All the brightest flavors of summertime have been sweetly created in the most deliciously tropical cake! Tender coconut cake filled with the most delicious mango curd, frosted in soft coconut buttercream and rolled in toasted coconut for a touch of warmth and mouthwatering texture. You will not be able to resist this one, especially the mango curd!

With summertime firing at all cylinders these days, I couldn’t help but create a cake that echoed some of it’s most popular flavors in one gorgeous masterpiece. Yes, I call it a masterpiece because the first time I bit into it I couldn’t help but smile. It was JUST SO HEAVENLY. The coconut pairs perfectly with mango curd, and the toasted coconut is simply a must for this cake for both texture and flavor. Thankfully, it’s not a tricky cake to make, and with all the summertime fun you’re having, this cake won’t make you skip a beat for a second.

I created this cake using my sure-fire coconut cake base. I’ve used it in my White Chocolate Coconut Cake, and have a couple more flavor combos I can’t wait to try with it. It’s soft, sweet, and tender – everything you want for your gorgeous cake rounds. You can stack it all like I do with three 6″ cake rounds, or keep it flat and traditional with two 8″ cake rounds. If you’d like to turn this cake into cupcakes, as always, you totally CAN! Just split the batter between 24 cupcakes and lower that baking time down to 12-15 minutes.

Again, I’m using the Duncan Hines cake mix as my base to add my buttermilk, sour cream, egg whites, coconut emulsion, and vanilla to, but you can always substitute in Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, or even the store brand cake mix. It won’t be exactly the same, but if that’s all that’s around, go for it.

With all that lovely coconut flavor in our cake and buttercream, you’d think the mango might fall into the back light, but WOW this mango curd really steals the show! I love using curds (lemon, lime, traditional custard, etc), but I’ve never really tried mango curd before. I was nervous, to be honest. It’s not really a strong flavor like it’s citrus counterparts, but I knew I wanted mango, and so we went full mango for this curd. Thankfully, it came together beautifully, and I couldn’t stop stealing bites with my spoon once it was finished!

First, you’re going to want to start off with fresh mango. Frozen mango might work just as well, but I always go for fresh when I can (less moisture, etc). Go with some ripe mangoes (the large green/red ones, not the all-yellow/orange little ones). Slice up your mango (it can be tricky, but once you figure out where that pesky pit is, you’re in business). I love using the side of a glass to separate the skin from the actual mango inside. Puree it up in a small blender so it looks as smooth as applesauce.

Now, this should all be a bit more familiar: stir into a saucepan with lime juice, sugar, and later a couple egg yolks and butter. I reserved a bit of mango puree to add into it at the end. It really helps keep that mango flavor really strong in the curd, I think. Make sure to watch those eggs! You don’t want them to scramble in the heat and make your curd taste like well, egg. *Making your mango curd the day before is ideal. Same goes for your cake layers. If you make your cake layers, mango curd, and toast up your coconut the day before you make your buttercream and assemble your cake, this cake will be a breeze!

Tip: A little filling goes a long way. So don’t overfill it and you should be good. If you find your cake slipping, pipe a sturdy dam and use less filling. You can always serve the filling alongside the cake if needed.

I know… rolling a cake sounds tricky, but I promise you it’s super easy if you remember one thing: COLD CAKE. If your cake is cold, you will have a much easier time rolling the cake. Cold cake, “wet” buttercream. That way the cake holds itself together when you turn it on it’s side, and the coconut sticks to the buttercream when you roll it.

And there you have it! Pipe on a rim of buttercream with your Wilton 1M piping tip, and spoon in a touch of that heavenly curd, and you should be good to go!

