Mango Banana Cake with Coconut & Lime
Updated: Aug 19
I'm a big fan of mango and banana smoothies, so I started wondering whether the combination would work just as well in a cake. It turns out, it really does!
The tart, fruity mango pairs beautifully with sweet banana and creamy coconut, creating a fresh and tropical flavor combination that works really well in cake. It's a fun twist on the classic smoothie combination and a lovely cake for anyone who loves tropical flavors.
Amount:
8–10 slices
Ingredients:
Day 1: Cake, ganache, mango mousse, jelly
Day 2: Banana mousse
Day 3: Mango glaze, decoration
Day 1:
Coconut Cake with Lime:
105 g butter
110 g all-purpose flour
50 g shredded coconut
100 g brown sugar
Zest from 1 large organic lime (approx. 1.5 small organic limes)
Banana Ganache
Around 1/2 a gelatin sheet or approx. .9 g (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
125 g white chocolate (preferably Zéphyr from Callebaut or another less sweet white chocolate)
80 g ripe bananas
60 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
8–10 drops of banana aroma/extract (optional, but the banana flavor will be less pronounced if omitted)
Mango Mousse:
2 gelatin sheets (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
130 ml mango purée (can be store-bought or homemade – see instructions below)
30 g caster sugar
0.75 tsp vanilla paste
3 tbsp lemon juice
200 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
Mango Jelly
3/4 gelatin sheet (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
60 g mango purée (can be store-bought or homemade)
5 g caster sugar
Day 2:
Banana Mousse:
1.75 gelatin sheets (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
85 g ripe bananas
30 g egg yolks (approx. 1.5 medium eggs) (at room temperature)
165 g white chocolate (preferably Zéphyr from Callebaut or another less sweet white chocolate)
14–17 drops of banana aroma/extract (optional, but the banana flavor will be less pronounced if omitted)
250 ml heavy cream (min. 35%) (85 ml heated, 165 ml lightly whipped)
Day 3:
Mango Glaze:
6 gelatin sheets (10.5 g, bloom value 240)
150 g white chocolate (28%)
110 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
25 g water
25 g mango purée (can be purchased or made yourself)
140 g caster sugar
150 g glucose syrup
Optional: a little yellow food coloring paste
Decoration:
200 g white chocolate and yellow powdered food coloring
Edible silver glitter dust
Edible flowers
A little glucose syrup
Instructions:
Coconut Cake with Lime:
Melt the butter and set it aside.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, caster sugar, shredded coconut, and lime zest together in a bowl. Add the melted butter.
Spread the batter into a lined cake ring or springform pan (16 cm in diameter) and bake the base for 12–14 minutes at 175°C / 347°F.
Let the crust cool completely. Place it in a clean cake ring (16 cm in diameter) lined with an acetate sheet on the inside and parchment paper on the bottom.
Banana Ganache:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Gently melt the chocolate (if necessary, over a double boiler) and set it aside in a bowl.
Blend the bananas in a food processor or with an immersion blender, then add them to a saucepan with the heavy cream.
Heat the heavy cream and bananas until they reach a boil. Whisk in the gelatin and pour the mixture over the chocolate.
Stir from the center of the mixture with a spatula until the ganache becomes glossy. Add the banana extract to taste.
Spread the ganache over the cooled base. Place the cake in the freezer while you make the mango mousse. The ganache needs to set slightly before the mousse can be poured on.
Mango Mousse:
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
If you’re making your own mango purée: boil the mangoes in a saucepan until tender. Strain the fruit pulp to obtain a smooth purée.
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 heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the mixture, which has cooled to lukewarm (if it’s too warm, the heavy cream may separate).
Spread the mousse on top of the banana ganache. Return the cake to the freezer while you make the jelly layer. The mousse must have a firm surface before the jelly can be poured on.
Mango Jelly:
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
If you're making your own mango purée, cook the mango until tender, then blend and strain until smooth.
Bring the mango purée and sugar to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Let the jelly cool to room temperature on the kitchen counter.
Carefully pour the jelly on top of the mango mousse by pouring it over a spoon (backside up) while pouring it over the cake (this prevents you from creating a “hole” in the mousse).
Return the cake to the freezer and let it set completely for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Banana Mousse:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Gently melt the chocolate (in a double boiler, if necessary) and set it aside in a bowl
Blend or puree the bananas. Stir the banana mixture into the chocolate.
Whisk the egg yolks with a fork and gradually add them to the chocolate/banana mixture.
Heat 85 ml of heavy cream to a boil and whisk in the gelatin. Gradually pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate-banana mixture while stirring in the center with a spatula
Season to taste with banana flavoring. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
Whip 165 ml of heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the mixture that has cooled to lukewarm (if it’s too warm, it may cause the heavy cream to separate).
Pour the banana mousse into a silicone mold (18 cm in diameter) lined with an acetate sheet (since the cake will rise higher than the mold). Since the mousse has a slightly runny consistency, it needs to set a bit before the frozen cake layer can be added. Therefore, place the mousse in the mold in the refrigerator until it has set slightly (as a rule of thumb, it has set enough when you can dip the end of a spoon into the mousse and a soft peak forms when you lift the spoon out).
Remove the frozen cake from the freezer and place it into the banana mousse with the mango jelly facing down.
Place the cake in the freezer overnight so it can set completely.
Mango Glaze:
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a large pitcher.
Heat the sugar, mango purée, heavy 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 an immersion blender until the glaze comes together (hold the 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.
Decoration:
Chocolate Dots:
Temper all of the chocolate and add the yellow powdered food coloring.
Pour some of the chocolate between two pieces of acetate sheet, smooth the surface with a rolling pin, and place the chocolate in the refrigerator.
Once the chocolate has set, cut out dots using cookie cutters with diameters of 1.5 cm, 2.5 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, and 5 cm.
Place silver dust in a small bowl, dip the dots into it, and tap off the excess dust.
Arrange the dots alternately on the cake.
Chocolate Ribbon:
Place a cake ring (18 cm in diameter) in the refrigerator.
Pour the rest of the chocolate onto a piece of acetate sheet (3 cm x 58 cm), smooth the surface with a small palette knife, peel the acetate sheet off the table, and run your fingers along the edge of the acetate sheet to remove any chocolate residue. Let the chocolate set slightly.
When the chocolate has almost set, place it around the chilled cake ring and return it to the refrigerator. If the chocolate is too runny or hasn’t set, you won’t be able to remove it from the cake ring. So it’s important that the ribbon has almost set before placing it around the cake ring.
Once the chocolate has set completely, remove it from the cake ring, dust it with silver powder, and place it around the cake.
Garnish with flowers, secured with a little glucose syrup.
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