Yogurt passion fruit cake

I have not posted on this blog in such a long time I wonder if there is still anyone around. Life is hectic and I no longer have time to write each recipe in two different languages, therefore I have focused on my blog written in Portuguese (and even there I have not been able to post regularly).

Cakes are probably my favorite thing to bake and that is why I bring you a cake recipe today, after all this time: it is adapted from several different recipes that are prepared using the yogurt empty package. Since those can vary quite a lot from one place to the other, I have used measuring cups/grams in order to make the recipe work for everyone, no matter where they live. I added passion fruit pulp with the seeds because I love how beautiful they make the cake look, but if you don’t like them just strain the pulp before using it in the recipe.

Yogurt passion fruit cake
adapted from several different recipes

Cake:
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
¾ cup plain whole milk yogurt
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:
¼ cup (60ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon just until smooth – do not overmix or the cake will be tough.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack.

In those 20 minutes, make the syrup: place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook for further 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy. Brush the hot syrup over the warm cake. Cool completely and serve.

Serves 10-12

Little passion fruit and coconut cakes (with amaranth flour) and time to change

A very dear friend of mine adores Downton Abbey and every time we see each other she asks me if I have started watching the show, to which I always reply “no, not yet”. She ended up lending me the DVDs, but I’ve been so caught up with SoA that I never bring myself to watch them.

To make things worse, I’ve started watching The Sopranos (because of another dear friend) and got hooked right from the start – it is impossible not to love Tony Soprano, I can tell you.

Breaking Bad, The Fall, SoA and now The Sopranos – I wonder if I’m on a criminal roll. :S Maybe it’s time to change to something less bloody, more delicate. Maybe it’s time for Downton Abbey, after all. :)

If my TV series choices seem to fall into a certain category, my cooking and baking habits seem to have widen, a little at least: these small cakes fit perfectly into my desire to try new things and to make old favorites differently – made with icing sugar, egg whites and almond meal they’re like financiers, but here the all purpose flour is replaced by amaranth flour, making these a tiny bit more nutritional then traditional financiers and also gluten free (I have gone as far as calling sweets “nutritional”, you’re not reading it wrong). :D

Little passion fruit and coconut cakes (with amaranth flour)
slightly adapted from the beautiful Supergrains: Cook Your Way to Great Health

200g pure icing sugar
65g amaranth flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup (100g) almond meal
½ cup (50g) desiccated coconut
6 egg whites, lightly whisked
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
70g passion fruit pulp, seeds and all
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar, extra, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 12-hole 80ml muffin pan or line it with paper cases.
Sift the icing sugar, amaranth flour, baking powder and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Stir through the almond meal and coconut.
Add the egg whites, butter, zest, passion fruit pulp and vanilla and stir to combine. Divide the mixture among the lined muffin holes. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through (a skewer inserted into the center of a cake should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it). Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Makes 12

Back from vacation with fresh orange pound cake with passion fruit icing

Hey, everyone!

After a couple of weeks on vacation I am back home, tired and immensely happy. I haven’t baked in a while but have a delicious cake recipe to share with you today, something I prepared weeks ago and that turned out really good. The passion fruit icing is completely optional: in fact, I personally liked the cake better without it.

Oh, and I’ll be answering your questions and emails over the next few days. :)

Fresh orange pound cake with passion fruit icing
adapted from the wonderful and delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe

Cake:
1 ¾ sticks (198g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup sour cream*
1 ½ tablespoons orange juice

Glaze:
2 cups (280g) icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons passion fruit juice, more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20x10x5cm (8x4x2in) loaf pans, line them with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the yolks, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt over the bowl, add the sour cream and juice and fold together by hand. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cakes are golden and risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans over a wire rack for 10-15 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Peel off the paper. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl, add the passion fruit juice gradually, mixing until desire consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cakes.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 2 loaves (serves 6 each)

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze and a childhood memory

Days ago, while remembering my childhood and my beginning as a cook, I thought of the first cake I ever made and it occurred to me that I hadn’t made it in years. Many years. It was a bolo de fubá, a cake made with corn flour (not corn starch), a sort of very fine cornmeal – I instantly craved that cake but no longer had the recipe. Luckily, I knew exactly where to find a great recipe for it: my lovely friend Clarice adores bolo de fubá and she has plenty of recipes on her beautiful blog. With her help, I picked one and it was absolutely delicious.

