Tag: Passion Fruit Curd

No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches

Memorial Day weekend is upon us… The unofficial start of the summer. The season to spend less time indoors and enjoy the great (hopefully) weather outdoors! It’s also a time where we are all looking for quick and easy recipes that don’t require us being in a hot kitchen for hours on end. That applies to desserts too. And today I have a great recipe that will require you to turn on your stove but not your oven. It’s a No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches Cake. Ladyfingers take the place of the traditional cake part and are then topped with a layer of passion fruit curd followed by layer of homemade whipped cream. YUM!

And while this recipe doesn’t require any baking, it does require some time to prep and assemble. Mostly inactive time though.  I started by making the passion fruit curd since it needed to chill and set in the refrigerator. While I am sure you could use 100% pure passion fruit from a bottle, or even extract the juice from fresh passion fruits I opted to use frozen passion fruit pulp that I defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. It takes the work out of using fresh passion fruits and I know for certain it’s only passion fruit pulp with nothing added in. I followed the same curd recipe I used to make a Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake a few years back and it was just as easy and delish!

While the curd cooled and set in the refrigerator, I prepped the tres leches cake. In a medium bowl I whisked together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until it was well combined. I then transferred the mixture to a large measuring cup (at least 4 cups) to make it easier to pour over the ladyfingers. I reserved 3/4 cup of the mixture in a small food storage container and refrigerated it. In an 8×8-inch baking dish I arranged ladyfingers in an even layer and then poured about 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over them. After letting it soak in for 15 minutes, I poured another 3/4 cup of the mixture over the ladyfingers again.

I then arranged a second layer of ladyfingers over the first. For the second layer I placed the ladyfingers in the opposite direction as the first layer to ensure that the cake would hold together when sliced.

As with the first layer, I poured 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers and let it rest for 15 minutes before pouring another 3/4 cup over them. I then covered the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerated it for 3 hours so the ladyfingers could fully soak in the milk mixture and become soft.

After 3 hours, I poured the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers, re-covered the dish and refrigerated for an additional hour.

After an hour it was time to finish assembling the cake. I spread the passion fruit curd on top of the ladyfingers and then spread homemade whipped cream over the curd.

I thought about decorating the top with fresh strawberries strictly for picture purposes, but the week I made this the strawberries didn’t look that great at the supermarket. Instead, here is a side picture of the different layers.

While I was concerned that this No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches would be overly sweet as some Tres Leches cakes can be I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. While the curd and whipped cream were sweetened and the sweetened condensed milk is of course sweet, using the ladyfingers, which aren’t that sweet, really helped to keep the sugary taste down.

If you love passion fruit, check out these desserts as well…

No Churn Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Passion Fruit Pie

No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches

Ingredients:

For the Passion Fruit Curd:

1/2 cup passion fruit juice*

7 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons

Pinch of salt

For the Tres Leches Cake:

22-25 Ladyfingers

12.5 oz can of evaporated milk

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I used defrosted frozen passion fruit pulp

Directions:

For the Passion Fruit Curd: In a medium saucepan combine the passion fruit juice, egg yolks and sugar, stir to combine. Heat over medium heat and continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens, enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, stirring between each addition to ensure the butter has melted. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve two times. The first time into a bowl and the second time into the container you plan to use to store the curd. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until cool and thickened.

For the Tres Leches: In a medium bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until well blended. Transfer to a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour. You should have about 3.5 cups. Reserve 3/4 cups in a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Arrange half of the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8×8-square baking dish. Pour a quarter of the remaining milk mixture over the ladyfingers, about 3/4 cup. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers.

Arrange the remaining ladyfingers over the soaked ladyfingers. Pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour the remaining mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 3 hours.

After 3 hours pour the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover and refrigerate again for about an hour.

For the Whipped Cream Topping: In medium bowl beat together the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Finishing the Tres Leches: Spread the passion fruit curd in an even layer over the soaked ladyfingers. Then spread the whipped cream topping over the curd. You can now serve the Tres Leches or cover with wax paper and aluminum foil and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Can you believe that Easter is just a little over a week away? Where is the time going? Today’s cake would be perfect for your Easter dessert. Coconut is a great Spring flavor and passion fruit is a flavor that’s not too common but pairs well with coconut. If passion fruit isn’t your thing you could try a key lime curd instead. Coconut and lime pairs together deliciously.

