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Tropical Cake with Mango Ginger Glaze

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This special cake transports me to one of my favorite places on earth.  With Mango, Banana, Pineapple, and spices featured prominently in this cake, it’s perfectly balanced for your dessert table year-round.

  • Total Time: ~5-7 hours
  • Yield: 18 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Batter:

  • 384 g (3 c) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 227 g (1 c) unsalted butter
  • 500 g (2.5 c) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
  • 5 eggs
  • 168 g (2/3 c) ripe banana, mashed
  • 235 g (2/3 c) canned mango, drained and mashed (keep the juice for the glaze!)
  • 250 g (2/3 c) crushed pineapple, with juice

For the Vanilla Simple Syrup:

  • 67 g (1/3 c) granulated sugar
  • 84 g (1/3 c) water
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Mango Ginger Glaze:

  • 240 g (2 c) confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1.5–2 tbsp mango juice (you can also sub pineapple juice if you prefer!)
  • 1–3 tsp whole milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to a true 325°F.  An oven thermometer is essential for this step.  Many ovens run quite hot or cold, and it’s impossible to know unless you have an oven thermometer to gauge the true temperature in your oven!
  2. Sift the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, allspice, ginger, and baking soda into a medium bowl.  Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and the scrapings of the vanilla bean pod (if using).  Scrunch the vanilla beans into the sugar until fragrant.  Alternatively, you can place the sugar and vanilla beans into a deli cup and shake to your heart’s content.
  4. Using either a blender on low speed or a small bowl, add the crushed pineapple, mashed banana, and mashed mango.  Blend on low speed or mash with a fork until combined.
  5. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter only with your mixer until it is very smooth.  Add the vanilla-infused sugar (if using) and cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.  (Not sure what I mean when I say “cream butter and sugar”?  Check out this post!)  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.  Don’t shortcut this step!  It’s essential to great baked goods!
  6. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until it is fully incorporated before adding the next egg.
  7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until nearly combined.
  8. Add all of the fruit mixture and mix on low speed until nearly combined.
  9. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until nearly combined.
  10. Finish the batter by giving several turns with a stiff spatula, until you have a cohesive batter.  Make sure to thoroughly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl during this step.
  11. Prep a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan and add the batter to the pan.  Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 212°F in the center.
  12. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to remain in the pan for ten minutes.  Invert the cake onto a cooling rack (not a plate!).  While the cake is cooling for ten minutes, make the simple syrup. 
  13. To make the simple syrup: Add water, granulated sugar, and salt to a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off once all of the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and add the pure vanilla extract. 
  14. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack.  VERY GENTLY brush a thin layer of simple syrup onto the warm cake with a pastry brush.  Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the final glaze.
  15. To make the glaze: add confectioner’s sugar, fine sea salt, pure vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp of reserved mango juice to a medium bowl.  Still with a whisk until all of the confectioner’s sugar is moistened.  Add 1 tsp of whole milk and stir.  If necessary, add additional mango juice by teaspoons until you read the consistency of your liking.  The final glaze should have the consistency of thick honey.
  16. Using a spouted measuring cup, squeeze bottle, or spoon, place glaze atop your completely cooled cake.
  17. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can adapt the liquid amounts of each fruit to get the blend of tropical flavor that appeals most to you!  You need 2 cups total of liquid.  This cake has 2/3 cup of each.  In metric measurement, that is: 168 grams of banana, 235 grams of mango, and 168 grams of pineapple.  Want more pineapple punch?  Add more pineapple but make sure to reduce the banana and mango!
  • Author: Shani
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cooling Time: ~6 hours
  • Cook Time: 65-75 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Find it online: https://beginwithbutter.com/2024/04/tropical-cake-with-mango-ginger-glaze/