Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Besides the music I listen to, there’s something else on repeat mode around here - yes, another recipe with almonds. :)

It would take 1 ½ hours for the coffee cake to double in volume and there was nothing good on TV - that happens quite often. I like things most people consider weird and they are not aired very frequently.

“I’ll bake cookies. No, I’ll need the oven soon - I’ll bake a cake”

The almonds on the counter worked as a sort of inspiration. And I must admit that combining passion fruit, almonds and poppy seeds in a cake made me really curious.

I hope you get curious, too, because this is a cake worth trying.

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Cake:
4 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
¼ cup (60ml) milk
180g unsalted butter, room temperature
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
240g all purpose flour
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup (120ml) passion fruit juice - mix ¼ cup (60ml) concentrated juice + ¼ cup water
1 tablespoon baking powder

Syrup:
45g caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) concentrated passion fruit juice
2 ½ tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; grease and flour a 22cm (9in) ring pan - the one I used was a teeny tiny larger than 20cm (8in).

In a small bowl, place the poppy seeds and milk and set aside for 20 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, almonds, passion fruit juice and the milk poppy seed mixture. Turn off the mixer and, using a wooden spoon, mix in the baking powder.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, set aside for 5 minutes and carefully invert the cake onto a plate.

Make the syrup: place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Drizzle the syrup over the cake while still hot.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slightly adapted from a Brazilian cookbook.

Serves 12

37 comments:

  1. Patricia, this cake looks the ingredients and when passion fruit's ripe...little tops it!

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  2. AnonymousJuly 23, 2008

    One of my favorite cakes ever. These are flavors I crave and adore...almonds, poppyseeds and passion fruit....just lovely.

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  3. passion fruit and poppy seeds? two of my favorites!!! This looks lovely!

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  4. Mmmm ... looks moist and delicious!

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  5. Oh, wow! You gotta love that moist, sticky top!! Beautiful, Patricia!! :)

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  6. Patricia, Your recent recipes, such as Orange Syrup Cake, Dulce de Leche cake, Lemon Tart and now this are just knocking me out. These are all some of my favorite flavors and ingredients. I'm just amazed!

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  7. Passion fruit is something I haven't used a whole lot - but this cake looks simple and stunning!

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  8. Wow you bake one cake while waiting for another to rise! Impressive. :) Looks delicious too.

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  9. Moist, sticky and made with passionfruit! You've won me Patricia with another one of your beautiful creations!

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  10. That's beautiful Patricia...got me curious & got me craving. I love the almond trip you're on. I got poppy seeds & I got almonds in the pantry...but no fruit with the 'passion' available here. Do you suppose any other fruit would work?

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  11. I had to laugh because your: "No, I'll need the oven soon" sounds a lot like me! Always trying to get as much baking or cooking done when I have time. I really like the look of that cake, the syrup makes it so shiny. :)

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  12. AnonymousJuly 23, 2008

    Of course I'm curious! Sadly, I can't get poppyseed and passionfruit here. Guess I can only drool on your pictures.

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  13. I would never have thought that these ingredients would work well together -- but here is your beautiful cake! Passionfruit is not something I eat very often, but it is delicious.

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  14. What a curious combination of flavours. I love anything made with passionfruit. I think this would be delicious.

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  15. Brad LOVES this cake!!!!

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  16. AnonymousJuly 24, 2008

    I've made something similar with orange instead of passionfruit but I think the passionfruit sounds lovely! The cake looks so delicious and moist :)

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  17. AnonymousJuly 24, 2008

    Hummmm,cada coisa gostosa...rs, tenho um blog de receita, mas está MUITO longe do teu :),vou te linkar.

    Obrigada pela visita e comentário,adorei!

    Bisous

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  18. Its beautiful. It makes me wish I likes poppy seeds because it looks so good!

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  19. AnonymousJuly 24, 2008

    What a wonderful combination of flavors. I'm hardly a baker, but when I come across something that looks particularly exciting, I mark it for trying eventually...

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  20. AnonymousJuly 24, 2008

    Lovely flavor combo and such a pretty cake!

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  21. I'm intrigued by the addition of passion fruit juice, Patricia. I think they sell it at our Trader Joe's, but any thoughts on a potential substitute? It sounds and looks so lovely.

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  22. ...now there's an ingredient I've yet to bake with: passion fruit. It sounds delightful! I have passion fruit lip gloss that's really yummy, but I can't eat it :D.

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  23. That cake looks so moist! I'm not a big fan of most passionfruit desserts, but I love them in cakes such as these.

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  24. pretty cake! it looks so moist. I've never made a passionfruit cake but this looks tasty!

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  25. Gorgeous cake! Mr. Gigi Cakes is a big fan of poppy seed cake. I will definitely have to save this recipe for him.

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  26. I've just spent an hour going over your blog. So many beautiful things.
    My 'Must Bake' list has just grown to enormous proportions. :)

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  27. I am always afraid of passion fruit...the inside is just not attractive at all. But in your cake there it looks darn good!

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  28. Oh, you've given me an idea. A poppyseed cake does sound wonderful! I have cake flour that needs to be used. Even though this uses AP.

    It's beautiful!

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  29. Pete, I love passion fruit, too, my friend. :)

    Cathy, thank you, darling! I'm glad you like the flavors I mixed here.

    Food Librarian, thank you for stopping by!

    Allen, thank you!

    Mark, it's all about the syrup. :)

    Mari, I'm so glad to know that - your opinion means a lot to me, sweetie!

    Deb, you definitely should. But I warn you - it's addictive! :)

    Ashley, I'm crazy. :)

    Pete, and you are so kind, my dear friend! Tks!

    Passionate About Baking, thank you for visiting! I think you would need something to the tart side, to avoid getting a much too sweet cake. Maybe lemon? The amount should be revised, though.

    LyB, I'm glad to know I'm in such excellent company!
    I only bake on weekends, so the more, the merrier. :)

    Bernice, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetie. :(

    Lydia, I was surprised too!

    KJ, Aussies and Brazilians have that in common - we love passion fruit!

    Maya, that makes me glad!

    Lorraine, I like the idea of using oranges, too!

    Lu, obrigada pela visita, também, e preciso ver o teu blog!
    Beijoca!

    Katie, really, darling? No poppy seeds for you?

    Cookinpanda, that is very flattering, tks!

    Ann, tks, darling!

    Susan, go for something tart, but adjust the amount. I think lemon or orange, like Lorraine suggested.

    Sophie, you'll get addicted, like me. :)

    Y, the almonds give a nice touch, too.

    Half Baked, thank you! You should try it. :)

    Gigi, really? Yay for hubbies that like baked goods! :)

    Ma Baker, thank you for visiting and for you kind words! I really appreciate it.

    Pea, use the bottled juice, like I did - no seeds around. :)

    Emiline, I'm sure whatever you bake will come out precious.

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  30. I love the idea of this cake - what a fantastic combination of flavours. I would never have thought to combine passionfruit here, but think it is a great idea!

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  31. It's a gorgeous cake! I've never tried passion fruit--what the heck am I waiting for?

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  32. I saw this on your Flickr stream a few days ago, and it totally caught my attention! It looks and sounds amazing Patricia!!

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  33. Oh my. I enjoy poppy seed breads and cakes but would have never thought about adding passionfruit juice. This sounds wonderful.

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  34. AnonymousJuly 30, 2008

    You've made me curious about the taste of this cake. I love the addition of the passion fruit in a cake!

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  35. i need to find somewhere to buy passion fruit! i would love that cake!

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  36. This looks amazing! All the flavors I love...I'm sooo going to make this soon!!! Thanks for sharing!

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