What this cake lacks in style in more than makes up for in rich flavor.
By Laura Davidson
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.
PrintChocolate Passion Fruit Roll
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
What this cake lacks in style in more than makes up for in rich flavor.
Ingredients
Passion Fruit Curd:
- 3/4 cup passion fruit puree
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 stick unsalted, cold butter, cut into small cubes
Cake:
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 6 whole eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, seperated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
Filling:
- 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
- Topping:
- dutch processed cocoa powder
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepare the 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 ahead of time.
Prepare the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 10 x 15 inch baking sheet (jelly-roll size) lengthwise with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang the shorter edges by 1-2 inches.
- Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and microwave at 20-second increments, stirring with a spatula each time, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cook on rack until barely lukewarm.
- Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in bowl of stand mixer. Using whisk attachment, mix over medium-high speed for five minutes or until it ribbons and is thick and pale in color.
- Place in separate bowl and gently fold in melted chocolate. Set aside.
- In a very clean stand mixer bowl, add egg whites. Turn over low speed using whisk attachment and allow to beat until foamy. Turn up speed slowly and continue to beat until egg whites hold soft peaks.
- Continue to beat and slowly add remaining granulated sugar and beat just until egg whites hold stiff peaks.
- Fold a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Add remaining egg whites in two additions, folding gently until just incorporated.
- Add batter to baking sheet and spread evenly with a large offset spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-18 minutes or until cake is dry to touch. Remove and place baking sheet on cooling rack. Cover with a two layers of damp paper towels and allow to cool for five minutes.
- Remove 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 first wax paper layer.
Make the Filling:
- Beat cream until holds soft peaks. Fold in a 1/4 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 half-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.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Desser
It still looks beautiful. You can call it a cake slab instead of cake roll and we’d be none the wiser. ;-)