Prepare your cake pans with grease & parchment paper lining & preheat the oven to 350°F
First prepare the mango cake layers by whizzing the fresh or frozen (but thawed) mangoes in a food processor to a puree or if using canned pulp simply proceed to add all the rest of the ingredients to the food processor (this is the flour, sugar, oil,lemon juice, plant milk, baking soda & salt) * IF YOU ARE USING MANGO PUREE NO NEED FOR A FOOD PROCESSOR, SIMPLY MIX EVERYTHING BY HAND IN LARGE BOWL
Process everything for about 10 seconds until smooth then divide the cake batter between your greased & parchment lined cake pans
Bake in the 350° oven but immediately turn the oven temperature down after loading to 325F for approximately 30-35 minutes or when you gently press the centers they cakes are springy to the touch OR when a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs
Cool the cakes in the pans until you can safely touch them without burning then flip out onto a cooling rack to cool to cold
Now make the buttercream (*also watch the YouTube video tutorial for a visual)
Soften the vegan butter at room temperature so it is still firm, but pliable
Prepare the mango puree by whizzing up 2 large mangoes in a food processor or blender OR use canned mango pulp
Add the mango puree to a medium sauce pot with the sugar, cornstarch & plant milk, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil.
Add the vanilla extract then strain the mango custard through a mesh strainer onto a sheet pan or a casserole dish (no parchment paper or grease!)
Refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold & set
Meanwhile whip the vegan butter & salt with an electric mixer with the whip attachment until it is aerated & light & fluffy & starting to look whiter in color (about 5 minutes) scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
Add the sifted confectioners sugar & whip for another minute or two until smooth scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
Add the cold custard a large spoonful at a time to the vegan butter while continuing to whip on high speed until all the custard is incorporated, scraping the bottom & sides of the bowl often
Continue whipping until the buttercream is smooth & silky
Now make the mango compote for the cake filling by gently cooking fresh or frozen chopped mangoes in a medium sauce pot with optional sugar until it turns into a chunky sauce. I used a stick blender to get my compote to a more sauce like consistency
Assemble the cake as shown in the video tutorial