I hope you love my coconut mango cake as much as we did! It really was an instant hit around here, and I can’t wait to see you making it in your kitchens. As always, make sure to tag @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie on Instagram so I can see. Building your cake confidence is what I’m all about, and seeing your creations makes my day every time. 🙂

Here’s a quick video showing the decorating and cake-rolling process:

 

Mango Coconut Cake
Recipe Type: Cake
Author: Mandy Merriman | Baking with Blondie
Summer in it’s most delicious cake form! Soft coconut cake layers, a delicious mango curd filling, coconut buttercream, and the entire cake rolled in toasted coconut. This cake will have your taste buds singing and begging for yet another bite!
Ingredients
  • COCONUT CAKE[br]
  • ⅔ Cup Sour Cream, room temperature
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • ¾ Cup Buttermilk, room temperature
  • ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Mexican Vanilla
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Emulsion
  • Duncan Hines WHITE Cake Mix
  • [br]
  • MANGO CURD: [br]
  • 2 ripe mangoes (1 cup + 3 Tablespoons puree, divided)
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • [br]
  • COCONUT BUTTERCREAM
  • 1 1/2 Cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter (left out of the fridge for 15 minutes)
  • 1 Tablespoon Mexican Vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Emulsion
  • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (or you can use Coconut Cream here)
  • 6-7 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
  • [br]
  • GARNISH: [br]
  • 14oz Sweetened Shredded Coconut
Instructions
  1. FOR THE COCONUT CAKE: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prep 3 6″ cake rounds (or 2 8″ cake rounds, or 24 cupcake liners (bake for 12-15 min if doing cupcakes)), with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla extract, coconut emulsion, and vegetable oil until thoroughly combined. Sift in the cake mix, then stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  3. Divide evenly between cake layers, spread in an even layer, then place in the preheated oven for 23-26 minutes.
  4. Remove cake layers from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip cakes out of their pans on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Wrap up in plastic wrap twice and freeze for 3 hours to overnight for easier decorating.
  5. FOR THE MANGO CURD:
  6. Slice up 2 very ripe mangos (remove the pit and skins) and puree until uniform throughout (should have 1 cup + 3 Tablespoons mango puree).
  7. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the 1 cup puree (save the three tablespoons for later), sugar, and lime juice until thoroughly combined.
  8. Slowly add in one yolk at a time and whisk vigorously until it’s combined (don’t make scrambled eggs, whatever you do!). Wait until mixture thickens, remove from heat (about 5 minutes is really all it takes), then stir in butter. Add in the 3 tablespoons fresh puree. Place into a glass container with some plastic wrap placed right onto the curd and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.
  9. FOR THE BUTTERCREAM: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter, vanilla, salt, and coconut emulsion. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add in the heavy cream (or coconut cream). Whip up, then add in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. If it becomes too thick, add in a tablespoon of heavy cream. If it’s too thin, add in another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
  10. Whip up on high speed for 2 minutes, then hand stir with a spoon to remove any air bubbles.
  11. FOR THE TOASTED COCONUT: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place down some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then spread out the coconut. Bake for 2-5 minutes, or until it’s toasted, then stir. When it’s toasted, you can keep stirring and baking until 75% of the coconut is toasted. Watch it closely so it doesn’t go from toasted to burned!
  12. ASSEMBLY: Using a cake turntable and cardboard cake rounds (6″ cardboard taped to a 8″ cardboard round), add on a touch of buttercream in the center of the cardboard round. Place on first cake round. Add on a thin layer of buttercream, then pipe a dam around the outside rim. Add on about 1/2 cup mango curd.
  13. Place on the next cake round and repeat.
  14. Crumb coat cake and chill for 2 minutes in the freezer.
  15. Add on final layer of buttercream (leave enough to pipe the top decoration), then press a 6″ round on the top of the cake if rolling the cake in the coconut.
  16. To roll the cake in the coconut, place hands on either side of the cake (there should be a 6″ cardboard round on both sides) roll the cake in the toasted coconut. The cake should hold it’s shape because it’s been frozen and then chilled again with the crumb coat. The coconut should stick because the buttercream was freshly added and should act as glue!
  17. Freeze for 5 minutes, then slice off the top 6″ cardboard round. Pipe on a dam using the Wilton 1M piping tip, then add on a little mango curd on top. Refridgerate until ready to serve that day, or else wrap in plastic wrap after chilling, then freeze overnight.
  18. Serve cold :).