Violet, The Passionfruit Sponge

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornflour or cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup caster or superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup oil (a flavourless one like almond oil or grapeseed)

Filling

• 1 cup Passionfruit & Mango curd (recipe here)
• 350ml/12.36 fl ozs. cream
• 2 teaspoons vanillin sugar

Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons passionfruit pulp
• 25g/1oz. butter

To decorate

• Lisianthuses
• Figs
• Passionfruit
• Black cherries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using parchment, line the bottoms of two 20cm/8inch round pans. Sides should be greased with butter or sprayed with oil. By tapping the side of the sieve (rather than forcing the flour against the sieve’s base), sieve the flour, cornflour, and baking powder three times at a height. Remove from the equation.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until they have tripled in size. I whisked it for 5 minutes on the highest setting on my Kenwood. Fold in the triple sifted flour mixture with a big metal spoon, making care to fully integrate it (some does tend to pool at the bottom). Drizzle in the oil and vanilla extract, and mix everything together.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, dividing evenly between the two pans. Allow to cool in the tins before removing with a butter knife from the pans. You may bake these 1-2 days ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container by wrapping them with cling film.
4. Whip the cream and sugar together until soft peaks form when ready to serve. Place one of the cake tiers on a serving platter and cover with the cream. After that, dollop the passionfruit curd on top. Place the second tier on top of the first, with the bottom facing up (the smoothest side).
5. Combine the three ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl to make the icing. For 30 seconds, heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir well, then heat for another 10 seconds on high until completely melted. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and distribute evenly over the top of the cake.
6. Half figs, cherries, halved passionfruit, and lisianthuses can be used to decorate. To prevent the sap from leaking onto the cake, wrap the bases of the flower stems with adhesive tape.

Source: Not Quite Nigella

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