Fresh mango chunk topped with fluffy whipped cream, then wrapped with a thin, moist and elastic crepe, pillow-shaped mango pancake is a dessert to die for.
During my holidays in China I always enjoy visiting a popular dessert chain in Beijing. It’s called Honeymoon dessert (满记甜品), a brand which originated in Hong Kong selling both Chinese traditional and Asian fusion desserts. I love its signature dish Mango Pancake (芒果班戟) so much I tried to replicate it in my own kitchen.
It’s surprisingly simple to make! Soon, this light, refreshing and good-looking dessert became the best-loved dessert in our Red House.
What is Hong Kong style mango pancake
Commonly known as mango pancake, this dessert doesn’t appear to be what its name suggests. It’s actually whipped cream and fresh mango chunks wrapped in a thin pillow shaped crepe (It’s more like a french crepe than an American pancake).
Mango pancake is not typically Chinese and its place of origin remains a mystery. According to my online research, mango pancakes are very popular in many Hong Kong bakeries and dessert shops.
They are pillow-shaped like the ones I had in Beijing. Whereas in Australia, mango pancakes come in a roll shape (like spring rolls) and are commonly severed in Chinese restaurants (especially yum cha restaurants).
I love fresh fruit and I appreciate a light dessert after dinner, but I don’t have a sweet tooth. Mango pancake is a perfect choice for me. I adore its three layers of texture: moist and elastic pancake; light and fluffy whipped cream; soft and slippery mango. It tastes divine! When I figured out how to make it at home, I was delighted!
Step 1: cook the pancake
The pancake should be very thin, smooth, moist and slightly elastic. I have a few tips to help you achieve the desired texture:
- Prepare the batter following the recipe that I’ve tested many times. It should have a smooth, runny consistency.
- Pour the batter through a sieve to get rid of the lumpy parts.
- Keep the frying pan at the right temperature: low enough to allow the batter to swirl into a nice round shape, yet high enough to cook the crepe in a short period of time without drying it out. You might find it a bit tricky making the first 1 or 2 pancakes. I’m sure you will soon figure out the best level of heat for your pan.
Step 2: Whip the cream
Add some vanilla extract to the cream then whip until stiff peaks form. Icing sugar is optional. Personally I don’t add any as I find the sweetness from the pancake and the mango is perfect for my taste.
Step 3: Slice the mango
Choose ripe mango then cut its flesh into chunks. For a better presentation, I suggest using one single piece of mango for each pancake. When you cut the pancake through, a nice neat look will appear on each side.
Step 4: Shape the pillow
Be gentle! When wrapping, use minimum pressure on the pancake. Otherwise you might tear the pancake or push the cream to the side then end up with a very flat pillow.
Why not try other fruits?
Apart from mango pancakes, durian pancakes are also very popular in the Honeymoon dessert chain. Since durian is not commonly available in the UK, I picked other fruits as filling. Strawberry and kiwi are my favourites. They both have sweet, soft flesh and they look stunning when cut through. Banana, melon and ripe peach also work for this recipe.
Colour the pancakes
Believing in “we eat with our eyes first”, I experimented with several ways to colour the pancakes.
- Yellow: To match the yellow / orange colour of mango, I replace corn starch with custard powder (Bird’s Custard) which gives the batter a yellower look.
- Pink: For strawberry, I add a little juice from beetroot to achieve a pink colour.
- Green: Matcha powder (finely ground powder of green tea, commonly used in Japanese cuisine) is added for a green appearance to match kiwi fruit.
Hong Kong style mango pancake (芒果班戟)
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 240 ml milk - 1 cup
- 50 g all-purpose flour - ⅓ cup, see note 3
- 30 g corn starch or custard powder - ¼ cup, see note 4
- 25 g icing sugar - ¼ cup
- 3 medium eggs - lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon butter, melted
For the filling
- 300 ml whipping cream - 1 ¼ cups
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon icing sugar
- 2 large mango, peeled & cut into chunks
Instructions
Prepare the batter
- Pour milk into a mixing bowl. Sift flour, corn starch (or custard powder) and icing sugar into the bowl. Mix with a balloon whisk until well combined.
- Add lightly beaten eggs and melted butter. Mix well.
- Through a sieve, pour the mixture into a bowl/measuring cup (ideally with a pouring spout).
Cook the pancakes
- Heat up a non-stick frying pan over a low heat.
- Pour a small amount of batter onto the pan then swirl quickly to form a very thin disk.
- When small air pockets appear under the pancake, remove the pancake and place it on a plate to cool (no need to cook the other side).
