Passion Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) loaf pan, dust it with flour, and tap out any excess. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper.
• To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, and the orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running, slowly dribble the egg mixture into the butter mixture, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the eggs are completely incorporated. (The mixture may look curdled, which is normal.)
• Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture by hand just until combined. Don't overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool about 15 minutes.
• While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, very gently stir together the passion fruit juice and 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar. Don't let the sugar dissolve.
• Loosen the cake from the loaf pan by running a knife around the sides of the cake. Invert the warm cake out of the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and turn it right side up onto a plate.
• Using a wooden skewer, pierce the top of the cake all the way through to the bottom about 50 times. Spoon half of the glaze over the top of the cake. Turn the cake on each of its sides, spooning the rest of the glaze over so that the cake is evenly coated. Sop up the glaze that collects in the plate by rubbing the bottom and sides of the cake in it.
• Serving
• Serve the sliced cake just as it is or with a compote of fresh tropical fruit or berries.
• Storage
• Store the cake loosely wrapped in plastic wrap, to keep the glaze crisp.
• Variation
• To make ORANGE POUND CAKE, replace the passion fruit juice in the glaze with 1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice.
• tip
• To strain fresh passion fruit pulp, halve the fruits, scoop the pulp into a mesh strainer set over a bowl, and press the pulp to separate the seeds from the juice. You can find frozen passion fruit purée in Latin markets as well as online (see Resources, page 270).

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Grease and line a deep, 20cm square tin with baking paper. Sift the muscovado until it's lump-free. Tip into the largest bowl you have with the flour, coconut, mixed spice, baking powder and walnuts, then mix well. In a jug, whisk together the oil, eggs and 2 tsp of the vanilla extract, then pour over the dry ingredients. Add the carrot, pineapple, reserved pineapple juice and lime zest to the bowl, then give everything a really good mix until combined. Scrape into the tin, then bake on a low to middle shelf for 1 hr, until a skewer inserted comes out with just moist crumbs clinging to it and no sticky mix. Once cool, the cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, then soak with the syrup once defrosted.
• Meanwhile, make a lime syrup by gently heating the caster sugar, lime juice and final tsp of vanilla in a small pan. Once dissolved, boil for a few mins until syrupy.
• Leave the cake in its tin until cool enough to handle, then turn upside-down onto a wire rack. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the cake and drizzle over the syrup a little at a time, waiting for the last addition to soak into the cake before pouring over any more. Cool completely, then trim the edges. Will keep for a few days in an airtight tin.
• To serve, return the cake to a serving plate, right side up, and place a doily, or a few doilies, over the top. Dust liberally with icing sugar, then very carefully lift off the paper without disturbing the sugar. Serve immediately, as the icing sugar will begin to melt after a while, with a dollop of something creamy on the side - try mixing equal amounts of mascarpone and natural yogurt with a little more icing sugar.