“Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is!” — Mark Twain.
I once thought Bangalore offered everything if you looked in the right places—except passionfruit. I hadn’t had any luck finding them until a recent weekend on a hilltop coffee estate. When the hosts served us passionfruit juice, I was ecstatic. The gardener kindly gave me a few to take home, and I couldn’t wait to use them.
Until then I had never seen a passionfruit up close, let alone tasted one. The pulp’s vivid color made me smile; the flavor made me pucker. I decided to try a passionfruit curd and sandwich it between layers of a white cake. Both the cake and the curd are adaptations of several recipes I found online, mixed and matched to suit what I had on hand.
With only a few fruits available, a little thought and some arithmetic went into planning the dessert so I could use the cake yolks for the curd. I’m guilty of saving a stray egg white or yolk in the fridge intending to use it later—only to discover it weeks later—so this felt like a sensible solution.
Both components are lovely on their own. The cake is snowy white, soft and airy. The curd is rich, buttery and silky, perfectly balanced between sweet and tart. Combined, the light cake and the tangy, creamy curd are a match made in heaven. A later version I made included a thin layer of whipped cream between the layers—totally optional but delightful.
The passionfruit curd bursts with tropical tang and works beautifully as a cake filling or even in tarts or pastries. Its sunny color adds visual appeal. The white cake is pillow-soft and almost melts on the tongue. This simple cake, assembled quickly, delivered a flavor unlike anything I’d tasted before.
White cake with Passionfruit curd
Ingredients
For the white cake
- 113 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 200 grams or 1 cup granulated sugar
- 200 grams or 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla clear vanilla extract recommended
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk at room temperature
For the passionfruit curd
- 60 ml or 1/4 cup passionfruit puree or juice from about 4–5 passionfruits
- 3 egg yolks
- 100 grams castor or granulated sugar
- 112 grams or 1/2 cup butter salted or unsalted, at room temperature
For the whipped cream (optional)
- 240 ml or 1 cup whipping cream cold
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the white cake
- Grease two 7-inch round pans or one 9-inch round pan with butter, dust with flour and line the bottoms with parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and creamy.
- Beat in the egg whites until fully incorporated, then add the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions: add one-third of the flour and beat.
- Add half of the milk (about 1/3 cup) and mix.
- Add half of the remaining flour mixture and mix, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining milk, then beat in the remaining flour until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top.
- Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
- When ready to assemble, spread passionfruit curd on the cut surface of one half and top with the other. Serve as is or dust with icing sugar.
To make the passionfruit curd
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the passionfruit juice or puree, sugar and egg yolks.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the butter and continue stirring while heating.
- Once the butter melts, reduce heat to low and stir until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon (a thin layer should remain when you run your finger through it).
- Remove from heat and strain into a bowl to remove any solids.
- Cover the surface with cling wrap, pressing it directly onto the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill for at least 4 hours before using.
For the whipped cream
- Beat the cold whipping cream until medium or soft peaks form.
- Add the sugar and vanilla.
- Continue beating until firm peaks form. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
To assemble
- If you baked a single cake, slice it into two layers. If you baked two pans, each is a layer.
- Place one layer on a serving dish, spread about 1/4 cup whipped cream, then spread about 1/2 cup of passionfruit curd (or to taste).
- Top with the second layer, press gently, and finish with more cream or curd as desired.
Notes
Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
The plain cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.
An assembled cake should be refrigerated for 3–4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Separate egg whites and yolks while cold, then let them come to room temperature before using.
My measuring cup equals 240 ml.