Preheat and prep (5 minutes): Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch pans and line with parchment. I skipped parchment once, and my cakes stuck – don’t do it!

Puree and dice mangoes (10 minutes): Blend 2 ripe mangoes until smooth, strain if desired for smoothness, and measure ¾ cup for batter and ¼ cup for frosting. Finely dice 1 firm mango for ½ cup pieces.

Mix dry ingredients (3 minutes): Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside for even rising.

Cream butter and sugar (5-7 minutes): Beat butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes with my stand mixer. This adds air for a moist homemade mango cake.

Add eggs, vanilla, and puree (3 minutes): Mix in eggs one at a time, then vanilla and mango puree. Scrape the bowl; it might look curdled, but that’s normal!

Combine wet and dry (5 minutes): Add half the dry mix, then milk, then remaining dry mix, mixing on low until just combined. Fold in diced mango gently to avoid crushing. Overmixing makes a dense cake – I’ve tossed batches for this!

Divide and bake (28-32 minutes): Divide batter evenly, smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, rotating pans halfway.

Cool and release (10 minutes): Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack. Remove parchment and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frost and decorate: Beat butter for frosting, add powdered sugar, mango puree, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Frost layers and garnish with mango slices or edible flowers for a sunny best mango cake.