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Passion Fruit Layer Cake
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5 from 1 vote

Passion Fruit Layer Cake

Tropical paradise in a bite! This passion fruit cake has three layers of vanilla cake soaked in passion fruit juice, two layers of passion fruit curd, and it is frosted with vanilla Swiss buttercream.
Yield: three layer 8-inch cake
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Assembly45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14
Author: Maryanne Cabrera

Equipment

  • three 8-inch round cake pans
  • rotating cake stand (or cake turntable)
  • stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment
  • piping bag with small round tip
  • offset spatula
  • digital kitchen thermometer

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (295 g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (170 g)
  • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250 g)
  • 3 large eggs, room temp
  • 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • ⅓ cup sour cream (75 g)
  • ⅔ cup whole milk (150 g)
  • ⅔ cup homemade passion fruit curd, or store-bought*

Passion Fruit Syrup:

  • 2 Tbsp strained passion fruit pulp or passion fruit puree
  • 1 Tbsp simple syrup *

Swiss Buttercream:

  • ¾ cup egg whites (210 g), about 6 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300 g)
  • 2 cup unsalted butter (452 g), sliced into tablespoons, softened
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
  • Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk. Begin and finish with flour mixture. Mix until just combined and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.*
  • Divide batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Level batter using a mini offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes. Then, run a mini offset spatula around the cake and unmold. Cool cake to room temperature on wire rack.

Passion Fruit Syrup:

  • Mix together passion fruit pulp and simple syrup. Set aside until ready to use.

Swiss Buttercream:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a pot of simmering water to create a bain-marie or double boiler. Make sure the simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk mixture until it reaches a temperature of 160°F.
    *Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer, heat the mixture until all the sugar has melted. Test this by dipping your pointer finger into the mixture and rubbing it against your thumb. The mixture should feel smooth. You should not be able to feel the granules of sugar.
  • Return bowl to stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat mixture at medium speed until it has cooled to room temperature (about 75-80°F) and meringue has started to form.
  • Reduce to low speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time. Add salt. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until buttercream is light and fluffy.

Assembly:

  • Fit a piping bag (decorating bag) with a small round tip (wilton #12). Fill bag with about ½ cup of buttercream. Set aside.
  • Level cake layers as necessary. Place one cake layer on serving platter or cake turntable. Brush or drizzle passion fruit syrup over cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream (about 6 Tbsp) over cake layer using a small offset spatula.
  • Use the filled piping bag, pipe a double border of buttercream along the perimeter of cake round. This will serve as barrier when curd is added.
  • Add ⅓ cup of passion fruit curd to center of cake. Spread to fill within the buttercream boundaries. Place second cake layer on top. Repeat soaking cake, adding buttercream, and curd.
  • Place final third layer on top. Soak cake layer with syrup. Spread buttercream all around the cake to create a "crumb coat" layer to seal in any crumbs. Chill cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to set frosting.
  • If desired, coat chilled cake with additional buttercream. Use a small leaf piping tip (wilton #352) to pipe decorative border on top of cake.
  • Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Rest cake at room temperature for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving to soften buttercream frosting.

Notes

Ingredient Notes:
  • Homemade passion fruit curd is easy to make. However, if you prefer store bought passion fruit curd, I recommend these brands: Rare Bird Preserves, Tutu's Pantry, and Tiptree. 
  • Fresh passion fruit is available year round. If you cannot find any in stores, I recommend purchasing them from Rincon Tropics. 
Mixing Notes:
  • Be careful not to overmix cake once flour as been added. Overmixing will lead to a tough cake.
6 inch cake pans: Recipe may be baked in three 6-inch round cake pans, as well. Increase baking time by 5-8 minutes to accommodate for the thicker cake layer. 
To make simple syrup: Bring to a boil equal parts water and sugar. Heat until sugar has melted. Cool. Keep chilled in the fridge for up to a month.

Nutrition

Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 1241IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg