Photography: John Paul Urizar. Styling: Michele Cranston.
Julie Goodwin’s gorgeous mango shortcake recipe is a must-make summer dessert. This elegant showstopper features a buttery shortcake base topped with silky smooth vanilla custard and crowned with fresh mango slices arranged in a beautiful rose pattern.
This shortcake is a summer dessert centrepiece that tastes as divine as it looks, celebrating peak-season mangoes in their full glory.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Thoroughly grease a 25cm shortcake flan tin or fluted loose-based flan tin (see Julie’s tip).
Place the flour and butter in a food processor; blitz to combine. Add the sugar and blitz again until combined. Add the egg and water process once more. Turn the mixture out of the food processor and spread it in the tin. Press with your hands so that it is firm and even.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
CUSTARD With an electric mixer or balloon whisk beat the sugar and the egg yolks for 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the flour and beat until well combined. Meanwhile, combine the milk, vanilla and orange peel in a medium saucepan, heat until just below boiling point; remove the orange peel. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to a cleaned saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the custard boils and thickens (about 3-4 minutes). Remove from the heat, then stir through the butter. Place in a container and cover the surface with plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming on top. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cut the cheeks from the mango and slice thinly. Assemble the mango cake just before serving. Spread the custard over the shortcake. Arrange the mango slices as though they are rose petals, starting in the centre and working outwards.
Can this mango cake be made ahead of time?
The shortcake base can be baked a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated (covered with plastic wrap). Assemble the cake with fresh mango just before serving. This will prevent the base from becoming soggy and keep the mango looking beautiful.
What is a shortcake tin?
A shortcake tin is a flan tin with fluted edges and raised centre, so when the shortcake is turned out, it has an indented centre. For extra flavour, brush the shortcake with orange liqueur while it’s still warm.
This mango cake recipe was first published in The Australian Women’s Weekly in January 2018, and published online in 2025.
