Passionfruit Sponge

the cake-stall classic of the Australian country show: a light two-layer sponge filled with whipped cream and crowned with a pale, seed-flecked passionfruit icing

Origin: Australia

From the journey of Passion Fruit.

The sponge cake is the proudest exhibit of the Australian and New Zealand country show, the church fête, and the Country Women's Association cake stall, and its quality is a matter of genuine competitive seriousness: a proper sponge should be so light that it springs back at a touch and so tall that it looks improbable. Judges have been known to measure it. The classic finish is passionfruit, and the pairing is inspired. A sponge is by nature sweet and delicate and can easily taste of very little; the passionfruit icing spread over the top, made simply of icing sugar beaten with the raw pulp until it is just spreadable, brings a sharp, perfumed acidity and a dramatic speckling of black seeds that transform it. Between the layers goes nothing more than softly whipped cream, sometimes with a little passionfruit stirred through. The whole is a cake of extreme simplicity built on technique rather than ingredients, and it depends on properly beaten eggs and a light hand with the flour. Cut into thick slices and eaten with a cup of tea, the passionfruit sponge is one of the most recognisable flavours of the antipodean afternoon.

Ingredients

Sponge

4 whole eggs, at room temperature
150 g caster sugar
120 g self-raising flour
30 g cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Filling

300 ml double or thickened cream

Icing

200 g icing sugar, sifted
4 whole ripe passionfruit (pulp and seeds)
15 g unsalted butter, softened

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and grease and line two 20 cm sandwich tins. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together with an electric mixer for a full 8 to 10 minutes, until very pale, thick, and tripled in volume; the mixture should hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds.
Sift the self-raising flour, cornflour, and salt together twice, then sift them over the egg mixture in three batches, folding each in with a large metal spoon in a light figure-of-eight motion.
Divide gently between the tins and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until risen, golden, and springing back when pressed lightly in the centre, and the edges are just shrinking from the tin.
Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack, top side up, and cool completely. Meanwhile whip the cream to soft peaks.
Make the icing: beat the sifted icing sugar with the softened butter and the pulp of 3 passionfruit until smooth and just spreadable, adding a little more pulp or sugar as needed. Sandwich the sponges with the whipped cream, spread the icing over the top, and spoon the remaining passionfruit over. Leave to set before slicing.

Notes

A sponge is best eaten the day it is made and does not keep well, which is precisely why it belongs to the cake stall and the afternoon tea. For a richer cake, stir a spoonful of passionfruit pulp through the whipped cream filling as well. Some cooks add a layer of passionfruit butter beneath the cream. The same passionfruit icing is what tops the passionfruit slice and the passionfruit melting moments of the antipodean biscuit tin.

The Gastrographer

Name: Passionfruit Sponge
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Australia
Ingredients: 4 whole eggs, at room temperature; 150 g caster sugar; 120 g self-raising flour; 30 g cornflour; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 pinch salt; 300 ml double or thickened cream; 200 g icing sugar, sifted; 4 whole ripe passionfruit (pulp and seeds); 15 g unsalted butter, softened

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control