This chocolate passionfruit cake is an absolute show-stopper and will definitely become one of your go-to flavor combinations. Delicious, fudgy chocolate cake layers, sweet, toasted meringue, and tart passionfruit curd – it’s a match made in dessert heaven.
Although I adore chocolate, one thing I have grown out of is overly chocolatey cakes. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE chocolate on chocolate cakes, but they’re a bit…basic, you know? The flavors are a little too rich; the profile is a little one-dimensional. It needs a little pick-me-up, something that cuts through the bold, rich flavor of chocolate and takes the cake to a whole never level.
That’s where passionfruit comes in. It’s truly a unique fruit that is hard not to like. If you have tasted a GOOD passionfruit, you know exactly what I am talking about. It’s sweet; it’s tangy; it’s crunchy. It really creates a party in your mouth. The tartness of passionfruit makes it the perfect combination ingredient with chocolate. It perfectly cuts through the richness of the chocolate.
What I love the most about this recipe is how simple it is, yet how “fancy” it looks and tastes. I can guarantee that whoever you make this for will be beyond impressed with your skills in the kitchen and truly believe that you are a dessert master, all with minimal effort. The reason for that is the unique flavor combination and textures that make up this cake.
You can get richness and softness from the chocolate cake. You get sweetness and a bonfire-ish roasted flavor from the toasted meringue, and you get tartness and crunchiness from the passionfruit curd (thanks to the passionfruit seeds).
Now I know what you are thinking; this cake has three components. How can she say that it’s simple? 🙄
You’re right, it does have three separate components, but each one is super simple to execute on its own. Plus, nothing except the meringue has to be made fresh on the day of serving, so you can easily make the ingredients ahead!
I know you are still skeptical, so let’s get into the details of each component.
The Chocolate Cake
This is the easiest chocolate cake recipe you will find anywhere. I promise. It’s simple, uses the most basic ingredients, is made in one bowl, and somehow results in rich, fudgy chocolate cake layers, the kind that sticks to your teeth and fills your mouth with chocolatey goodness.
The process is simple – mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coffee powder) with a whisk, then add the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and mix until you have a thick batter. Finally, add boiling hot water into the batter while mixing it on low speed until everything is combined and your batter is ready.
Told you it was easy! This is the go-to chocolate recipe that I use all the time.
Pro Tip: Adding coffee powder to any chocolate dessert enhances the flavor and brings out the richness of the chocolate without highlighting the coffee flavor. Trust me, it works.
The Toasted Meringue
I chose to pair this cake with a toasted meringue instead of a buttercream because I felt like it needed something light and airy. I love buttercreams, but honestly, they can get clawingly sweet and buttery, and this cake did not need that. Toasting the meringue also adds a whole new flavor dimension to this cake and ties everything together perfectly.
I have used swiss meringue for this cake as it’s honestly the easiest to do, but you can choose to make any meringue you like.
Find my Italian meringue recipe here.
Making swiss meringue is super simple and can easily be done without a thermometer, unlike other meringues. All you have to do is mix together egg whites and sugar until lightly combined, then cook it over the double boiler until the sugar is fully incorporated into the egg whites. You can test this by rubbing some of the egg white mix between your fingers. When the mixture feels smooth and not grainy, the meringue is ready to be whipped.
Transfer the meringue to a bowl and start whisking it on low speed at first, then gradually increase the speed and whisk until the meringue forms stiff peaks (i.e. when you pick the whisk up from the meringue, the meringue should form a stiff peak that holds it’s shape). Make sure not to overwhip the egg whites.
Meringue deflates over time, so make sure you prepare it just before assembling the cake. I recommend adding a thin layer of the meringue as it can make the cake very sweet. Be careful while blowtorching it, but make sure the entire surface of the meringue layer is evenly toasted.
The Passionfruit Curd
If you have never tried passionfruit curd, I am about to change your life. First, if you don’t know what a fruit ‘curd’ is, it’s almost like a fruit-flavored custard. I don’t know why it has been named curd, and it can be very misleading but imagines a silky, rich custard that’s jam-packed with flavor.
Usually, curds are made with citrus fruit, most commonly with lemons, but they can be made with almost any fruit. This passionfruit curd is rich, delicious, and bursting with passionfruit flavor. Plus, the crunchy texture of the passionfruit seeds takes it to a whole new level.
