Mango Passion Fruit Italian Cream Cake with Kiwi Buttercream

Mango Passion Fruit Italian Cream Cake with Kiwi Buttercream – a tropical variation of Irvin Lin‘s “Marbled, Swirled and Layered” Italian Cream Cake. It’s lovely, tasty, and well worth the effort. Everything in Irvin’s book appears to be fantastic. It was difficult to decide what to prepare first.

Ingredients

For the Cake

½ cup Pureed Mango
1 cup heavy cream
8 large eggs, separated
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar, divided
3⁄4 cup (170 g or 1 1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3⁄4 cup (130 g) vegetable shortening
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups (360 g) cake flour

For the Custard

2 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
6 large eggs
3 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for the buttercream)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons passion fruit puree
5 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Buttercream

6 large egg whites
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided
4 fresh, ripe Kiwis ( about ¾ lb or 340g)
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 1⁄2 cups (570 g or 5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

TO ASSEMBLE:

2-3 Ripe Kiwis, peeled and sliced into half moons

Instructions

MAKE THE CAKE BATTER:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat three 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and then line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. High-speed whisking until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle in 34 cup (150 g) of sugar while the mixer is still running, and continue to whisk until the whites are glossy. Turn off the mixer and scrape the whites into a large mixing dish.
Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, shortening, remaining 214 cup (450 g) sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and salt to the mixer bowl (no need to clean it). Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. One at a time, add the egg yolks, allowing for each to fully combine before adding the next. Combine the mango puree and the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stop the mixer every now and then to scrape the sides of the bowl. The batter should be thick and rich in appearance.
On medium-low speed, add one-third of the flour and mix until combined. Beat in half of the cream until it is well incorporated. Repeat with the flour and cream alternately, finishing with the flour. Scoop roughly 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into the cake batter after removing the bowl from the mixer. To lighten the batter, fold it in gently by hand with a big spatula. After the first batch of egg whites has been folded in, scoop out more and repeat until all of the egg whites have been folded in.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans (approximately 665 g each) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. After 20 minutes, check the cakes and move them if they are baking unevenly. Allow 15 to 20 minutes in the pans to cool until just warm to the touch, then unmold onto wire racks to cool fully. While baking, the cake layers will rise dramatically, then deflate somewhat as they cool.

MAKE THE PASSION FRUIT CUSTARD:

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
In a medium pot, bring the cream to a boil. In a large bowl set on a wet towel, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, passion fruit puree, and cornstarch while the cream heats (to keep it from shifting). Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. When the cream has reached a boil, pour it over the custard in the bowl while whisking continually.
Divide the custard between the two pans that have been prepared (about 700 g each). 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center hardly moves and the borders of the custard begin to brown. To assist loosen the custard from the pan, run a tiny knife along the edge right away. Allow the custard to cool in the pans to room temperature before covering and chilling for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

MAKE THE KIWI ITALIAN MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM:

In a clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. High-speed blending until soft peaks appear. Gradually add 12 cup (100 g) of sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy. Turn the mixer off.
Peel and chop the kiwis, then combine with the remaining 112 cup (300 g) sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, continually stirring. Remove the kiwi sugar syrup from the heat and strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan, capturing all the particles. In a food processor or blender, purée the kiwi solids into a smooth puree.
Heat the kiwi syrup until it reaches 225°F over medium-high heat (the early thread stage). Remove off the heat after it reaches that degree and re-start the stand mixer with the beaten egg whites on high speed. Drizzle the kiwi sugar syrup into the bowl with caution, being careful not to splash the scorching hot syrup all over the place with the whisk attachment. Drizzle the syrup until it’s completely dissolved, then add the lime juice. Continue to beat for another 8 minutes, or until the bowl is cold to the touch.
Reduce the mixer speed to medium-high and switch to the paddle attachment. Add the butter 2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, mixing until fully mixed before each addition, with the mixer running. The egg whites are probably still too warm if the frosting looks particularly loose and thin. To chill down the bowl, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing. Reduce the speed to low and add the kiwi puree once all of the butter has been absorbed. Mix until just incorporated.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:

If you haven’t done so previously, place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving dish and take off the parchment paper. Unmold the custard onto the cake, coaxing it out with a butter knife if necessary. Remove the parchment paper from the pan. Repeat with the second cake layer, the second custard layer, then the final cake layer on top of that.
Using the kiwi buttercream, frost the cake. Decorate with kiwi half-moons around the edge. If you want, you may add some sliced kiwis on the top of the cake. Serve right away.