I absolutely love passion fruit!  Don’t you?

In Brazil, our passion fruit is big, yellow on the outside, full of juicy pulp, and a bit less acidic than the purple type found here in the US.

Brazilians appreciate this fruit so much that we have an astounding variety of desserts made from it.  One of our favorites is passion fruit cake.

Browsing through the many recipes for passion fruit cake that I have, I chose a coffee-cake version for today’s post.  Something  quick, easy, and absolutely delish!

Yes, it has been a while since I made and got to eat a passion fruit cake because in the US the fruit is seasonal and a bit expensive.  But this time I got lucky.   Not only did I have some Brazilian passion fruit juice concentrate that I recently bought at a local Latin market, but I also found fresh passion fruit in season at Central Market. Whoo-hoo!  I bought it knowing that something good would result from it.

And it did!

The easy part was making the cake…  The hard part was not grabbing a slice immediately! So as soon as I finish taking the pictures that you’ll see here, this cake is mine.  OK, I’ll try to behave properly and share a piece with my husband.  Well, maybe…

Actually, the man loves passion fruit cake so much that what I really hope is that he will share a piece with me. 

I am so greedy for this cake that it brings to mind that legendary scene from the movie Lord of the Rings in which Gollum — in a sinister and selfish voice– looks at the ring and says “My Precious!”  Sorry, but this is exactly how I feel about this cake…

Make it and you’ll know exactly what I am talking about.

Now, please excuse me while I go and enjoy “My Precious” cake.  To encourage myself to overcome the selfish battle within me, maybe I should step on the scale later…  Or not?   Hmmmm?!

xx

Passion Fruit Cake with Double Topping

Yield: About 12 slices

Segment: Brazilian Cuisine

Batter

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup concentrated passion fruit juice**

** It is available both at Latin supermarkets and online.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). Grease and flour a 10- in (25.4 cm) fluted tub pan. Reserve.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift and combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the passion fruit juice.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

Let cool down over a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges carefully.  Then, invert the cake onto a plate and let cool down 10 minutes longer. Pour icing over, and let cool down. When is completely cool, drizzle the cool or chilled passion fruit sauce on top. Serve.

Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Unmold the cake when still slightly warm and pour the icing on top of the cake.  Let cool down.

Passion Fruit Sauce

Ingredients:

Pulp of 2 passion fruits

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cachaça or white rum

Directions:

Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out center (including the seeds) into a small saucepan.  Add the sugar, the water, and cachaça or rum.  Let cook over high heat until sugar has dissolved and sauce has thickened, about 7 – 9 minutes.

Transfer to a small bowl and let cool down (or chill).  Drizzle the top of the iced cake with the passion fruit sauce.

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Receita em Português:

Bolo de Maracujá com Dupla Cobertura

Rendimento: 12 fatias

Massa

Ingredientes:

1 xícara de chá de manteiga sem sal, à temperatura ambiente

2 xícaras de chá de açúcar

4 ovos grandes, à temperatura ambiente

3 xícaras de chá de farinha de trigo

2 colheres de chá de fermento em pó

1/2 colher de chá de sal

1 xícara de chá de suco de maracujá concentrado

Modo de preparo:

Pré-aqueça o forno a  180ºC. Unte e enfarinhe uma forma de furo central de 25.4 cm de diâmetro. Reserve.

Na batedeira, bata a manteiga com o açúcar até obter uma mistura cremosa. Adicione os ovos um a um, batendo após cada adição.

Peneire e junte a farinha, o fermento e o sal. Acrescente a mistura alternando com o suco , batendo após cada adição. Despeje a mistura na forma preparada e asse por 60 a 70 minutos ou até que um palito inserido próximo ao centro, saia limpo. Deixe esfriar por 20 minutos. Passe cuidadosamente uma faca ao redor pra soltar melhor o bolo. Depois, vire o bolo sobre um prato e deixe esfriar por mais 10 minutos. Despeje a cobertura branca por cima e deixe esfriar completamente. Quando o bolo estiver frio, despeje a calda de maracujá por cima e sirva.

Cobertura branca

Ingredientes:

1 xícara (chá) de açúcar de confeiteiro

4 colheres (sopa) de suco de creme de leite de caixinha

1-1/2 colher de (chá) de essência de baunilha

Modo de Preparo:

Em uma tigela, misture todos os ingredientes muito bem. Desenforme o bolo ainda morno, despeje a cobertura branca por cima e deixe esfriar. Quando o bolo estiver esfriado completamente, despeje a calda de maracujá por cima. Sirva!

Cobertura de Calda de Maracujá

Ingredientes:

Polpa de 2 maracujás pequenos ou de 1 grande

1/2 xícara (chá) de açúcar

1 xícara (chá) de água

2 colheres de (sopa) de cachaça

Modo de Preparo:

Em uma panela, misture todos os ingredientes e deixe cozinhar em fogo médio-alto por aproximadamente 7 a 9 minutos ou até que o açúcar tenha dissolvido e a calda tenha engrossado.

Deixe esfriar ou refrigere, despeje a calda de maracujá por cima da cobertura branca e sirva.

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