I don’t know how difficult it would be for people outside Brazil to find corn flour, but I believe that in the U.S. it might be found since Kim Boyce has some recipes with the ingredient on her amazing "Good to the Grain".

Since cornmeal cakes are great paired with citrus flavors I decided to drizzle my bolo de fubá with a passion fruit glaze – it was a very tasty addition, but the cake is equally wonderful without it, too.

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze
slightly adapted from my dear friend Clarice

Cake:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
1 cup (150g) corn flour (not corn starch)
1 rounded tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 cup (240ml) boiling whole milk

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons passion fruit juice

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan (the one I used holds 10 cups and I had to bake the excess batter in a 1-cup capacity small pan).
In a medium bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the sugar, whisking, then whisk until thick and glossy. Gradually add the oil, whisking. Turn off the mixer, then sift the dry ingredients once again directly onto the egg mixture. Fold in gently with a spatula, then fold in the milk – the batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan and tap the sides of the pan with your hands to remove any air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minute, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and add the juice, stirring, until you get the desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake.

Serves 10-12

Passion fruit drizzle cake, zombies + some improvising

Weeks ago, my sister and I were determined to go to the movies, but the options were very limited: some of the movies weren’t interesting, and some of them we’d already seen. That way, we ended up watching “World War Z” and, several screams later, to my surprise, I kind of liked it, zombies and Brad Pitt and all – I guess I should thank Marc Forster for that, since he directed two favorites of mine. :)

Around that same weekend, I was determined to make Valentina’s beautiful coconut and passion fruit loaf, but despite having some great passion fruits home I didn’t have any coconut. Or coconut milk, for that matter. See, I told you I completely suck at making grocery lists. :S Therefore, Tina’s loaf would have to wait a bit longer and Tana Ramsay’s lemon loaf was made instead – with a passion fruit drizzle replacing the lemon. Oh, so good.

Passion fruit drizzle cake
slightly adapted from Tana Ramsey’s lemon drizzle cake

Cake:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour*
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Passion fruit drizzle:
1/3 cup (80ml) passion fruit juice
85g granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 22.5x12.5cm (9x5in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in the large bowl of an electric, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a thin skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the cake onto a wire rack and make the drizzle: in a small bowl, mix together the passion fruit juice and the sugar. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer, then pour over the drizzle.
Cool completely in the pan. Carefully unmold and peel off the paper.

* I replaced the self raising flour for 225g all purpose flour + 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder + pinch of table salt

Serves 6-8

Passion fruit tart

If I had to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life (which would be a cruel thing given that there are so many wonderful sweets out there, not to mention the ones I have never tried nor baked at home, but...) it would be lemon bars – there’s nothing I crave more, the sound of the words makes me salivate already.
But a couple of weeks ago something came out of my oven that almost – and it was a really close call – stole the title of favorite dessert from the bars: this passion fruit tart, a recipe from the always breathtakingly beautiful Gourmet Traveller, turned out delicious, with its crisp, buttery base and tangy filling. Oh, so good.

Now, if I had to choose two desserts to eat for the rest of my life... ;)

Passion fruit tart
from the always so delicious and beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

Pastry:
225g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar, sifted
2 2/3 cups (375g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
150ml heavy cream
200ml strained passion fruit pulp – I used some of the pulp with the seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar, for dusting

For the pastry, mix the butter, sugar, flour and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg and vanilla and process just until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and use to line six 8cm-diameter tart tins, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Line pastry-lined tins with baking paper, then fill with pastry weights or dried beans and blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, but keep the oven on.
Filling: lightly mix together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl until sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cream, passion fruit juice and vanilla and then strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour the filling into the tartlet shells and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set – the filling should still wobble slightly in the centre. Leave to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Just before serving, dust the tarts with icing sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch or under a very hot grill.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe above and baked it in a 30x10cm (12x4in) tart pan with a removable bottom

White chocolate cake with passion fruit icing

I know, I know, white chocolate and passion fruit combined again – since I had passion fruits galore in my fridge and the flavor combo had worked so beautifully in cheesecake form, I thought that using it again as a cake would be a great idea – and indeed it was; but don’t worry: if you’re not into sour flavors as I am, just glaze the cake with a simple dark chocolate ganache – that is what Donna does in her book.

