Mango Meringue Cake
Ingredients
- For the Meringue Cake:
- 5 egg whites
- 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups pecans chopped
- 1-3.25 oz. roll or sleeve Ritz crackers (original flavor) coarsely crushed or Graham crackers, or vanilla wafers
- For the Cream Layer:
- 1 cup cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- For garnish:
- 3 cups sliced or cubed fresh mango 3 or 4 units, depending on their size. 1 mango yields approximately 1 cup of flesh.
Instructions
- Make the cake:
- Spray a 9-inch nonstick spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat the egg whites on high with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar gradually. Keep beating while you add the vanilla extract and the baking powder for 2 more minutes. Manually fold in the pecans and Ritz or Maria (or other) crackers. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until golden. Remove cake from the oven and let it cool down for 20 - 25 minutes.
- Make the cream:
- Using the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract (or lemon zest) until soft peaks form and the mixture is smooth.
- Assemble the cake:
- Remove the spring form pan. Using a spatula, evenly spread the cream all over the top of the cake. Garnish with the cubed or sliced mango. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The original Mostachon recipe calls for Ritz crackers or even saltines instead of the sweet crackers. It makes for a nice sweet vs. savory flavor contrast. Some people, however, use sweet crackers, such as Marias. Just use your favorite.
You can use a rolling pin or a pestle to crush the cookies. You don't have to get a fine texture. Some small pieces are okay.
You can also use thawed frozen mango cubes instead of fresh mango. This will save a lot of time.