sponge is super easy to make and we add mango puree to the cake batter for that deeply flavorful mango bite . If you wish, you can use the same recipe for baking just the sponge itself. The mango sponge is really moist. Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.
The cake has a beautiful texture and it gets nicely browned. When you cut into it, the sponge is nicely dyed with natural yellow color of mangoes, I didn't add any food color. The shade will vary depending on the natural color of your mangoes.
Mangoes
Make sure to used the best ripest and sweetest mangoes you can find else use store bought mango puree. If using fresh, I use either alphonso or kesar mangoes from the Indian grocery stores. Else, honey mangoes available widely during summer time in american stores work great.
If you are using homemade mango puree, make sure to strain the pulp so that its not stringy.
Tres Leches Mixture
After the cake is baked, soak it in a milk mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. I also add mango pulp to the milk mixture. Allow for at least 6 hours of soaking (overnight is best) if you have at the time.
Mango Whipped Cream
Simply heavy cream whipped with mango puree and flavored with vanilla. This mango whipped cream is just irresistible and I can imagine it on so many things!
Chill the bowl and the mixer blade for a fluffier whipped cream.
How to Make Mango Tres Leches Cake (Few Step Photos)
Serving and Storage
I always save 1 to 2cup of milk mixture to drizzle when serving. Serve chilled with fresh sliced mangoes.
The cake stays well for 2-4 days in the fridge.
I dont recommend freezing after soaking or frosting. However you can definitely freeze the mango sponge for a month. Thaw fully before going on to adding the milk mixture and topping.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Fresh Mangoes - You could use fresh seasonal mangoes to make a homemade mango puree or use store-bought mango puree.
- Add any flavors you like - Add cardamom powder, saffron or any flavor you prefer. I use vanilla because my kids prefer it.
- Baking pan - I used a 9 inch square pan for baking, however an 8 inch square pan works good too, you till have a thicker sponge requiring extra baking time(bake until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean). You could also use a round pan.
- Mango Sponge - You could use this recipe to make just the eggless mango sponge and cover it in your favorite buttercream or frosting.
- I did use fresh mangoes to decorate the cake as you can see in pictures, however I noticed that by day 3, even though the cake still tasted amazing, the fresh mangoes turned a bit dryish. Something to keep in mind 🙂
The ingredients mentioned in the recipe card include extra quantity of milk sauce that you could drizzle while serving the cake slices. Cutting back of the quantity of milk mixture makes sure that the cake retains its spongy structure and doesn't disintegrate due to the weight of too much liquid.
Mango tres laces cake stays well for 2-4 days in the fridge. In fact, it tastes better 2nd day onwards.
You cannot use milk as it is becasue its thinner and will not add much flavor. You could use half and half easily available in american stores. If you dont get half and half or evaporated milk, I would recommend reducing regular whole milk to ⅓ of its volume. Cool down and use. You may need to add bit of a sugar for extra sweetness.
Mango Tres Leches Cake (Eggless)
Equipment
- Glass Mixing Bowls, Baking Tools
Ingredients
For The Eggless Mango Sponge
- 246 g all purpose flour ~1 +½ cup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ salt
- 147 g granulated sugar ~¾ cup
- ½ cup oil any neutral oil
- ¾ cup mango puree (from 3-4 ripe mangoes or use store bought)
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or any flavor you like
3 Milk Mixture (makes extra for serving)
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup mango pulp
- 12oz sweetened condensed milk
For Mango Whipped Cream
- 1+¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon mango puree
- 4 tablespoon powdered sugar confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or any flavor you like
Instructions
Mango Sponge
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 inch non stick square cake pan with oil spray.
- Dry Ingredients - Place a sieve (or use a flour sifter) over a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift the flour mixture.
- Wet Ingredients - In a large bowl, combine sugar, mango puree, milk, vanilla and oil. Whisk for 1-2 minutes or until everything is combined and of mango color.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 batches, folding the previous batch just until combined. No white specks of flour should be visible. Dont over mix.
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Using a flat spatula, smoothen the top of the cake.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Mine was done in 22 minutes.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and cool off completely. Then, proceed to soaking (see instructions below)
Make the Milk Mixture
- Combine all the listed ingredients in a large pitcher, this helps in pouring. Whisk well. Save about 1 to 2 cup of milk sauce for serving.
- When the cake is cooled, poke the surface of the cake all over using fork or a wooden or metal skewer. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake. It will look like a lot but don't worry it will all be absorbed.
- I like to let the cake soak for good 4-6 hours at least in the refrigerator before adding the whipped cream layer. However if you dont have that kind of time, you can add the whipped cream and chill it for at least 2 hours.
Mango Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy cream and sugar into a chilled mixing bowl and beat on high speed for about a 1-2 till you see its starting to get thick. Add the mango puree and vanilla. Beat on high speed for another minute and a half till the cream is thick and spreadable.
- Spread on the cake and chill the cake for at least 2 hours before serving. I did use fresh mangoes to decorate the cake as you can see in pictures, however I noticed that by day 3, even though the cake still tasted amazing, the mangoes turned a bit dryish. Something to keep in mind 🙂
- To serve- Cut a slices of the chilled cake and lift using a wide metal spatula- after soaking these cakes are quite soft and heavy. Serve with a drizzle of milk mixture. Enjoy!
Notes
- Fresh Mangoes - You could use fresh seasonal mangoes to make a homemade mango puree or use store-bought mango puree.We need 1 cup of mango puree in this recipe.I add the flesh of about 1 lb of mangoes (4-5) with 1 -2 tablespoon sugar to a blender and bend on high speed. I recommend straining the puree to make sure that there are no fibres and its ultra smooth.
- Add any flavors you like - Add cardamom powder, saffron or any flavor you like. I use vanilla because my kids prefer it.
- Baking pan - I used a 9 inch square pan for baking, however an 8 inch square pan works good too, you till have a thicker sponge requiring extra baking time (bake until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean). You could also use a round pan.
- Mango Sponge - You could use this recipe to make just the eggless mango sponge and cover it in your favorite buttercream or frosting or serve as it is.
- Nutrition facts will vary depending on serving size and quality of ingredients. They are an estimation only.
vahidajabin
Bake at what degree in oven??
Tanvi
Its baked at 350F