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Passionfruit Chiffon Cake with Passionfruit Curd and Swiss Meringue Decorations Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 127 reviews

This Passionfruit Chiffon Cake is a light and airy sponge cake bursting with tropical passionfruit flavor. Featuring a fluffy chiffon base baked to golden perfection, complemented by a tangy passionfruit curd and topped with beautifully torched Swiss meringue rosettes, this elegant dessert offers a delightful balance of sweetness and tartness. Perfect for special occasions or a sophisticated afternoon treat.

Ingredients

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Passionfruit Chiffon Cake

  • 125g caster sugar
  • 120g plain flour
  • 7.5g baking powder
  • 90 ml passionfruit juice, strained and seeds removed
  • 70g egg yolk (approx. 4 egg yolks)
  • 55 ml canola oil
  • 150g egg whites (approx. 5 egg whites)
  • 2.5g cream of tartar
  • 1g salt flakes
  • 25g caster sugar

Passionfruit Curd

  • 2g gelatine leaves
  • 85g whole egg
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 50g unsalted butter, diced, room temperature
  • 50g passionfruit juice, strained and seeds removed

Swiss Meringue

  • 170g egg whites (approx. 5–6 egg whites)
  • 225g caster sugar
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Decorations

  • 2 passionfruits, pulped

Instructions

  1. Prepare dry ingredients: Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Whisk egg whites for meringue: Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add remaining caster sugar and whisk to a stiff, shiny meringue. Remove bowl from mixer.
  3. Make cake batter: In a separate large mixing bowl, combine passionfruit juice, egg yolks, and canola oil. Whisk well until smooth. Sift the flour mixture into the passionfruit mixture and whisk gently until smooth and thin batter forms.
  4. Fold meringue into batter: Add one-third of the meringue into the cake batter and gently fold with a spatula to combine. Fold in remaining meringue carefully, ensuring no white streaks remain but retaining airiness.
  5. Prepare cake tin and bake: Pour 400g of the batter into an ungreased 17 cm chiffon tin, smoothing the surface gently with a palette knife to eliminate air bubbles. Place in the oven preheated to 170°C fan-forced, then immediately reduce temperature to 155°C fan-forced. Bake for 35-40 minutes until well risen, golden, and cracked on top. Avoid opening oven during baking.
  6. Cool cake upside down: Once baked, remove cake from oven and immediately invert the cake tin onto a glass or cup to cool upside down on the bench for 20 minutes. Then transfer to fridge for 15 minutes to finish cooling.
  7. Make passionfruit curd: Soften gelatine leaves in iced water for about 3 minutes, then squeeze out excess water. In a saucepan, combine egg, sugar, butter, and strained passionfruit juice. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and glossy. Remove from heat and stir in softened gelatine to dissolve. Strain curd into a bowl, cover to prevent skin forming, and refrigerate to set.
  8. Make Swiss meringue: In a metal bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk by hand for 30 seconds to combine. Place over a saucepan of boiling water and whisk occasionally until mixture reaches 79°C. Transfer to mixer bowl and whip on high speed until meringue is thick, glossy, and cooled to body temperature. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a No.11-star nozzle.
  9. Remove cake from tin: Turn cake on its side onto a tea towel on the bench. Use a small cranked spatula to gently separate the cake from the sides of the tin, keeping spatula contact steady to avoid tearing. Repeat with the centre. Support the cake while removing the outer tin and carefully separate the base with a small knife. Place cake on a stand.
  10. Decorate cake: Pipe 8 evenly spaced meringue rosettes approx. 5cm in diameter around the top edge of the cake so each rosette touches the next. Use a blowtorch to lightly brown the meringue rosettes. Pipe a dot of passionfruit curd into the centre of each rosette and pipe smaller dots into the gaps between. Finish with a light drizzle of fresh passionfruit pulp for decoration.

Notes

  • Do not grease the chiffon cake tin to allow the cake to rise evenly and cling properly to the sides.
  • Fold meringue gently but thoroughly to retain airiness and light texture.
  • Cool cake upside down to prevent collapse and preserve height.
  • Use a blowtorch carefully to avoid burning the meringue decorations.
  • Ensure gelatine is fully dissolved in curd to avoid lumps.
  • Strain passionfruit juice well to remove seeds for a smooth batter and curd.
  • Allow adequate cooling time: 20 min upside down on bench plus 15 min in fridge.

Keywords: Passionfruit chiffon cake, passionfruit curd, Swiss meringue, chiffon cake, bake off, Australian dessert

Find it online: https://platedbyemma.com/passionfruit-chiffon-cake-with-passionfruit-curd-and-swiss-meringue-decorations-recipe/