Chocolate Passion Fruit Roll Cake

I’m not going to lie, this chocolate passion fruit roll cake isn’t the prettiest of cakes.  But it is definitely one of the tastiest.

Full disclosure?  At the last minute, I attempted to make it again–simply because I wanted to achieve that perfect, classic roll cake spiral.  But alas, this cake was destined to be ugly from the beginning and wouldn’t cooperate despite my best efforts.

Oh well.  That’s real life.

Sponge roll cakes and my family go way, way back.

Every year on my birthday, my mom would indulge me and make my absolute favorite version: vanilla sponge cake filled with jam, tons of fresh raspberries and strawberries, and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

It is still my most-requested dessert of all time.  On more than one occasion, when I didn’t particularly feel like sharing, she would actually make two!  It was glorious.

To this day, I’m still amazed that you can whip up egg yolks and sugar, fold in beaten egg whites, stick this all in the oven and fifteen minutes later, have produced one of the lightest and fluffiest cakes in existence.  {As an added bonus, this makes this cake gluten-free as well!}

We’ve made all sorts of variations of this dessert over the years, but this might be my new favorite–and it is by far the most exotic version to date.

Whenever I have anything with the slightest trace of passion fruit I’m immediately transported back to my study abroad days in Australia, where I could walk outside my apartment door, visit the local farmer’s market down the street, and buy a huge bag of fresh passion fruit for less than five bucks.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, but store-bought passion fruit puree works perfectly in this case.  If you have yet to try passion fruit and chocolate together, I implore you to do so as soon as possible.

They balance each other out perfectly–and are pretty much a match made in heaven!  Enjoy.

Chocolate Passion Fruit Cake

3 stars (3 ratings)

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Yield: 10 - 12 Servings (1 Roll Cake); 2 Cups of Passion Fruit Curd

Prep: 40 minutes minutes

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

A decadent chocolate roll cake filled with a homemade passion fruit curd infused whipped cream filling. This cake is very moist and doesn't contain flour, so it naturally cracks during rolling and offers a rustic, yet absolutely delicious dessert for entertaining. Passion fruit puree can be found in the frozen fruit section at some grocery or specialty food stores. Curd can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

Ingredients

Homemade Passion Fruit Card:

• ¾ cup passion fruit puree
• ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 stick (4 oz; 115 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

Chocolate Cake:

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
• 6 large eggs separated and at room temperature
• ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar divided
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

Filling:

• ½ cup (120 mL) chilled heavy cream

Assembly:

• unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder as needed
• powdered sugar as needed

Instructions 

Prepare Curd:

• Combine the passion fruit puree, egg yolks, whole eggs, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium sized saucepan. Mix well with a whisk.
• Turn over medium-low heat and whisk continuously until it begins to thicken and slowly comes to a boil. Cook for an additional minute or two or until cornstarch is cooked completely. Remove from the heat and slowly add the butter in several additions, whisking as you go until it has been incorporated completely and the curd is shiny and smooth.
• Strain curd through a fine-meshed sieve into a small butter, cover surface with plastic wrap, and allow to chill in the fridge. Can be made up to a day or two in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Make Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) with a rack in the center position. Grease and line a 10 inch x 15 inch jelly roll size sheet pan with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang the shorter edges by 1 to 2 inches.
• Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring with a spatula each time, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cook on a rack until barely lukewarm.
• Meanwhile, combine six egg yolks and ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip over medium-high speed for five minutes or until it ribbons and is thick and pale yellow in color. Place in a separate bowl and gently fold in melted chocolate. Set aside.
• In a very clean stand mixer bowl (if it has any traces of fat, the egg whites will not whip properly), add the six egg whites. Whisk over low speed and allow to beat until foamy. Turn up the speed slowly to medium-high and continue to beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks.
• Continue to beat and slowly add the remaining ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar. Beat just until egg whites hold stiff peaks. Fold a third of the egg whites into the chocolate egg yolk mixture to lighten. Add the remaining egg whites in two additions, folding gently until just incorporated.
• Transfer the batter to lined jelly roll pan and spread evenly with a large offset spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until cake is dry to touch. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Cover with a two layers of damp paper towels and allow to cool for five minutes. Remove the towels and allow cake to cool completely. Loosen edges with knife.
• Sift cocoa powder evenly over the top of the cake. Invert onto a layer of wax paper, gently peeling off the parchment paper liner.

Assemble Cake:

• Beat the cold heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold in a ¼ cup of passion fruit curd. Spread a layer of passion fruit curd evenly over the cake. Top with the whipped cream mixture and spread evenly with an offset spatula–leaving a ½-inch border along the edges.
• Using the wax paper as an aid, roll up the cake from short end to short end. (It will most likely crack lightly, but keep going). Carefully transfer the cake to a platter and place seam side down. Top with a dusting of cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Best served immediately or within an hour or two of making.

Sourcing Tips: 

• Passion fruit puree can be found in the frozen fruit section at some grocery or specialty food stores. Curd can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

Chocolate cake recipe adapted from this Epicurious.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 202mg, Sodium: 165mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 34g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Cakes and Cupcakes

Cuisine: American