Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Prepare the mangoes to be used for garnish. Use 2 fully ripened, very sweet Ataulfo variety of mangoes (also known as Champagne or Manila mangoes from Asian markets). Make little round balls with the mango flesh, by using a round spoon or small ice cream scooper. Chill in the refrigerator till ready to use when frosting the cake.
Sift together the dry ingredients: cake flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, at highest speed, beat the eggwhites and cream of tartar together. When there are high peaks and hardly any bubbles left, slowly add the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When peaks form and whites are shiny, put aside.
In another mixing bowl, make a well of all the dry ingredients. In the center add : oil, yolks, 3/4 cup mango juice. Beat with the mixer at medium speed till blended. This should only take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Finally, fold the mango-yolks batter very gradually into the eggwhites. Try to do the folding in 3 batches, to prevent the eggwhites from dropping.
Pour batter into a greased round tube pan, measuring 8 inches in diameter, 4 inches high. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or test for doneness.
When done, cool cake on counter for a few minutes. Then loosen edges from the round tube pan, invert and take the cake out to cool. It should be completely cooled before adding any of the Mango icing. (It takes me 1-2 hours to cool the cake. Do not frost if cake is still hot or icing will melt).
How to make the Mango Buttercream Icing (makes 2 1/2 cups):
In a mixing bowl, at high speed, mix together the softened butter and 1/4 cup mango juice. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Cream and blend well till smooth.
Gradually add in alternating order, a few tablespoons at a time : confectioners' sugar, heavy cream. Begin and end with the confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate the icing till ready to use on cake.
After frosting the cake, decorate with mango balls on top in a spiral manner. Keep cake refrigerated till ready to serve.
Recipe notes: in the hot summer months, I freeze the entire cake after frosting it. This cake is delicious served with Filipino Ube (Purple Yam) ice cream, which can be found in Filipino or Asian markets.
Cook's comments: I updated this original recipe from a previous blog post and omitted the lemon flavoring and food color.
Mango memo : The mangoes in the photo above are the Ataulfo variety, also known as Champagne or Manila mangoes from Asian markets. In the Philippines, we call them carabao mangoes. These are the best type of fruit for this cake recipe because they are the least fibrous. If baking this cake when it is not mango season (fall or winter) you can use canned or bottled mango juice and omit the fresh fruit on top of the cake.