Tart, vibrant passion fruit pulp is transformed into luscious, creamy curd and brings this tender Passion Fruit Cake to life. Subtle coconut flavors and a slight tang from the cream cheese in the frosting round out the brightness of the passion fruit.
Dreaming of a tropical getaway this summer but stuck in the city? Why not bring some island flavor to you instead!
Passion fruit has got to be one of my favorite flavors. Pair it with tender coconut cake and a bit of cream cheese frosting, and I just might forget that we are sans summer vacay this year.
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Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Passion fruit pulp
- Fresh lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Cake flour
- Baking poweder
- Salt
- Vanilla extrat
- Full-fat coconut milk or whole milk
- Cream cheese
- Confectioners' sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools and Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- 8-inch cake pans
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Mesh seive
- Offset spatula
- Rotating cake stand
- General kitchen tools (measuring spoons, cups, etc).
Decorating the Cake
Based off all of your kind, enthusiastic comments from my Watercolor Cake post earlier this week, it looks like I am not the only one obsessed with this whimsical buttercream effect.
Using a color palette to match the golden passion fruit interior, this cake looks just like the tropical sunsets of my dreams!
Learn more about stacking and frosting layer cakes here:
Substitutions
Cake Flour - For every cup of cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons. The, add back 2 tablespoons of either corn starch or arrowroot powder to get 1 cup of cake flour.
Coconut Milk - For the cake, you may use whole milk or any milk substitute instead of the canned coconut milk
Recipe FAQs
You don't have to use cake flour, but cake flour has a lower percentage of protein compared to all-purpose flour that makes the cake softer. See Substitutions for making your own cake flour alternative.
Choose a good quality aluminum cake pan with at least 2-inch tall sides.
Baker's Notes
Since the curd is not strained due to the passion fruit pulp seeds, be sure to heat the mixture indirectly by using a double-boiler to prevent the eggs from scrambling or cooking independently. This process may seem quite slow, but continue to stir and allow the curd to thicken.
The curd may be made in advanced and will keep in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to a month. Use leftover curd to stir into plain yogurt!
Use full-fat coconut milk or whole milk in the cake. The coconut milk adds a bit of extra tenderness and subtle coconut flavor. Whole milk will suffice if you prefer.
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Recipe
Passion Fruit Cake
Ingredients
For the Passion Fruit Curd
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter diced
- ¼ cup passion fruit pulp 2 to 3 passion fruits
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 4 egg yolks
For the Cake
- 3 ¼ cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teas salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teas pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk
For the Frosting
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 10 tablespoon cream cheese softened
- 4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teas vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk as needed
Instructions
To Make the Passion Fruit Curd
- Place the diced butter in a heat-safe bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a heat-safe bowl or the top portion of a double-boiler. Whisk to combine.
- Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl with the passion fruit mixture on top to create a double-boiler. Stirring often, gently heat the mixture to about 160 to 170 degrees. This may take about 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should thicken as it heats. When ready, a line drawn on the back of a spoon should hold.
- Once hot and thick, pour the passion fruit curd mixture over the butter. Stir until the butter melts and incorporates. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cool and thickened, about 2 hours or overnight.
To Make the Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans and set aside. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium until smooth. Add the sugar and turn the mixer speed up to medium-high. Mix together until fluffy and pale in color.
- With the mixer on low, add in the vanilla and eggs – one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add in half of the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, stream in the milk until combined. Add in the second half of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix again on medium for no more than 20 to 30 seconds, or until smooth.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans. Allow to completely cool before trimming and/or frosting.
To Make the Frosting
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, carefully add in the sugar and vanilla. Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip. Continue to mix for 5 to 6 minutes until the frosting is increases in volume and is pale in color. It should be light and fluffy. Add in the milk and/or more sugar until the desired consistency and sweetness is reached.
To Assemble
- Once the curd has thickened and cakes have cooled, place the bottom layer of cake on a cake board or serving dish. Fill a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip with the frosting (If you don’t have a piping bag, fill a zip-top bag with frosting and snip off the corner). Use the frosting to create a “dam” to contain the passion fruit curd and keep it from squishing out between the layers of cake. Fill the frosting “dam” with half the passion fruit curd. Top the curd with the second layer of cake and repeat.
- Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Once chilled, ice the entire cake in the frosting.
- If desired, reserve a small amount of the frosting and tint it with gel food coloring the color of your choice. To create the watercolor effect, dot the nearly smooth frosting with scattered streaks of colored frosting. Use a frosting smoother or large offset spatula to continue to smooth out the frosting until the colored frosting blends together. Repeat the technique on the top of the cake and smooth out. Use any remaining frosting to pipe “kisses” around the top of the cake or pipe a decorative border around the bottom.
Amanda Powell
I am obsessed with passion fruit and what better way to pretend I am out of my messy office and somewhere where there is a beach and a hammock hidden in the shade of a large palm tree? I didn't know there were so many gifts for pre-ordering her book. There is no excuse not to pre-order now!
Tessa Huff
No tropical getaway for me this year, but I can try to pretend with this passionfruit curd. Hehe =)
deliciousnotgorg
eating passionfruit plain still is an acquired texture for me, but i love the flavor of it! this cake sounds so refreshing and perfect for summer.
Tessa Huff
I agree! Sometimes I am not sure what to do with the little seeds, but the flavor is unbeatable.
Lyndsay Sung
Oh my gosh passionfruit tang + cream cheese tang sounds like TANG MATCH MADE IN CAKEY HEAVEN! this cake sounds so perfect - and it's gorgeous, as always. (PS thanks for sharing my cake class, Tessa!) XO
Tessa Huff
Tang match! Haha. I do love a bit of tartness to my sweets.
Hannah
Cake baked up beautifully! I think the sugar is missing in the ingredient list for the curd? I ended up increasing the amount of pulp a bit and adding 1 cup of sugar based on other passionfruit curd recipes.
stylesweet
Hi! Thank you for the comment. I am glad you enjoyed the cake. I'll take a look at the curd recipe. Thank you for brining it to my attention. Happy Baking!
Claudia Brick
The watercolour frosting is gorgeous Tessa! Must try it out some time, it just looks so tropical. Magic. Passionfruit is one of my favourite flavours in the world (usually in combination with coconut) so will definitely have to keep this cake on the back burner for when it comes back into season over here 🙂
Tessa Huff
Thank you so much! I think I'll have make this cake again before the season is over, hehe. Yumm!