Fresh mango chunks topped with fluffy whipped cream, then wrapped with thin, moist and elastic crepes. mango pancakes are a dessert to die for.
During my holidays in China I always enjoy visiting a popular dessert chain called Honeymoon Dessert/满记甜品, a brand originated in Hong Kong selling both Chinese traditional and Asian fusion desserts. I love its signature dish Mango Pancakes/芒果班戟 so much I tried to replicate it in my own kitchen.
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What are mango pancakes
Although known as mango pancakes, this dessert doesn’t appear to be what its name suggests. They are actually whipped cream and fresh mango chunks wrapped in thin crepes (more like french crepes than an American pancake).
Mango pancakes are not typically Chinese and their place of origin remains a mystery. According to my research, they are very popular in Hong Kong bakeries and dessert shops. Whereas in Australia, mango pancakes come in a roll shape (like Spring Rolls) and are commonly served in Chinese restaurants (especially Dim Sum restaurants).
If you love fresh fruit and appreciate a light dessert, mango pancakes are a perfect choice. You’ll adore their three layers of delight: moist, elastic pancakes; light, fluffy cream; and soft, sweet mango. And they’re surprisingly simple to make!
Ingredients
To make Hong Kong style mango pancakes, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Ripe mangoes
- Double cream (or whipping cream), plus vanilla extract and icing sugar for flavor
- Ingredients for the pancakes: all-purpose flour, cornstarch (or custard powder), powdered sugar (aka icing sugar), milk, eggs, melted butter.
🌟 NOTE: For photographing this recipe, I used custard powder (Bird’s Custard), instead of cornstarch, as it yields a more appealing yellow color.
How to make them
Step 1: cook the pancakes
The pancakes should be very thin, smooth, moist, and slightly elastic. I’ve learned a few tips through multiple recipe testings:
- Prepare the batter by mixing all the ingredients for the pancakes. It should have a smooth, runny consistency.
- Pour the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps.
- Keep your skillet/frying pan (ideally non-stick) at the right temperature: low enough to allow the batter to swirl into a nice round shape, yet high enough to cook the pancakes quickly without drying them 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 cookware.
Step 2: whip the cream
Add vanilla extract and a small amount of powdered sugar to the cream, then whip it until stiff peaks form. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, like me, you can omit the sugar, as the sweetness from the pancakes and the mango may be enough.
Step 3: slice the mangoes
Choose ripe mangoes then cut their flesh into chunks. For a better presentation, I suggest using one large 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 dessert
Lay one pancake on a surface. Put a big spoonful of whipped cream in the middle, then place a piece of mango on top. Wrap the cream and mango from four sides, forming a pillow-like shape.
When wrapping, use minimum pressure on the pancakes. Otherwise you might tear them or push the cream to the side then end up with a very flat shape.
Variations
Apart from mango pancakes, durian pancakes/榴莲班戟 are also very popular. Since durian is not commonly available outside Asia, I picked other fruits as fillings.
Strawberry and kiwi are my favorite options. They both have sweet, soft flesh and they look stunning when cut through. Banana, melon and ripe peach also work for this recipe.
How to color the pancakes
I experimented with several ways to color the pancakes to match different fruits.
- Yellow: To match the yellow/orange color of mango, I replace cornstarch with custard powder (Bird’s Custard) which gives the batter a yellower look.
- Pink: For strawberries, I add a little juice from beetroot to achieve a pink color.
- Green: Matcha powder (finely ground powder of green tea, commonly used in Japanese cuisine) is added for a green appearance to match kiwi fruit.
FAQs
A: Absolutely. Store the batter in the fridge. Make sure to bring it back to room temperature and stir it well before cooking.
A: It’s perfectly fine to store them overnight in the fridge and their texture won’t change.
Other dessert recipes
Looking for more classic Chinese treats? Have a look at these popular ones:
📋 Recipe card
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 1
- 30 g cornstarch - or custard powder, ¼ cup, see note 2
- 25 g powdered sugar - ¼ cup
- 3 medium eggs - lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon butter - melted
For the filling
- 300 ml double cream - or whipping cream, 1¼ cups
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon powdered sugar
- 2 large mangoes - peeled and cut into chunks
Instructions
Prepare the batter
- Pour milk into a mixing bowl. Sift flour, cornstarch (or custard powder) and powdered 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 skillet/frying pan over 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 batter mixture (see note 3).
Whip the cream
- While waiting for the pancakes to cool, whip the cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the pancakes
- Lay one pancake on a flat surface (shiny, 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.
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!!!!!
You are welcome Royston! Glad to know you find my recipe helpful. Happy cooking!
Can I use all purpose baking mix for this
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.
Hi! I would like to know what brand of whip cream do use. Thanks so much!
Hi, I don’t use a particular brand. Any whipping cream will do for this recipe. Happy cooking!
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?
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.
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?
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.
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
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!
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!!!
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!
I love how you used different ingredients for the color. Is there any reason you didn’t use food coloring?
Thank you! Food colouring will do the trick too. But I always prefer using natural ingredients when possible.
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!!
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.
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. 😉
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!