Some cakes are meant to be made on repeat, and this Passion Fruit Cake is one of those cakes! This recipe makes the perfect afternoon treat or easy-to-make birthday cake.
This Passion Fruit Cake recipe is for a two-layer vanilla sponge cake flavored with passionfruit pulp and almond essence. The cake layers are sandwiched together with a fluffy passionfruit buttercream. Slice this cake thick and I promise it'll be your go-to summer bake.
If you love easy cake recipes, then you have to look at this recipe for Mini Carrot Cake Loaves with Cream Cheese Frosting, this recipe for a Salted Caramel Cake, and this recipe for Banana Bread.
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Ingredients
To make this easy cake recipe you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Sunflower oil
- Extra-large eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Almond essence
- Self-raising flour
- Salt
- Greek yoghurt
- Passionfruit pulp
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Whole milk
Extra-large eggs - out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren't sure if you have the same eggs - weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Sunflower oil - This cake uses oil instead of butter for extra moistness! Use neutral-tasting vegetable oil for this recipe like sunflower or canola oil.
Self-raising flour - If you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. Check the recommendations on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much should be added.
Vanilla extract - choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence to give this recipe a great vanilla flavor. You can also use vanilla paste.
Unsalted butter - use unsalted butter rather than salted butter for this recipe. It is also essential that you use room-temperature butter.
Passionfruit pulp - for a great passionfruit flavor, I used a combination of store-bought passionfruit puree and fresh passion fruit pulp. You can do the same or choose to use one or the other.
Almond essence - almond essence is a great addition to this cake and buttercream, it adds a delicious flavor and smell. If you don't have any you can decide to leave this out.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the simple instructions below to make this delicious cake. You will start by making the cake layers, and then the passion fruit buttercream.
Instructions for cake
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F) and line 2x 20cm (8 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.
STEP 2: Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
STEP 3: Add vanilla and almond. Add the vanilla extract and almond essence to the cake batter and mix again briefly.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the salt and self-raising flour.
STEP 5: Add dry ingredients and yoghurt. Add the flour mixture and the yogurt to the cake batter by alternating between the two, starting with the flour and ending with the yogurt. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again.
STEP 6: Add the passionfruit, lemon juice, and zest. Add the passionfruit pulp, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the cake batter and mix until just combined.
STEP 7: Bake. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes, before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for frosting
STEP 1: Beat butter and icing sugar. To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium-low speed until the mixture comes together.
STEP 2: Add milk. With the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk. Continue until it has all been added. Then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high speed. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
STEP 3: Add the vanilla and almond extract. Add the vanilla extract and almond essence to the buttercream and beat until just combined.
STEP 4: Add the passion fruit pulp. Add the passion fruit puree to the buttercream and beat again until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl using a rubber spatula and mix again briefly.
STEP 5: Decorate. Place one cake layer onto a cake plate and spread half of the frosting over the surface of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top of this and spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake. Decorate with sliced fresh passionfruit and a passion fruit drizzle. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: if your cake layers are baked with a domed top, use a sharp bread knife or cake leveler to level each cake layer before decorating.
Variations
This easy passion fruit cake recipe works well whether you are using fresh passionfruit pulp or store-bought passionfruit puree.
You can choose to make extra frosting and use a piping bag to decorate the sides of the cake with buttercream if you'd prefer.
Equipment
For this delicious cake recipe, you will need x2 20cm (8 inches) cake tins, a wire rack for cooling, an offset spatula for decorating, and an electric mixer.
I always use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the buttercream, as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate kitchen scale when baking, as I prefer using grams rather than cup measurements for accuracy.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I choose to store this cake in the fridge rather than at room temperature because of the fresh fruit on the cake and in the frosting. Bring the cake to room temperature before slicing and serving.
To freeze this cake, cut the frosted cake into individual slices and wrap each slice of cake in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.
Top tips
For the best results when baking this granadilla cake, follow my top baking tips below
- Check the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer before baking the cakes.
- Allow the cake to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.
- For a fluffy buttercream make sure the butter is at room temperature.
FAQ
The eggs I have used weigh about 56 grams out of their shell. Weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
You can bake this cake in different-sized cake pans, you will just need to adjust the baking time. Larger tins will need less time and smaller tins, more time to bake.
You can make this cake using a combination of baking powder and cake flour. It is best to check the packing of your baking powder to determine how much should be added. Remember to sift the two together before using them.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This passionfruit cake is perfect for people who love vanilla cakes but are looking for something a little different to serve at their next get-together. If you love this passion fruit recipe and would like to try our others, then have a look at this recipe for Passionfruit Cupcakes or this recipe for Passionfruit Cookies.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave a comment and star review below - I would love to hear from you!
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Passion Fruit Cake
Equipment
- 2x 20cm round cake tins
Ingredients
Passionfruit Cake
- 310 g white sugar
- 4 eggs extra-large
- 150 ml sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond essence
- 360 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300 g Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 50 ml passionfruit puree
Passionfruit Buttercream
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 25 ml whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond essence
- 2 tablespoon passionfruit puree
Instructions
Passionfruit Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line 2x 20cm (8 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.
- Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and almond essence to the cake batter and mix again briefly.
- Sift together the salt and self-raising flour.
- Add the flour mixture and the yogurt to the cake batter by alternating between the two, starting with the flour and ending with the yogurt. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again.
- Add the passionfruit pulp, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the cake batter and mix until just combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes, before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Passionfruit Buttercream
- To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium-low speed until the mixture comes together.
- With the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk. Continue until it has all been added. Then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high speed. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
- Add the vanilla extract and almond essence to the buttercream and beat until just combined.
- Add the passion fruit puree to the buttercream and beat again until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl using a rubber spatula and mix again briefly.
- Place one cake layer onto a cake plate and spread half of the frosting over the surface of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top of this and spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake. Decorate with sliced fresh passionfruit and a passion fruit drizzle. Serve and enjoy!
Lauren says
I recently baked this cake using fresh passion fruit. I used a total of four fresh passionfruit and one lemon for both the cake and the icing. The cake was delicious and although I don't like almond essence, it definitely did lift the cake. I am going to make the cake again but replace the Greek yoghurt with buttermilk to see if the texture is less dense.(I always bake with buttermilk for a fluffy, moist cake.) I found the butter icing to be too stiff and just doubled the passion fruit and added some more milk. Great, easy to follow recipe. Would love to post some photos.
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for you comment, I am so glad you loved this recipe!