MANGO CAKE

TO MAKE YOUR MAKE AHEAD MANGO PUREE

Blend your mango cubes down in your food processor until it is puréed—roughly 3 minutes.
Over medium heat, simmer your puree in your saucepan for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. We are reducing the liquid in the purée to make the mango more concentrated in flavor and less liquidy in texture.
Transfer your mango purée to your mason jar and cool completely. I like to refrigerate it overnight. If you don't have that option at least allow it to cool to room temperature.

TO MAKE YOUR CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350º.
Lightly grease your cake pans with your baking spray. Set aside.
In your medium mixing bowl, whisk together your cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In your stand mixer affixed with your paddle attachment, cream your butter and sugar together over high speed. It should be smooth and fluffy—about 3 minutes.
Add egg whites and continue mixing until fully integrated.
Add yogurt. Continue mixing.
Add vanilla, Continue mixing.
Lower your stand mixer's speed to very low and keep it there for the rest of this process. Slowly spoon your cake flour mixture into your wet mixture allowing it to integrate as you add it until it is all fully incorporated.
Slowly pour in your milk until it's integrated. Don't over-mix.
In small spoonfuls, slowly incorporate 1/2 cup of your mango purée just until it's fully mixed in. Turn off your stand mixer.
Divide your cake batter between both cake pans. It should come about 3/4 of the way up the pan. There will be a little extra in case you want to make a small 3-inch cake tier. I've made it both ways depending on the occasion and it is really pretty.
Bake until you can stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean or with a few crumbs—no batter!—38 - 40 minutes.
Transfer to your cooling rack and let cool completely. About 1 hour.

TO MAKE YOUR MANGO CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

In your food processor, blend down your freeze-dried mangoes into dust.
In your stand mixer outfitted with your whisk attachment, cream your cream cheese and butter until smooth.
On low speed, add confectioners sugar.
Still on low speed add your mango dust.
Add condensed milk and vanilla. Mix on high speed until smooth and fluffy.
Salt to taste making sure to mix it in fully before you taste so as to not over salt.

TO ASSEMBLE YOUR CAKE

Use a bread knife to cut the tops of your cake flat.
Cut each cake in half width-wise.
Put a little dollop of frosting in the very middle of your cake turntable and stick the bottom middle of your cake round onto it. Add another dollop of frosting to the top of your cake round and stick the bottom middle of your first layer of cake on it.
Fill your piping bag with its tip with frosting. Pipe a double ring on the outer edge of the top of your cake layer. Fill the center of the ring with 1/3 of your remaining mango purée. Place another layer on top and repeat. Repeat with your third layer as well. Place your top layer on.
Lightly frost your whole cake and then refrigerate for 15 minutes. You will see through the frosting here. It is your "crumb layer" which will hold all of your crumbs in and keep them from mixing with your remaining frosting.
Frost the rest of your cake. You can go for a looser plush frosting or use an icing smoother like I did to flatten the frosting. I've done it both ways and they are fun.
OPTIONAL. Top your cake with fun goodies. I was making this one for my son's second birthday so I topped it with a mix of my family's favorite treats. Mini marshmallows, gummy bears, kettle corn, extra broken-up pieces of freeze-dried mango, and white pearl sprinkles.