- Repeat the procedure until you finish the mixture (see note 5).
Whip the cream
- While waiting for the pancakes to cool, whip the cream, vanilla extract & icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the pancakes
- Lay one pancake on a flat surface (clear, smooth side facing down).
- Spoon some whipped cream onto the middle of the pancake. Place one piece of mango on top.
- Wrap the filling from four sides of the pancake to form a pillow-like shape. Place it on a serving plate with the folded side facing down.
Store & serve
- You may serve the pancakes straight away. However, I suggest that you refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes before serving. This way the cream will be firmer thus the pancakes will look better when cut through.
NOTES
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Royston says
About 20 years ago a had lunch at a DimSum Restaurant in the China Town of Brisbane, Australia and they served these delicate, oh so soft mango cream filled confections. For nearly 20 years I searched the internet for anything that resembled those confections but to no avail. Today as I searched for the names of Chinese Steamed Buns but in Chinese Characters as most of the Chinese here in South Africa find it very difficult to understand what I want when I ask them for e.g sweet bean paste steamed buns. Going to a large Chinese Grocery Store, about 500km from where I live poses no problem as I simply walk to the freezers and take what I want. The problem comes in when I ask our local Chinese neighbours to order things for me when they order their own groceries. Try as I may my Chinese just does not sound like Chinese. One day the shock on the Chinese Lady’s face was so open that I never again tried to ask for something Chinese, I still do not know what I “asked” for but I know what it was that I wanted which was a kind of dried Chinese Sausage not unlike Kielbassa. Now I work on photos and Wikipedia’s Chinese dishes with the Chinese Characters.
Somehow I opened your pages and there it was! Mango Pancakes!!!! XieXie!!!!!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
You are welcome Royston! Glad to know you find my recipe helpful. Happy cooking!
Dessi says
Can I use all purpose baking mix for this
Wei @ Red House Spice says
I don’t think baking mix works for this recipe as it contains baking powder. Please use all purpose flour which does not contain any other ingredients.
Lala says
Hi! I would like to know what brand of whip cream do use. Thanks so much!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi, I don’t use a particular brand. Any whipping cream will do for this recipe. Happy cooking!
Arianna says
Just jumped on your website for this recipe, recently made a few normal pancakes already.
I had to try that out, I have to make the cream filling at least, so I’m not fully finished yet but I’m absolutely curious to the end product :))
Great recipe!
How much time does it take for you do bake all the 12 pancakes?
It tooks so much time in one pan, how can I shrink the time a little bit?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
It takes about 1 minute to cook each pancake in a frying pan as it’s very thin and very quick to cook. I guess you might have poured too much batter for a single pancake.
Elaine says
This looks absolutely wonderful, and I love the idea about using different fruits! Will these keep in the fridge if I make them in advance for the next day?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you Elaine! Actually you always need to keep them in the fridge prior to serving. They taste better this way and you can surely make them one day in advance.
L K says
One of the easiest recipes to follow and it tasted great without modifications. Felt like home (HK) eating this… but, when I looked out the window… it was snowing. Back to reality in Canada. Haha
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you so much L K! Delighted to know my recipe worked out for you. It’s wonderful that food can often bring us home (at least for that moment). Have a nice day!
Isa says
OMG!!! This is bringing me so much memories!!! I have moved from Hong Kong to Europe a year ago from today. The thing I miss the most is the desserts there!!! (My favourite dessert was definitely the mango pancake and mango sago), and this recept that you posted is great, I shall try it out!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
You are welcome Isa. Glad that my recipe reminded you of your happy memories in Hong Kong. Tell me how you like it after trying! Have a great day!
Nabeah says
I love how you used different ingredients for the color. Is there any reason you didn’t use food coloring?
Wei Guo says
Thank you! Food colouring will do the trick too. But I always prefer using natural ingredients when possible.
Heddi says
Wei, I love this blog post. Beautiful photos, and such an interesting recipe that I had never heard of before! I like the variations you made too, with the strawberry and kiwi. The look perfect. Nice work!!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you Heddi! You know very well how much I enjoy creating colourful and cute things. These pancakes are so yummy (and light). You’ll definitely love them.
Lokness says
Oh my goodness! This is bringing back so much memories! I love those mango pancakes growing up, and I still do! Miss them so much. I will have to give this a try. Thank you for sharing! Btw, love your blog. 😉
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you very much Lokness! Food is all about memories, isn’t it? I’m sure mango pancakes will be a regular dessert on your dinner table after trying out this recipe. Hope this will make you feel nearer to home place. Have a lovely day!