This mango cake is the perfect summer cake. It is light and fluffy, not too sweet and bursting with tropical flavours from the sweet mango and fragrant coconut. This mango cake is egg free and dairy free, making it 100% vegan friendly. It is still very moist yet also very easy to make. 

vegan mango cake

Why you will love this recipe

The cake is beginner friendly as it requires only one cake layer, a simple frosting and ingredients that can be found in an average pantry. While this cake recipe makes one 8-inch round cake, the recipe is very customizable. you can double the recipe to make two cake layers or a large sheet pan cake. And if you do not like mango or coconut, you can adjust the cake with any fruit or plant based milk you prefer, or even customize the flavour of the cake layer with any spice. Scroll down for more details on customizing

mango coconut cake

Here are the ingredients you will need

Cake Layer
  • Dry Ingredients
    • Cake Flour: A low protein flour that keeps the cake light, soft and fluffy
    • All purpose flour: This adds structure to the cake as it is has a higher protein content than cake flour
    • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These serve as the leavening agents
    • Salt: Essential for any sweet recipe to balance flavour
  • Wet Ingredients
    • Plant Based Unsalted Butter at room temperature
    • Neutral Vegetable Oil: Combining oil and butter keeps the cake moist
    • Sugar: Yes, in a cake, sugar does fill a role that is closer to a liquid than a dry ingredient. To keep things simple, we are using white granulated sugar
    • Apple Cider Vinegar: Extra acid helps to reduce gluten formation which keeps the cake layer fluffy
    • Unsweetened apple Sauce: Add moisture to the cake instead of eggs.
    • Coconut Milk: This adds a delicious and moist coconut flavour. I prefer light coconut milk for its lower fat content given we are also using plant based butter or oil but I have also made this with regular canned coconut milk and it is still great, just a little softer.
    • Coconut Essence: Not required but adds a stronger coconut flavour
Frosting

This frosting is a plant based swiss meringue buttercream adapted from Sugarologie Bean Cream. I adjusted the ratios to best suit the amount of cake I was making.

  • Aquafaba: Chickpea liquid from canned chickpeas. This will act as our egg white replacement
  • White granulated sugar
  • Plant Based Unsalted Butter at room temperature
  • Salt
  • Powder Sugar 
Mango Jam and Toppings
  • Fresh Mangos: I highly recommend mangos that are just a little under ripe. I used medium ataulfo mangos but you can use what ever medium sized mangos you have access to. The extra tartness adds dimensions to the cake and cuts through any strong sweet flavour. Such a beautiful balance of flavour. If your mangos are really sweet and soft, you can add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to the mango puree before cooking it down.
  • Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: Adds nice texture and more coconut flavour.

Step by Step Process on How to make this Mango Coconut Cake

  • Puree the mango, and pour into a small pot along with 1/4 cup of water.l Cook at medium heat for 15 minutes to get a thick jam like consistency.
  • Mix the coconut milk, coconut essence and apple cider vinegar and set aside
  • Combine the dry ingredients and set aside
  • Mix aquafaba with sugar, microwave on 20-30 second intervals until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature
  • Cream together the butter, sugar and oil with a hand mixer until you get a light fluffy consistency.
  • Bit by bit, add the dry mix and then the coconut milk mix starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
  • Pour the batter into a well oiled 8 inch round cake pan and bake at 340°F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack
  • As the cake is baking, make the frosting by creaming together butter and the aquafaba simple syrup until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt. Cream everything together to get a fluffy whipped frosting texture.
  • Assemble everything together and decorate to your own preference. Make sure to add some fresh mango and the unsweetened coconut flakes for decoration and textural diversity.

vegan cake

Tips on how to make the Best Mango Coconut Cake

  • Use a kitchen scale! I have tried to integrate cup measurements but for reproducability, I highly recommend a kitchen scale.
  • Sift the cake flour and all purpose flour to ensure there are no clumps
  • If the frosting is getting too soft, you can place it in the fridge to stifen a bit. This makes it easier to frost the cake.
  • A hand mixer is the best tool for this cake. It incorporate air into the batter to keep the cake soft and fluffy.,

strawberry cake

How to customize this cake recipe for any fruit or flavour

If you do not like coconut or mango, you can adjust the recipe to fit your preference. i have made this cake with strawberries and it was absolutely delicious. To make adjustments.

