This vanilla passionfruit cake is fluffy and moist, filled with a passion fruit cake filling. It’s perfect for a birthday or any celebration! You'll love this passion fruit cake!
Heat passionfruit pulp and sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
½ cup passionfruit pulp, ⅔ cup granulated sugar
In a separate bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks until smooth.
3 large egg yolks, 2 large eggs
Remove some of passionfruit mixture from pan and pour into the eggs, a tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
Gradually add egg mixture to saucepan, whisking constantly. Turn heat to low.
Add butter to saucepan, one cube at a time.
5 tablespoon unsalted butter
Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until thickened, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan as well. Curd should take about 10-12 minutes to thicken, and it's ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
Remove from heat and cool. Chill in refrigerator, covered, for at least one hour or overnight.
Prepare Vanilla Cake Layers
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper or silicone liners.
baking spray
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup salted butter
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3 large eggs
Beat in vanilla and vegetable oil, followed by buttermilk.
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup buttermilk
In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
2 cup cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of a layer comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
In a large, heatproof bowl (such as the bowl of your stand mixer), whisk together egg whites and sugar.
6 egg whites, 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Place bowl over another pot containing 2 inches of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not be able to touch the water.
Cook egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until egg white mixture reaches 160°F, or until you are unable to feel any sugar granules when touching the mixture between your fingers.
Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is glossy and comes to stiff peaks. If the bowl is still warm, place mixture in the fridge for a few minutes to cool to room temperature before adding butter.
Place chopped white chocolate a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat in 15-second intervals, stirring well in between, until white chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.
6 oz white chocolate
Switch stand mixer to the paddle attachment. Add butter (lightly colder than room temperature)) one cube at a time, mixing continuously on medium speed, followed by cooled white chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt.
1½ cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
Continue mixing on low speed until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes.
Assemble Passionfruit Cake
Place first layer of cake on a cake stand or turntable. Spread a layer of buttercream evenly on top.
Use a piping bag to pipe around the top of the cake layer to provide a barrier for the passionfruit curd.
Spoon about ⅓ cup of chilled passionfruit curd into the well created by the piped buttercream. Spread evenly.
Repeat with second cake layer.
Add top layer of cake and frost top and sides of cake as desired.
Video
Notes
Separating eggs: Your eggs should be room temperature, but it’s much easier to separate eggs when they’re cold, so I would recommend separating them first and then letting them sit out to get to room temperature.Cake Flour Substitute: You can make a cake flour substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch! Just sift together 1 ⅔ cups (218g) of all-purpose flour and 4 tablespoons (32g) of cornstarch. Then add it in with your dry ingredients as usual!Buttermilk Substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, feel free to use whole milk, replacing a tablespoon of the milk with vinegar. This will create the acidic effect of buttermilk to help your mini vanilla cake come out even more moist and tender.Make ahead and Freezing: You can make all components of this passionfruit cake ahead of time! The curd can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container. I've also had success with freezing passionfruit curd for up to a month and thawing it in the fridge. The cake layers can be made and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months, wrapped well in plastic wrap and heavy duty foil.
The white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream can be made a day or two in advance as well. Just store it, covered, in the fridge, and on the day you'll be using it, allow it to sit out for a few hours to come to room temperature. Then use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the buttercream to bring it back to that silky smooth texture. And it's ready to use!Leftover Passionfruit Curd: You should have a good amount of passionfruit curd left over after making this passionfruit cake! Save it for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge, and use it for other baked goods, on top of toast or biscuits, or for a Passionfruit Dutch Baby, one of the recipes in my Sweet Summertime cookbook!