White chocolate cake with passion fruit icing
slightly adapted from the always delicious and foolproof Modern Classics Book 2

Cake:
185g unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
150g white chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
1 to 1½ tablespoons passion fruit pulp – with or without the seeds

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 23cm (9in) round cake pan, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Place butter, milk, sugar and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla and the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 25 minutes, then carefully unmold into a wire rack. Remove the paper then invert the cake right side up on the rack. Cool completely.
Icing: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Gradually add the passion fruit pulp and mix until pourable consistency. Pour over the cake. Set aside until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Serves 8-10

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce

The sour² cake I published the other day was just the beginning of a passion fruit frenzy: not only because I love the fruit but also because I got hypnotized by its amazing smell and brought home too many at once. :D

I’m always inclined to mix white chocolate with citrus flavors because the acidity seems to cut through the sweetness like no other flavors do – that is why I could not resist Valli Little’s gorgeous cheesecake, but me being me, I slightly adapted the recipe to make mini versions of it. :D

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce
slightly adapted from the always amazing Delicious - Australia

100g shortbread biscuits
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
75g white chocolate
2 gelatin leaves
2 tablespoons whole milk
250g cream cheese, softened
½ can (198g) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup passion fruit pulp
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water

Lightly butter four 1-cup capacity mini cake pans with removable bottoms.
For the base, place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until ground. Add the butter, pulse to combine, then press into the base of the cake pans. Chill for 30 minutes.
Filling: place chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), stirring until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just below boiling point then remove from the heat. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin leaves and add leaves to the hot milk, stirring until dissolved. Set aside.
Whiz cream cheese, condensed milk and milk mixture in a food processor until smooth. Add chocolate and pulse to combine. Whisk cream to soft peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture. Pour over cookie base. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Syrup: pulse the passion fruit pulp in a food processor a few times to separate the pulp from the seeds. Strain, reserving seeds and juice. Set aside.
Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, swirling the pan occasionally and brushing down the sides with a damp pastry brush, for3-4 minutes until a golden caramel. Add passion fruit juice and 2 tablespoons cold water (be careful as it may spit), reduce heat to low and stir until smooth and syrupy. Cool slightly, then stir in some of the reserved seeds (to taste). Chill until ready to serve.
Serve the cheesecake drizzled with passion fruit sauce.

Makes 4

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup

I've admitted that this blog has had its share of lemon tarts and bars, so I won't even mention the massive amount of lemon cakes, right? :D
Lemon cakes are my favorite cakes, and I pretty much always have lemons around, therefore it's an easy choice for me. This time, however, I've more than satisfied my constant cravings for sour flavors by topping a lemon cake with a passion fruit syrup: sour². :D

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream*
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Passion fruit syrup:
1/3 cup (80g) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120ml) water

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 23cm (9in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. Mix in the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes** before removing to a rack over a plate.
Syrup: combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes or until it thickened and syrupy. Pour over the cake. Cool before slicing.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

** the cake was too tender, so I cooled it in the pan for 15 minutes before unmolding it

Serves 8-10

Passion fruit cake with coconut streusel

It was my dear friend Valentina who introduced me to Dan Lepard’s wonderful recipes years ago – I saw a beautiful cake on her blog and the recipe was Dan’s. However – and I do not know why – it took me ages to start baking some of his great recipes, and now that I have started I have no intention to stop. His latest (and fantastic) cookbook is one of my top favorites and each and every recipe made from it so far has been a huge hit.

Being a passion fruit maniac I could not resist this recipe: it is delicious and the seeds peeking out from the cake squares make them look beautiful – my coworkers loved it.

Passion fruit cake with coconut streusel
adapted from Lepard’s delicious column at the Guardian

Coconut crumble:
85g (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut in small cubes
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (45g) unsweetened flaked coconut
pinch of salt

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
4 tablespoons corn starch, packed
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 1/3 cups (325g) all purpose flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Make the crumble: in a medium bowl, rub the butter through the flour, sugar, coconut and salt with your fingertips until it turns crumbly. Refrigerate while you make the cake.

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) cake pan.
Place the melted the butter in a large bowl, then beat in the oil, sugar, passion fruit, corn starch, egg yolks, cream and vanilla. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a spotlessly clean whisk until it holds soft peaks when the whisk is pulled out. Sift and fold the flour and baking powder into the passion fruit mix, then fold in the egg whites gently and spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of the cake then press gently to adhere. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.

