Mango Pancakes

Elevate your dessert time with this pillowy soft Hongkong dim sum style mango pancakes recipe complete with step-by-step picture guide.

What’s Hong Kong Style Mango Pancakes

Hong Kong Style Mango Pancakes, or mango crepe pancakes (芒果班戟), are a popular dim sum dessert different from American breakfast pancakes. They consist of thin, crepe-like pancakes filled with fresh and ripe mango chunks and whipped cream. 

The pancakes are typically made from a mixture of flour, eggs, milk, and sugar, cooked into thin rounds on a non-stick pan. The mangoes used are usually ripe, sweet, and juicy, providing a refreshing contrast to the creamy filling. 

These pancakes are folded in a fluffy, pillow-like shape. With each bite, you’ll experience the delicate, thin crepe, the airy and creamy whipped cream, and the sweet, juicy mango, offering a medley of satisfying textures.

Ingredients For Mango Pancakes

1. Cake Flour 

Flour serves as the base ingredient in pancakes, providing structure and texture. 

Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour for making crepes can result in lighter, more delicate crepes with a softer texture. Because cake flour has a lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour. The lower protein content means less gluten formation when mixed with liquid, resulting in a more tender and delicate texture. 

If you don’t have cake flour at home, you can easily substitute cake flour using all-purpose flour and cornstarch:

For every cup of cake flour needed, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. This substitution helps reduce the protein content and mimic the texture of cake flour.

2. Sugar

In this recipe, sugar solely contributes sweetness to the pancakes without aiding in browning or caramelization. Therefore, you can confidently swap it out with your preferred sugar substitutes, such as Stevia, Erythritol, Monk Fruit Sweetener, or Splenda.

3. Eggs:

I incorporated 3 extra-large eggs into the recipe, each weighing about 63g with the shell on. Depending on the size disparity between your eggs and mine, you might need to modify the quantity accordingly. Simply use eggs straight from the fridge; there’s no requirement to bring them to room temperature beforehand. 

4. Milk:

For a richer and creamier flavor in your crepes, it’s best to opt for whole milk. However, you can easily substitute it with reduced-fat milk or unsweetened plant-based alternatives like soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Since the primary role of milk in this recipe is to provide moisture to the pancake batter, feel free to choose the option that best suits your preferences or dietary needs.

5. Butter:

Butter contributes richness and flavor to the pancakes. And given that we’ve already incorporated sufficient butter into the crepe batter, there’s no need to grease the pan with additional butter or oil before cooking the crepes.

When hot melted butter encounters cold milk, it solidifies, resulting in small lumps. To avoid this, allow the melted butter to cool at room temperature for a few minutes after melting, before adding it to the cold milk-egg mixture. Stir the mixture vigorously while combining the melted butter with the cold milk to ensure even distribution and prevent clumps from forming.

Feel free to substitute the butter with equal amount of vegetable oil.

6. Mango:

The main attraction of these pancakes is the fully ripe, juicy mango, which infuses them with a delightful burst of tropical sweetness and flavor. Depending on the size of your mangoes, consider placing 1 to 2 pieces of halved mango into each pancake.

If ripe mangoes aren’t available, you can easily substitute them with other fruits of your preference, such as strawberries or durian.

7. Cream:

Beat heavy whipping cream with powdered/icing sugar, using about 10% of the cream’s weight, until stiff peaks form, ready to fill the mango pancakes. Icing sugar boasts a finer texture than granulated sugar. This finer texture dissolves more easily into the cream, resulting in a smoother and silkier texture without any graininess. 

However, using regular sugar or alternative sweeteners is also perfectly acceptable.

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen scale (Or measuring cups)
• Mixing bowls
• Nonstick pan (I used a 10” pan with a 7½” bottom diameter)
• Fine mesh strainer
• Hand mixers or stand mixer (For whipping the cream)

INGREDIENTS  

For the crepes

• 3 extra large eggs (About 63g each with egg shell)
• 120 g cake flour (1 cup; Can be substituted with 95g all purpose flour + 25g cornstarch)
• 40 g sugar (3½ tbsps)
• 380 g milk (1½ cup)
• 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsps; Melted in microwave or over hot water bath.)

For the filling

• 450 g heavy whipping cream (16oz)
• 45 g powdered sugar (3½ tbsps; Or 3 tbsps of granulated sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (Optional)
• 6 ripe mangoes (Can also use strawberries or other fruits of your choice.)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add the melted butter and milk. Mix using a whisk until everything is well combined.

2. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour and sugar until well combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix; a few lumps are okay.

3. Position a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the batter to get rid of any lumps.

4. Warm a nonstick pan over medium heat. Pour approximately ¼ cup of batter onto the pan for each crepe. Swirl the pan quickly before the batter sets to ensure it spreads evenly across the bottom. Cook until the pancake just sets, about 2-3 minutes. Avoid overcooking, as bubbles forming on the crepe can lead to a coarser, less tender texture.

5. Invert the pan over a plate lined with parchment paper, with the crepe facing down. Use a spatula to gently loosen the edges of the crepe, allowing it to naturally release from the pan and onto the plate. Once it has cooled enough to handle, carefully lift the edges of the crepe with your hands and evenly spread it out on the plate.

6. Return the pan to the stovetop and continue cooking until all the batter is used. Once cooked, stack each crepe atop the previously cooked ones on the plate. (No need to worry about them sticking together; the butter in the batter facilitates easy separation of each layer of crepe without any sticking.) Cover the cooked crepes with plastic food wrap and refrigerate them to cool.

7. In a large mixing bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and optionally, vanilla extract. Use electric hand mixers or a stand mixer to whip until stiff peaks form.

8. Peel the mangoes, cut each of them into two big chunks.

9. Cover your work surface with food wrap. Lay a crepe on top and spoon a dollop of cream onto the center of the crepe. Spread the cream to match the size and thickness of the mango piece. Position a mango chunk on top of the cream. Fold the four edges of the crepe toward the center to cover the mango. Optionally, apply a small amount of cream to the edges (like applying glue) for better sealing. Flip the wrapped mango pancake so that the better-looking side is facing upwards.

10. Repeat with the assembling step with the rest of the crepes and filling. Enjoy!

My other dessert recipes you will also like: