Passionfruit Sponge Cake

Ready to whip up this old-fashioned Passionfruit Sponge Cake – just like our grandmas did? It's a light and fresh sponge cake that's full-to-the-brim with wonderful zesty passionfruit flavours and infused with nostalgia.

Sponges aren't the easiest thing to make, but I've included plenty of tips and tricks in this recipe to help you find success. And this sponge cake is truly worth the effort – it's incredibly soft with the right balance of custard cream filling and a sweet and tangy passionfruit icing.

Jump to:

• A tip before you start
• Ingredient notes
• How to make Passionfruit Sponge cake
• Serving and storage
• More passionfruit recipes
• Passionfruit Sponge Cake Recipe

A tip before you start

A few years ago, I set myself the goal of making a sponge as close as possible to the pure perfection my Nan Mac created. I've practised, tested and tweaked... and I'm pretty happy with the results! Here, I've included as many pointers as possibly to help you make a sponge you're proud of.

So, my biggest tip is to read through this entire post before you attempt to follow the recipe in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredient notes

To make this delightful dessert you'll need:

• eggs – make sure they are fresh and at room temperature before you start
• caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar
• plain flour – also known as all purpose flour
• cornflour – also known as cornstarch – and cream of tartar
• melted butter, hot water and bicarb soda
• for the cream filling – thickened cream (heavy cream), icing sugar (confectioners/powdered sugar) and custard powder
• for the icing – passionfruit pulp (fresh is best, but canned will work just fine), icing sugar (confectioners/powdered sugar) and hot water.

Note that "icing sugar" is sold as pure icing sugar and soft icing mixture. Both are fine, though I always prefer the soft icing mixture as you don't generally need to sift it. The pure icing sugar can get lumpy.

All ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Equipment

You'll also need:

• 2 x round cake tins (19/20cm) – ideally, springform
• electric handheld beaters (you can use a stand mixer, but I find the handheld beaters give you more control and avoids "over-beating" the mixture)

How to make Passionfruit Sponge cake

Start by preparing your 19-20cm round cake tins. Grease with butter and then coat with plain flour. How do you flour a tin? Add 1-2 tablespoons extra plain flour to each tin after greasing with butter and then rotate and tap the tins until the flour completely and evenly coats the tin. Tip the tins upside down to remove any excess flour (see image 1). 

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced).

The sponge cake layers

The key to this recipe is, of course, getting the two layers of sponge cake just right. Your sponge cake layers should be flat-looking rather than domed int the middle. This allows you to create a cake with lovely even layers.

Okay, let's start. Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

TIP: Remember, it's best to use fresh eggs and keep them out of the fridge so they're at room temperature when you're ready to use them.

Beat the egg whites to a froth with soft peaks able to be formed (see image 2). Next, add the yolks and sugar (see image 3) and beat on med-high for a further 2-3 minutes (see image 4).

Sift flour, cornflour and cream of tartar together. Add half to the egg and sugar mixture (see image 5), folding together gently with a spatula. Add final half and, again, fold together gently (see image 6).

Combine the melted butter, hot water and bicarb soda and add to the mixture. Fold together gently using the spatula (see image 7).

TIP: When adding the dry ingredients and the water/butter mixture, treat the mixture like it's delicate. Use a spatula and make sure the ingredients are well combined but do not stir vigorously or over-mix.

Pour half of the mixture into each of the round tins (see image 8) and bake for 20 minutes.

TIP: The sponges should rise and cook to a golden colour, taking about 20 minutes. If you open the oven door and still hear a sizzling sound, it's likely your cakes are still cooking. Quickly close the door and allow to cook a little longer.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins.

Filling and Icing

While the sponge layers are key to making up this recipe, the cream filling and passionfruit icing are the key to enjoying it!

Allow the sponge layers to cool completely before filling and icing your sponge (see image 9).

TIP: Placing the sponge cake in the fridge for half an hour can help the sponge retain its shape as you add the cream filling and icing.

The cream has a little icing sugar and custard powder, both for flavour and to help it hold together better. Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form (see image 10). Spread over top of one sponge and then place other sponge on top to form a sandwich (see image 12).

Variation idea: Add an extra punch of passionfruit by also spreading a layer of Passionfruit Curd or Passionfruit Jam under the cream layer.

The icing is a simple passionfruit icing with just the pulp and icing sugar – and a little hot water to get the right consistency. Sift the icing sugar and stir in the pulp. Add enough hot water to form a thick icing (see image 11).

Pour the icing over the top of the sponge sandwich. You can ensure you add only enough to cover the top layer, or encourage the icing to drizzle down the side of the cake in a few places around the outside of the cake.

Serving and storage

This Passionfruit Sponge Cake is best served fresh.

It will keep in the fridge – and you should store it in the fridge given it has a fresh cream filling – for up to a few days. You can serve the cake cold from the fridge, but I prefer to leave it out for 15 minutes or so and enjoy it closer to room temperature.

Wrap un-filled and un-iced sponge cake well and it will freeze for up to 3 months.

More passionfruit recipes

Got more fresh passionfruit sitting on the kitchen bench? Try one of these recipes:

Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)

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