Serves 15-18

Almond and passion fruit drizzle cake

One of my (many) favorite things about Donna Hay Magazine is that every now and then it carries passion fruit recipes; I love the fruit and its juice is one of my favorite beverages – back in my college days I used to drink it by the bucket, especially during exam weeks (passion fruit juice is supposed to calm people down). :)

My love for passion fruit and my current obsession for almond cakes were the reason why I chose this cake as the first recipe to try from Tamasin Day Lewis’ absolutely lovely cookbook, and I urge you to bake it, too: it’s so moist, delicious and moreish that I would have polished off the entire cake myself if left to my own devices. :D

Almond and passion fruit drizzle cake
slightly adapted from the oh, so beautiful Food You Can't Say No To (mine was bought here)

Cake:
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
85g demerara sugar
85g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
85g all purpose flour
85g almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature

Passion fruit drizzle:
½ cup (120ml) passion fruit pulp
3 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20x10cm (8x4in) loaf pan and line it with baking paper. Butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.
Sift the all purpose flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt over the butter mixture and fold together gently using a spatula. Fold in the milk.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until golden and well risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the drizzle: set 1 tablespoon of the passion fruit pulp aside. Place the remaining pulp in a food processor or blender and blitz to extract as much juice as possible. Pass through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and heat over medium heat stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Carefully unmold the cake and remove the baking paper. Place the cake right side up on the rack and prick it all over with a long skewer or dried spaghetti. Immediately pour the passion fruit syrup evenly over the cake. Scatter with the reserved passion fruit seeds and cool completely before serving.

Serves 8-10

Blueberry and passion fruit muffins

After watching the new trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” I felt that a masterpiece is coming our way – I would expect nothing less from Christopher Nolan. I cannot wait to see Tom Hardy as the villain and loved the addition of Marion Cotillard to the casting – I actually think that she would be perfect as Catwoman with those feline eyes of her (sorry, Anne Hathaway). :)

I found the perfect blueberry muffin recipe a while ago but could not resist the idea of a blueberry muffin with passion fruit – these are delicious and the flavors go wonderfully well together, but next time I would simply add passion fruit pulp to Flo Braker’s recipe – those were better flavor and texture wise.

Blueberry and passion fruit muffins
slightly adapted from Donna Hay’s Entertaining

¾ cup + ½ tablespoon (110g) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 ½ (35g) tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80ml) passion fruit pulp, with seeds
½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen – I used frozen, slightly thawed

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously butter eight cavities of a 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity muffin pan – fill the empty cavities halfway through with water.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, butter, lemon zest, egg, vanilla and passion fruit pulp. Add the sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork just until combined – do not overmix or your muffins will be tough. Add the blueberries, mix lightly, then divide batter among prepared pan – they should be ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan, over a wire rack, for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold. Transfer to the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8

Passion fruit poppy seed pound cake

I bought a bag of beautiful, fragrant passion fruit to make Tessa Kiros’s passion fruit ice cream, but since there still was some strawberry cheesecake ice cream in the freezer I had to think of another use for the fruit. I thought of my good friend Ana Elisa, who I’d discussed Tessa’s book with once: I’d told her that I’d bought the book but hadn’t cooked from it yet, and how disappointing that was. “You have to give the book another try, it’s great!” she said. I remembered our conversation, then I remembered an amazing passion fruit cake she’d baked a while ago. Bingo!

I love it when one good thing leads to another – a perfect train of thought. :)

Passion fruit poppy seed pound cake
adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe, inspired by Ana Elisa’s cake

Cake:
2 cups (240g) cake flour*
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup + 3 tablespoons (156g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ½ tablespoons passion fruit pulp, strained
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups (250g) superfine sugar

Passion fruit glaze:
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons passion fruit pulp, strained

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 22.5x12.5cm (9x5in) loaf pan**, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, cream, vanilla extract, passion fruit pulp and poppy seeds. The mixture should have the consistency of thick liquid – if too thick, reheat gently until the butter melts again.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture until just combined. Fold ¼ of the egg-flour mixture into the butter mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour or until the cake is risen and golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for at least 30 minutes then carefully unmold onto another wire rack. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and passion fruit pulp until smooth. Pour over the cake and let it set for 20 minutes before slicing it.
Cake can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in room temperature for up to 3 days.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I made the exact recipe above using a 20x9cm loaf pan

Serves 8

White chocolate passion fruit truffles

You may think that I’m on a passion fruit kick, but what really happened is that I got carried away, bought a load of passion fruit and therefore had to use them all. :)

These truffles are soft, delicious, and the zing of the passion fruit perfectly balances the sweetness of the white chocolate. You can follow Candace’s recipe and dip the truffles in melted chocolate, but I wasn’t bold enough to try that on a 32°C (89.6°F) day. :)

