Passion fruit curd mini cakes
Prep time: 1 hr 5 minsTotal time: 
Passion fruit curd mini cakes
These dainty almond cakes are topped with a homemade passion fruit curd, but swap for shop-bought lemon curd if you prefer. They’re lovely with a cup of oolong tea – its natural sweetness is lifted by the zing of passion fruit
Prep time: 1 hr 5 minsTotal time: 
Abigail Spooner
Abigail Spooner
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
- 60g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 2 passion fruits
- 200g caster sugar
- zest of 1 lime
- 3 medium eggs
- 2 medium egg whites
- 175g ground almonds
- ¼ tsp baking powder
For the passion fruit curd
- 6 ripe passion fruits (about 250g)
- 45g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 30g unsalted butter, cubed
For the cream cheese frosting
- 60g unsalted butter, softened
- 75g icing sugar
- 120g cream cheese, at room temperature
Step by step
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Start with the passion fruit curd: cut the passion fruits in half and scoop the pulp into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until warm. Set a sieve over a bowl and press through the passion fruit mixture, discarding the seeds. Return the juice to the saucepan, off the heat, and whisk in the egg and egg yolks (reserve the whites for the cakes). Add the butter, then return the pan to a low heat and whisk constantly until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Sieve into a bowl, cover with a sheet of crumpled baking paper and leave to cool completely. Once cooled, chill until ready to decorate.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Butter a 12-hole muffin tin, then use a sieve to dust well with flour. Turn the tin to coat all sides, then turn upside-down and tap away the excess. Set aside in the fridge.
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Set a sieve over a bowl. Cut the remaining 2 passion fruits in half, then scoop the pulp into the sieve and press down on the seeds to extract the juice. You should have about 25ml; set aside.
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Use an electric mixer (a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) to beat the butter, sugar and lime zest until light and fluffy. Beat together the whole eggs and egg whites, then alternately beat the eggs and ground almonds into the buttersugar mixture in three batches. Combine the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Beat in half the flour mixture on a low speed. Gradually beat in the passion fruit juice, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Divide the batter among the muffin tin holes.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then tap the cakes out onto a cooling rack so that they sit upside down. Leave to cool completely.
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For the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter with an electric hand mixer until very soft. Sift over the icing sugar and beat until pale and creamy, starting on a low speed. Add the cream cheese and beat again until combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice, then pipe two rings of frosting around the top of each cake. Use a teaspoon to flood the centres with passion fruit curd – you will only need about half the curd (see ‘Waste not’ tip). Store the cakes for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Store the remaining passion fruit curd in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze. Drizzle over Greek yogurt or ice cream, spread on toast or enjoy with pancakes.
