No-Fail Passionfruit Sponge Cake

Fluffy, tall and deliciously light, this Passionfruit Sponge Cake is a classic Australian treat, filled with Chantilly cream and perfect with a cup of tea.  It's not as precious as some sponges, is ready in under an hour and there's no saggy centres!

I've made a lot of cakes in my life, but sponge cakes have not been one of them.  They kind of scare me!  Seriously, I've tried so many sponge cake recipes over the years, but none seem to give me the results I'm after.  They're either not fluffy enough, too buttery, sink in the middle or just completely disappointing.  But I've finally got it right....

This Passionfruit Sponge Cake is tall and fluffy, golden and delicious and has that perfect texture I've been searching for!  No more excuses -you CAN make this sponge!  I've been jinxed with sponges for years, so if I can do it, then I'm pretty sure anyone can!

How To Make THE FLUFFIEST SPONGE CAKE

The key to getting the fluffiest sponge is whisking those eggs!  The eggs aren't separated in this sponge cake recipe.  Instead, the eggs are whisked with the caster sugar for at least 7 minutes.  You need this time for the eggs and sugar to become lovely and thick, and full of air.

Now that the eggs and sugar have been whipped into a lovely pillow of air, it's time to fold in the dry ingredients.

My passionfruit sponge cake recipe uses cornflour and custard powder, rather than flour.  This helps keep the sponge cake light and fluffy, gives it a delicate crumb, plus the custard powder adds a lovely flavour.  Just make sure you triple sift the cornflour, custard powder and cream of tartar, before folding it all through the egg mixture.

I use a large metal spoon to fold through the dry ingredients, as it cuts through the mixture, rather than dragging through and pulling out the air.  Go gently and be sure to scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl, until the dry ingredients are incorporated.  It helps if you hold your breath and say a prayer.  Not really, but really.... pretty sure I do!

HOW TO PREP YOUR CAKE PANS AND PROTECT YOUR SPONGE CAKE

I've tried every method, but what works best for me is rubbing the sides and bottom of the cake pans with soft butter, then coating them with a light dusting of flour. Make sure you tap out the excess flour.  You then place a disk of baking paper on the bottom of the pans.  There's no need to line the sides of the pan.

Once you've poured the sponge cake batter into the pans, give the pans a gentle tap on the base, using your fingers.  This will release any large pockets of air.

I bake my sponge cakes in a conventional oven, with both pans on the same rack in the centre.  If you choose to use a fan-force setting, decrease the temperature to 185 celsius.   While the cakes are baking, avoid the temptation to open the oven door -you don't want to deflate your sponges!

As soon as the cakes are ready (they'll be golden and springy), take them out and transfer them to a cooling rack that's covered with a sheet of baking paper.  This will help protect your delicate sponge cakes.

THE PASSIONFRUIT ICING

I chose to cover my sponge cakes with passionfruit icing, because that's what I grew up with.  Passionfruit Sponge Cake, for me, is the quintessential sponge cake.  Annie and her 4 sisters were all amazing sponge bakers (something I didn't inherit!) and their sponges were always covered with that delicious passionfruit icing.

Plus...I have a wonderful passionfruit vine at my beach house, that's been absolutely loaded with fruit this year.  I can't explain how excited I was, in anticipation of getting my hands on that fruit!  And of course, I wanted to make something special out of them, and my Passionfruit Sponge Cake did not disappoint!

Your Passionfruit sponge cake can be sandwiched together with lots of lovely whipped cream -see my recipe for a delicious Chantilly Cream

So here it is, my Passionfruit Sponge.  I challenge anyone who thinks that they're sponge-cake-challenged.  This recipe is practically fool-proof!

Expert Baking TIPS

• whisk the eggs and sugar for at least 7 minutes
• triple sift the dry ingredients
• fold gently and use a large metal spoon
• prep your cake pans correctly
• make sure the oven is at the correct temperature before your cakes go in
• immediately turn cooked cakes out onto a lined cake rack to cool

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