White chocolate passion fruit truffles
recipe from here; inspiration for making truffles from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

560g (20oz) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (180ml) passion fruit pulp – I kept the seeds
icing sugar, sifted, for dusting

Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream and passion fruit pulp to a boil separately in small containers – it is important to heat the cream and pulp separately, as the acid in the pulp will likely curdle the cream.
Pour the hot cream and half of the passion fruit pulp over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute and then gently stir with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture is creamy and combined, add the remaining passion fruit pulp and stir again until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours until firm.
Using a very small cookie scoop or spoon, portion out 2.5cm (1in) balls of the firm white chocolate mixture onto a parchment lined sheet pan. If the truffle mixture gets too soft, place back into the refrigerator to firm up. Gently and quickly roll each into a well rounded ball. Refrigerate the balls until they are firm again, then gently roll them in the icing sugar. Refrigerate.

Makes about 100 truffles – I halved the recipe above, used 1 ½ rounded teaspoons of mixture per truffle and got 30

Devilish angel food cake with passion fruit curd

I’m baking with Susan again – and I almost had to call for help to stop eating this cake. :)

I kept lying to myself saying that “this is practically only egg whites” after eating each slice of cake, then Susan wrote me the same thing in an email. You see, it’s not only my fault. ;)

I made some passion fruit curd to serve the cake with, but now I have an eye on Suz’s version with raspberry sauce... Yum!

Devilish angel food cake with passion fruit curd
cake from Desserts by the Yard, curd from Modern Classics Book 2

Cake:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) cake flour*
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) caster (superfine) sugar
scant ½ teaspoon baking powder
9 large egg whites (252g)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out with the back of the knife and reserved
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, melted and still hot

Passion fruit curd:
½ cup passion fruit pulp + some extra seeds to decorate
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Prepare the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the bottom of a 6-cup capacity tube pan with a ring of parchment paper – do not grease the pan.
Sift together the flour, ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) of the caster sugar, and the baking powder 2 times and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, then continue to beat while gradually adding the remaining ½ cup (100g) sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat until the whites form medium-firm peaks. Stop the mixer. Add the vanilla seeds and continue beating while you quickly stream in the hot butter. Remove from the mixer and gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Spoon the batter into the prepared, spreading it evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan from front to back, and bake for 10-15 additional minutes, until the cake is firm to touch and a tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and flip the cake pan upside down on a rack. Let sit for 1 hour, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Remove the parchment from the cake.

Make the curd: place the passion fruit pulp and butter in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugar, the egg and egg yolks and stir constantly over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Pass it through a fine sieve, add the reserved passion fruit seeds and immediately cover with plastic wrap directly in contact with the curd. Let cool then refrigerate**.
Makes 1 ½ cups

Cut the cake into thick slices and serve with the curd.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I thought the curd smelled a little eggy, so I added 1 teaspoon lemon juice to it after it was cool and it worked out fine

Serves 10

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit

When I was a teenager I had this big dream of going to Australia to learn English; unfortunately, $$ was an issue then and I had to study the language here.

My love for Australia hasn’t changed – Joao and I plan to go there for vacation someday; while that doesn’t happen, I go on listening to Aussie bands and cooking recipes from Aussie mags and fabulous foodies. :)

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit
from here

250g good quality white chocolate chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (375ml) heavy cream
6 tablespoons passion fruit pulp

Place the white chocolate, milk and vanilla in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Heat until the chocolate is just melted, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form then fold through the chocolate mixture until just combined.
Whisk the egg whites in a large, dry, clean stainless steel bowl until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, fold through the chocolate mixture in two batches.
Divide the mousse between six 1 cup (240ml) capacity serving dishes/bowls.
Cover and chill for 3 to 4 hours, or until set.
Spoon passion fruit on top of the mousse just before serving.