Making passionfruit curds is simple and follows a similar process to making custards. First, you mix all the ingredients – passionfruit pulp, caster sugar, and egg yolks in a bowl until combined, then cook the mixture over a double boiler while mixing continuously until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. After that, take the curd off the heat, mix in the butter, and chill until the curd is set and ready to use.
Pro tip: When chilling the passionfruit curd, cover it tightly with a cling film, making sure that it touches the surface of the curd. This will stop a milk film from forming on top of the curd.
Once the passionfruit curd is chilled and ready to use, you can assemble the cake. I recommend cutting thick cake layers so that they don’t fall apart when you are assembling the cake.
To assemble the cake, follow this pattern ->
Layer of cake -> layer of meringue -> toast the meringue with a blow torch -> thick layer of passionfruit curd -> layer of cake -> repeat,
You can decorate the cake however you like; I prefer keeping it rustic and letting the ingredients shine through by topping it with toasted meringue, a half-cut passionfruit, passionfruit curd, and fresh passionfruit pulp.
Ready to create this showstopper dessert? Let’s get started!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
Chocolate Passionfruit Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Electric or stand mixer with a paddle attachment
- 2 6-inch cake pans
- Blow torch
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 125 ml full-fat milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 120 gs all-purpose flour
- 100 fs white granulated sugar
- 100 gs brown sugar
- 38 gs cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4th tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp coffee powder
- 60 ml neutral oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 125 ml boiling water
Passionfruit Curd
- 4 egg yolk
- 140 gs caster sugar
- 120 ml passionfruit pulp (with seeds)
- 90 gs unsalted butter
Swiss Meringue
- 100 gs egg whites
- 150 gs white granulated sugar
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare the cake pans with butter and flour to ensure the cake does not stick while baking and comes out easily.
- Prepare your buttermilk by adding the vinegar to the milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine the dry ingredients – flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coffee powder using a hand whisk.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla essence in the same bowl, and mix on medium speed using an electric or stand mixer until everything is well combined. You will have a thick batter at this point.
- With the mixer on low, pour the boiling water into the batter and keep mixing until the water is well incorporated. Be careful at this step: the water may splash if the speed of your mixer is too high. After this step, you will end up with a thin batter. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 20-30 mins or until a test toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Passionfruit Curd
- Create a double boiler: Fill a saucepan halfway with water and let it boil, then find a heat-proof bowl that fits over the saucepan. The bowl will be placed on top of the boiling water, and the curd will be cooked in it to avoid direct heat contact which may cause the eggs to scramble.
- Add the egg yolks, passionfruit pulp, and sugar into the bowl and whisk until combined.
- Once the water in the saucepan has come to a boil, reduce the heat and bring the water to a simmer. Then, place the heat-proof bowl with the lemon curd mixture on top of the saucepan. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. As soon as you place the bowl on the saucepan, start whisking the mixture continuously to stop the eggs from scrambling from the heat. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes.
- Once thickened, take the curd off the heat and immediately add the softened butter (90 gs) and whisk until it's melted and incorporated into the mixture. Cover the curd with a cling film while you chill it in the refrigerator. Make sure that the cling film is touching the surface of the lemon curd to stop a film from forming on top of the curd. Let the curd chill for 1 hour. Give it a quick whisk before using it to smooth out any lumps.
Swiss Meringue
- Mix the egg whites and sugar in the heat-proof bowl using the same double boiler technique as the passionfruit card and place it on top of the saucepan with the boiling water. Keep whisking continuously and cook until the sugar is fully incorporated into the egg whites. You can test this by rubbing the egg whites between your fingers. Once the mixture is smooth and not grainy, the meringue is ready.
- Take the egg white mixture off the heat and whisk, starting on low speed and then gradually increasing the speed, until the meringue reaches the stiff peak stage*. Meringue deflates overtime, so make sure you prepare it just before assembling the cake.
- Assemble the cake: Place the first cake layer, then spread a layer of the meringue and blow torch it until the surface is fully toasted. Spread a thick layer of passionfruit curd on top of the toasted meringue, then top with the next cake layer. Repeat the process for the remaining cake layers, then decorate it however you like. I topped it with more toasted meringue, half a passionfruit, passionfruit curd, fresh passionfruit curd, and some dried roses for a pop of color.
Notes
It may be a labor of love, but it’s completely worth it. Give it a try for your next event, and watch people fall in love with you a little bit more.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know how you liked it in the comments, and of course, share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time.
PS: Looking for more cake recipes? You might like these!