  • Swap the coconut milk for any plain plant based milk. I highly recommend soy milk because ot its higher fat and protein content but use what you prefer.
  • Swap the coconut essence for vanilla essence to keep the cake flavour neutral
  • Instead of mango, you can use any fruit. Just needs about 1 1/2 cup of fruit puree to cook down, or use a store bought preserve or compote
  • If you want to turn the cake into a spice cake, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of your favourite spice blend whether that is pumpkin spice or chai masala, what ever appeals to you
  • If you not want to make the Vegan Swiss Meringue butter cream, swap for whipped cream to keep the cake nice and light. I recommend cocowhip as a good plant based alternative
  • You can double the recipe to make a 2 layer cake or a large sheet cake. 

Print Pin
Course Baking
Keyword cake, mango cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 slices

Equipment

  • 1 hand mixer
  • 1 8-inch round cake pan

Ingredients

Mango Puree

  • 2 medium sized ripe mangos peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 cup water

Plant Based Swiss Meringue Butter Cream adapted from Sugarologie

  • 60 g aquafaba ~1/3 cup
  • 100 g sugar ~1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon
  • 7 g powder sugar 1 tablespoon
  • 127 g plant based unsalted butter at room temperature ~1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Cake Batter

  • 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 2/3 cup light coconut milk
  • 150 g cake flour ~1 2/3 cup
  • 40 g all purpose flour ~1/3 cup
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 56 g plant based unsalted butter at room temperature ~1/4 cup
  • 55 g of neutral oil ~1/4 cup
  • 120 g of granulated sugar ~2/3 cup
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce

Garnish

  • 20 g coconut flakes ~1/4 cup

Instructions

  • We will start with the frosting to ensure everything is cool to room temperature before decorating the cake. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the aquafaba and sugar and microwave in 20 second intervals, mixing in between, until the sugar has fully dissolved. Place the syrup in the fridge to cool down.
  • For the mango puree, blend 75% of the mango fruit with 1/4 cup of water and keep the 25% for decoration.
  • Cook the mango puree in a small pan at medium heat, fully covered, for 15 minutes until the puree has thickened. It should be the texture of jam. Place in the fridge to cool
  • Prep your cake pan (8-inch round cake pan) by spraying with oil and then placing a round piece of parchment (the same size as the cake pan) at the bottom. This makes it easy to remove the cake after it is baked
  • Preheat oven to 340°F
  • Combine the coconut milk with apple cider vinegar and set aside
  • In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking powder, salt. Sift the mix and set aside
  • In another mixing bowl, cream together the plant based butter, sugar, and oil until lighter in colour and fluffy
  • Add the apple sauce to the creamed butter and sugar and mix
  • Add the dry ingredients, and the coconut milk mixture to the creamed butter and sugar in bits, one after the other, starting and ending with the dry mix.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake the cake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
  • While the cake is baking, you can make the frosting by first creaming the soften butter with the powder sugar and salt, using the hand mixer, until the butter is aerated and fluffy.
  • Bit by bit add the aquafaba syrup, continuing to whip until you get a lighter, fluffy frosting that is fluffy almost like whipped cream. Set the frosting aside
  • Set aside
  • When the cake is ready, remove from the oven. Allow the cake to cool in baking pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. The cake is delicate so be careful. Cool for another 15-20 minutes until cool to room temperature
  • Frost the cake with an even layer of the frosting. Liberally drizzle the mango puree all over the cake. Sprinkle with extra coconut flakes and the remaining mango you set aside before making the puree.