Passion Fruit Cake

Passion fruit cake with mascarpone cream topping is a tropical delight to slice into. This passion fruit sponge cake includes passion fruit drizzle and curd to deliver a double whammy of tropical fruit flavour.

This easy passion fruit cake is pure joy to make and eat. It comprises two layers of sponge cake, each one glazed with passion fruit drizzle. These sponge layers are sandwiched together with barely sweet mascarpone cream and a generous amount of passion fruit curd.

The result is light & bouncy pillows of golden sponge and plenty of dreamy tropical fruit flavour. In summary, this passion fruit sponge cake is a total delight.

In the mood for more fruity cake recipes? How about a blackcurrant upside-down cake, rhubarb and custard cake, white chocolate and raspberry cake or a chocolate cherry cake?

Why you’ll love this passion fruit curd cake

• The cake is fluffy and moist.
• There’s a tart and tangy passion fruit drizzle crowning each layer.
• The creamy topping is not too sweet.
• And the passion fruit curd adds plenty of tropical fruit flavour
• It’s really easy to decorate.

Ingredients notes

Passion fruit puree: this can either be from a carton or extracted from fresh passion fruits. I used puree from a carton. If you intend to make it from fresh fruit there are some detailed instructions for doing so in my post for passion fruit curd. You’ll need about 3 fresh passion fruits for the puree.

Fresh passion fruit: (optional) this is only needed if you are using passion fruit puree from a carton and wish to include seeds in the recipe (mixed into the curd).

Passion fruit curd: making your own is easy (find the recipe here) but if you’re short on time then store-bought is perfectly acceptable. I highly recommend The Carved Angel Passion Curd.

Plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour, it has no raising agent included so it’s necessary to add baking powder when making this passion fruit cake. Self-raising flour can be used instead but remember to omit the baking powder in this instance.

Butter or baking margarine can be used in this recipe.

Mascarpone cheese: milder in flavour than typical cream cheese, this is the ideal way to add a rich and creamy topping to this passion fruit curd cake without introducing too much sweetness or flavour from a typical buttercream or cream cheese frosting.

Double cream: this is cream with a fat content of around 48%. When whipped it thickens and holds its shape well. It helps turn the mascarpone cheese into a delectable topping for this passion fruit cake.

Step-by-step instructions

Despite having a longish list of ingredients, this passion fruit curd cake is a relatively straightforward bake:

1. Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold in using a large metal spoon.
4. Divide the batter between the cake tins (greased and lined) and bake until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
5. Make the drizzle topping just before the cake comes out of the oven: mix together passion fruit puree, lime juice and caster sugar.
6. As soon as the cakes are baked, poke holes all over them using a skewer then spoon the passion fruit drizzle all over the top.

7. Leave the cakes to cool completely in the tins then carefully turn them out.
8. Whip the mascarpone, cream and sieved icing sugar together briefly until it reaches the soft peak stage. Don’t whip too much as the mascarpone will separate if beaten too much.
9. Optional: mix a few passion fruit seeds into the passion fruit curd.
10. Lay one layer of sponge cake onto a plate (with the drizzle side facing upwards). Spread half of the cream over the top and drizzle half of the curd over it.
11. Top with the second layer of sponge cake and use the remaining cream and passion fruit curd to garnish it.

Expert tips

• Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins before baking commences. The aim is to get the cake batter into the oven to bake as soon as possible as the raising agents are most active at this point.
• Always grease the tins and use a circle of baking parchment to line the bases regardless of whether or not they are non-stick tins. Getting your cakes out will be so much easier if you do this.
• Measure your ingredients accurately. It makes all the difference to the success of a cake recipe. I don’t generally list cup amounts because using grams (along with a set of digital scales) is a much more accurate measuring system. Cups can vary in size and one person’s method of filling a cup can be quite different to another person’s, so they are wildly inaccurate.
• Use the tin size specified (two 8-inch round tins). Don’t try to cram the mixture into tins that are too small or large as bake times will vary, the batter may spill over the edge in the oven (messy) and the thickness of the finished cakes may disappoint.
• Ensure the butter or margarine is at room temperature and soft. Eggs should also be at room temperature.
• Beat the mascarpone and cream together as little as possible. Mascarpone has a tendency to split if it is over-beaten and it’s practically impossible to rescue. Try beating in 15-second bursts and stop as soon as it reaches the soft peak stage.
• If your passion fruit curd is too thick to drizzle try mixing in a splash of passion fruit puree to loosen it to a soft dropping consistency.

Frequently asked questions

Passion fruit sponge cake variations

There are so many fun ways to take this passion fruit cake for a little variation:

• Fold the finely grated zest of a lime directly into the cake batter to add a citrusy edge to the sponge cakes.
• Or fold in 1 tablespoon of poppyseeds into the cake batter instead.
• Alternatively, add some mega-crunch by folding in 1 tablespoon of passion fruit seeds.
• Introduce some fresh raspberries as a garnish
• Or opt for coconut chips or white chocolate curs as a final garnish to the top of the cake
• Chopped pistachio nuts are another worthy adornment – try adding them to the filling and the top.

More creamy cakes to make

Like this passion fruit sponge cake, the following creamy cakes are a breeze to make and trim too.

If you make this passion fruit cake recipe I would love to hear how you get along. Please leave a comment and/ or star rating and don’t forget to share your gorgeous creation on Instagram and tag #littlesugarsnaps so I can see it too.

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