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To begin, I made the passion fruit curd. I wanted to make sure that it would thicken enough so I made it two days before assembling the cake. I have never seen passion fruit at any of the supermarkets I go to, so I opted to buy frozen passion fruit pulp  and let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight. If you are thinking of using passion fruit juice, I would just advise on using one that is 100% passion fruit juice, not a blend of other fruits. I began by combining egg yolks, passion fruit juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stirred it until the sugar dissolved and the mixture was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Since it can sometimes be a little difficult to determine this with the spoon I am stirring with I normally take a small spoon and run the back of it in the mixture to make sure it is thick enough. Once it was, I removed the saucepan from the heat and added in unsalted butter that I cut into chunks, stirring between each addition to make sure the butter was completely melted. I then strained the curd through a fine mesh sieve two times before placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of it and refrigerating it until I was ready to use. A quick tip, the second time I strained the curd I did so into the container I was planning on refrigerating the curd in.

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Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures while making the cake layers. I intended to take pictures of them once they were cooled and I was ready to use them, but I was running short on time. The weekend I made this week I decided was also a good weekend to finally paint my hallway. I had been intending to do it ever since I finished my living room remodel, but the paint cans just sat on the floor with me walking by them everyday and the task on my to-do list every week. Well, the paint cans just started to annoy me, and I didn’t have anything to do so I went ahead and started to paint. Initially I was going to prime beforehand, but I had a lot less primer than I thought and since the paint I was using was paint and primer combined I decided to just use that. Well, I ended up needing a another can of paint. And painting the second coat took a lot longer than I was anticipating so my cake suffered. I shouldn’t say suffered, but it didn’t get the full attention that I was planning on giving it! But back to the cake… I used a recipe that I have used in the past for coconut cupcakes and just baked the batter in two 8-inch cake rounds.

After making a batch of cream cheese frosting it was time to assemble the cake. I sliced the small dome that each of the cakes had to flatten them and then piped a cream cheese border around one of the cakes to create a dam for the curd. I then filled the cake with the curd and placed the other round on top. I crumb coated the cake and after refrigerating for about 20 minutes I finished frosting the cake. I love cream cheese frosting, but I always find that it’s not the easiest to work with when it comes to piping. The cream cheese really makes the frosting soft, so I popped it in the refrigerator for a few minutes before filling a piping bag fitted with a large tip to pipe the rope border around the cake. It didn’t come out as neat as I liked but it was all good. I then sprinkled the top and sides of the cake with coconut and it was good to go. Note to self, don’t ever plan on painting and making a cake on the same day!

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So, the flavors of the cake – passion fruit, coconut, and cream cheese frosting – worked well together. If you want to up the coconut flavor in the cake, you can substitute coconut milk for the buttermilk. For this recipe you could use a cup of coconut milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to get the same consistency as the buttermilk. And you could swap out the almond extract and use coconut extract instead. One more suggestion, I would slice this cake while it’s on the colder side. Once it gets too warm the passion fruit curd makes it difficult to get clean slices of the cake. You could always slice while the cake it’s cold and then let the slices come to room temperature before enjoying.

Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Passion Fruit Curd:

1/2 cup passion fruit juice*

7 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For the Coconut Cake:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract**

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk***

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, plus more for decorating cake

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8oz. blocks cream cheese, at room temperature

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

*I used frozen passion fruit pulp that I refrigerated overnight to defrost

**If you are not a fan of almond flavor you can reduce the amount or substitute with coconut extract

***To make my own buttermilk I combine 1 cup whole milk with 5 teaspoons of vinegar in a measuring cup and let it sit for 15 minutes until it thickens. You could also use a cup of unsweetened coconut milk with a tablespoon of vinegar.

Directions:

For the curd (make a day or two in advance to assembling the cake): In a medium saucepan combine the passion fruit juice, egg yolks and sugar. Over medium heat stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and add it the pinch of salt and the chunks of butter, one at a time. Stirring between addition to ensure the butter has melted before adding an addition piece. Strain through a fine mesh sieve 2 times. Place in a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray, or grease and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (you could also use a hand mixer) using the paddle attachment cream together the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In three parts, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, alternating between each. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the shredded coconut and divide the batter between the two prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer (you could use a hand mixer) using the paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract on medium speed. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

To assemble the cake: If necessary, torte the cakes. Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag with the end snipped off and pipe around the perimeter of the cake to create a dam. Fill the cake with the passion fruit curd and top with the other cake. Frost the cake with a crumb coat and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Use remaining frosting to finish frosting the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Passion Fruit Curd Recipe from Garlic and Zest

Coconut Cake Recipe from Food Network