Serves 6

Passion fruit cream profiteroles

I’ve been feeling very brave these past few days: I managed to watch “Damien: Omen II” entirely, without looking away not even for a second, AT NIGHT. :)

Now I’m ready to watch the last part and complete the trilogy – but this lovely lady and I have come to the conclusion that I’m going to need something to stay calm throughout the movie, like passion fruit juice. I wonder if passion fruit profiteroles would do the trick... :)

Passion fruit cream profiteroles
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

Profiteroles:
1 cup (240ml) water
100g unsalted butter
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (115g) all purpose flour
5 eggs

Passion fruit cream:
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream, whipped to firm peaks
½ cup fresh passion fruit pulp (still with the seeds)
¼ cup (35g) icing sugar, sifted

Lemon icing:
1 ½ cups (210g) icing sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Place water and butter in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Add the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and transfer to the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed, gradually adding the eggs until well combined – whisk the eggs lightly with a fork before adding them to the batter and pour in gradually; you might not need all the egg mixture.
Spoon the mixture into a piping back with a 12mm plain nozzle and pipe 2cm rounds onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and deep golden. Cool on wire racks, then carefully remove profiteroles from baking paper.
Make the filling: place cream, passion fruit and sugar in a bowl and stir gently to combine. Set aside. Make the icing: mix icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Fill the profiteroles with the passion fruit cream and spoon over the lemon icing.

Makes 45 – I halved the recipe above and got 35 fairly small profiteroles

Crème brûlée with passion fruit topping and a thank you

No, no, the crème brûlée bug has not bitten me – to be honest, I made this recipe just because of the passion fruit topping. :)
Not sure if that is a sensible way of choosing a recipe to make, but what else could you expect from someone who watches “Lie to Me” just because of Tim Roth? ;)

On a totally different note, I would like to thank Amanda for this lovely, beautiful article about my blog, and my reader Tania Pereyra for telling me about it! xx

Crème brûlée with passion fruit topping
from Simple Essentials Fruit

4 cups (960ml) single/heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
8 egg yolks
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) caster sugar, extra
pulp of 1 passion fruit*

Place the cream and vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over low heat and cook gently until the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let infuse for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Remove the bean from the cream and reheat it.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale. Pour the warm cream over the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Return the mixture to the pan and stir constantly over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until custard coats the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into eight ½ cup (120ml) capacity ovenproof dishes and place in a deep baking dish. Add boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 25 minutes or until just set. Let cool then refrigerate for 3 hours or until custard is completely set.
Combine the extra sugar and passion fruit pulp, cover the custards with the mixture and caramelize with a blowtorch.

* the passion fruit I used were huge (there’s a photo here) so ½ was enough

Serves 8

Apple and passion fruit crumble

Are you tired of my apple recipes yet? :)

I know I’ve been using apples like crazy lately, and must confess that I still intend to make a couple of recipes with them before the end of their season.
Let me tell you one delicious thing I found out the other day: I never knew apples and passion fruit were so good together. Luckily, Bill did. :)

Apple and passion fruit crumble

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced – I used Gala
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
pulp from 8 passion fruit*

Topping:
1 cup (115g) rolled oats
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (129g) brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup (46g) all purpose flour
100g unsalted butter, softened
vanilla ice cream or heavy cream, to serve – yogurt goes really well, too

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 2-liter baking dish. Mix together the apples, sugar and passion fruit pulp and put in the dish.

Using your fingertips, rub together the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter to make a crumbly topping. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
Serve with ice cream, cream or yogurt.

* the passion fruit I used were huge (there’s a photo here), so 4 were enough

Serves 4

Passion fruit jelly panna cotta

Blogging has made me change my mind about lots of foods: dishes I did not like, or should I say thought I did not like, have become favorites. And jellies are a good example: I thought they were boring until I tried the ones made with real fruit juice.

This passion fruit jelly is a bit different from the one I made before – the other recipe mixed passion fruit and orange – and goes really well with the panna cotta; the only “but” for me here was the panna cotta – I prefer it creamier and would use less gelatin next time.

Passion fruit jelly panna cotta
from Donna Hay magazine

Jelly:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
4 passion fruit – it will depend on their size, you might need less
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
1 ¼ cups (300ml) water, extra

Panna cotta:
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons gelatin powder*
2 cups (480ml) single or pouring cream
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

To make the jelly, place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin absorbs the water. Strain the passion fruit pulp through a fine sieve – you should have approximately ¼ cup (60ml) juice.
Place the juice, sugar and extra water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the gelatin. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and divide between six ½ cup (120ml) capacity molds/glasses (if you intend to unmold the dessert, lightly grease the molds with neutral vegetable oil). Refrigerate until set (4-5 hours).
Make the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin absorbs the water. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, vanilla bean and seeds. Stir occasionally, allowing the cream to come to the boil. Add the gelatin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or just until gelatin is dissolved. Pass mixture through a fine sieve and allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the firm passion fruit jelly. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Serve in the glasses or unmold into plates.

* if you’re not unmolding the dessert, use less gelatin in the panna cotta – it is much more delicious when it’s creamier

Serves 6