Passion Fruit Chiffon Cake

Do not let the ugly, shriveled and deeply wrinkled skin of a passion fruit scare you off.  You have to look beyond the wrinkles for its appeal which lies in the intensely fragrant pulp and juice inside the skin.   Unripe passion fruit has smooth skin and it's a good idea to let it ripen at room temperature before eating. Always select a passion fruit which is a little heavy for its size which indicates it has lots of pulp inside.

I am not a fan of passion fruit because of its tartness.  However I love the intense aroma and flavour it imparts in desserts and cakes.  So, would it sound strange to you if I say I don't like passion fruit but I love passion fruit chiffon cake?  

This chiffon cake is indeed refreshingly sweet and tangy and it is so aromatic and you just won't be able to stop eating after having one piece!  In this recipe, I used 2 passion fruit. To extract the pulp and juice, cut the fruit into two; scoop the pulp into a sieve and using the back of a spoon press onto the pulp and seeds. Discard the seeds if you are not a fan of the seeds but if you like the crunch and extra flavour, add 2 tbsp of the seeds back into the juice. 

Ingredients: (for a 20cm chiffon)

(A)
5 egg yolks
20 sugar
60g oil
70g passion fruit juice (from 2 passion fruit)
2 tbsp passion fruit seeds (optional)
70g cake flour 

(B)
5 egg whites
80g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
• Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.  Gradually add in oil, passion fruit juice and seeds.  Stir until combined. Add in sifted flour and whisk until well combined.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, add in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the meringue into the flour/egg yolk mixture in 3 batches. 
• Pour batter into a 20 inch ungreased tube pan. 
• Bake for about  1 hour or until cook.
• Remove cake from the oven and invert the pan to cool.
• Unmould the cake when it is completely cool.