This is my family’s authentic Filipino Mango float recipe! It’s incredibly easy to prepare and refreshing from the slices of mangoes in between layers of graham crackers and sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients and Substitutions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!
Heavy cream: The foundation for any good mango float is good quality heavy cream. You may also use “all-purpose cream”, which is the more traditional cream Filipinos use for this dessert (found in most Filipino/Asian groceries). Both will work fine, the heavy cream is just slightly more light and airy. All-purpose cream is more dense and rich.
Condensed milk, vanilla extract, salt: This will give the cream a lightly sweet, vanilla taste. We also use a pinch o salt to bring everything together. Granulated sugar is a good substitute for the condensed milk, though the cream won’t be as creamy in texture or as milky in taste.
Mangoes: You’ll need to go for yellow mangoes such as Autolfo, Champagne, Philippine, Carabao, or Indian mangoes. These mangoes are already naturally sweet with a very silky and soft texture. you’re off-season, you can try looking for frozen Philippine mangoes as well.
Graham crackers: The common crackers typically used for this dessert are honey graham crackers, (such as the M.Y San brand), but feel free to use standard graham crackers. You may also use other cookies, such as Biscoff, chocolate wafers, or even Oreos!
Instructions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions!
Prepare the mangoes by slicing around two mangoes into thin strips and chopping the remaining mangoes for filling the individual layers.
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined.
To begin layering, spread a layer of the whipped cream mixture onto the bottom of your glass dish.
Place a layer of graham crackers on top, followed by whipped cream, then diced mangoes. Continue this process t achieve 3 to 4 layers.
The final layer should be the cream and mangoes. Finish with a light sprinkle of crushed graham crackers. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors set, then enjoy!
Pro Tips
Freeze before serving: For that show-stopping cross-section, you can freeze the cake for a few hours prior to serving. Once you’re almost ready to serve, place it in the fridge to soften slightly to make it easier to cut.
Play around with the design: A classic design is simply layering the mango slices on top of each other like above. You could also try experimenting with other designs such as a rose pattern. Here’s one that I recently did for my annual Friendsmas potluck!
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I freeze this?
You definitely can! Freezing this can help if you want a firmer/cleaner cut to your cake. It’s also great if you’re preparing the cake to be served in a couple hours and you have to account for when it’s not refrigerated (e.g., long drives).
Do note that the whipped cream does have a tendency to separate when thawed, however. So be sure not to let the cake sit out at room temperature too long or it may turn into a watery mess. I’d suggest placing it in the fridge as soon as you can when not yet consuming.
Can I use other crackers?
While graham crackers are typical ingredients for the traditional recipe, you may also use any kind of cookie or crackers that you’d want to experiment with!
You can use ladyfingers, biscoff cookies, or even chocolate wafers.
Can I use other fruits?
Yes! One of my favorite variations of this is adding sliced peaches to make a Peach-Mango Float (absolutely delicious).
Feel free to use your favorite fruits for this recipe in place of the mangoes, such as strawberries, bananas, cherries, and more.
LOVE mangoes? Here’s a couple more from our mango series:
Mango Float Recipe
This is my family’s authentic Filipino Mango float recipe! It’s incredibly easy to prepare and refreshing from the slices of mangoes in between layers of graham crackers and sweetened whipped cream.
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Ingredients
4 -5 fresh mangoes (Autolfo, Champagne, Philippine, Carabao, or Indian mangoes are best) 1
Graham crackers (preferably honey graham crackers) 2
Crushed graham crackers, for garnish
- Sweet Cream Mixture
3 cups heavy cream (you may also use all-purpose cream, which is more traditional) 3
3/4 cup condensed milk (more or less, depending on your sweetness preference) 4
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Directions
- Prepare the mangoes by slicing around two mangoes into thin strips. There should be enough strips to cover the top of your cake.
Chop the remaining mangoes into small chunks, which should be enough for filling the individual layers. Set both of these aside. - Prepare the cream mixture by whipping the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in the condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- To begin layering, spread a layer of the whipped cream mixture onto the bottom of your glass dish 5 .
- Place a layer of graham crackers on top, followed by whipped cream, then diced mangoes.
Continue repeating this layer of graham crackers, cream, and diced mangoes, until your desired height is reached (I like going for around 3-4 layers). - For the final layer, spread the remaining cream mixture on top. Then place the sliced mangoes over the cream in any design/pattern you prefer. Finish with a light sprinkle of crushed graham crackers all over.
- Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours to allow the graham crackers to soften up and to let the flavors set 6.
Notes
- 1. If you’re off-season, you can try looking for frozen Philippine mangoes as well (while they may not be as tasty as the fresh varieties, I still think it’s a great option). In a pinch, you could use the green and red varieties of mangoes, but they tend to be more fibrous, tougher in texture, and slightly more tangy than sweet. Otherwise, mango can be replaced entirely with any other fruit of your preference, such as peaches or strawberries, to name a couple.
- 2. The common crackers typically used for this dessert are honey graham crackers, which have a characteristic flavor of, you guessed it, honey. Go for the Filipino brand favorite, which is M.Y San. Apart from graham crackers, I have seen many icebox cakes being done with other cookies and crackers, such as Biscoff, chocolate wafers, or even Oreos as quick replacements.
- 3. In the Philippines, we would normally use what is known as “all-purpose cream”, which is a thick, versatile cream typically more accessible and affordable for the everyday cook. You can find this in most Filipino groceries. Both will work fine, though it will result with two different textures. All-purpose cream creates a cake that’s much denser, and soft, similar to a very soft icing (go for this one if you’re looking for that authentic Filipino mango float taste and texture). Heavy cream, on the other hand, creates a cake that’s more light and more airy.
- 4. You can replace condensed milk with sugar, or any other sweetener of your preference. The cream won’t be as creamy in texture or as milky in taste, however.
- 5. Anything around a 6×6″ or 8×8″ dish should be fine.
- 6. For that show-stopping cross-section, you can freeze the cake for a few hours prior to serving. Once you’re almost ready to serve, place it in the fridge to soften slightly to make it easier to cut.
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Can you use other fruits depending on the season?
Hi Neda,
Yes, you can definitely use other fruits! Some of my favorites are strawberry and peach 🙂
Hope that helps.
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