Passionfruit Cream Cupcakes

This week I was given a big bag of passionfruit and another of lemons, as a thank you I sent back some cupcakes. I was thinking of making a passionfruit and lemon sponge cake, but sponges still scare me a little. Maybe I’ll be a bit braver and give it a try next weekend.

I don’t know what I want to do with the lemons yet, but the passionfruit made some very yummy filled cupcakes.

I tweaked my go to vanilla cupcake recipe to make fluffy and moist passionfruit butter cakes. The whipped cream was perfect paired with the slightly tart passionfruit filling.

For the Passionfruit Cupcakes (makes 18)

2 cups self raising flour

180 grams softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

¼ cup passion fruit (strained, seeds removed)

2 tablespoons milk

To make the cupcakes- Preheat oven to 180°c, line cupcake trays with papers.

Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, passion fruit and milk.

Beat all the ingredients on low until combined, increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is pale.

Divide the mixture between the pans, fill each one two thirds full. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when poked. While the cakes are baking prepare the cream and passionfruit filling.

Leave the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool cut a deep triangular hole in the top of each cupcake, set aside the cut-out triangle.

Fill the holes with the passionfruit filling.

Using a large star piping tip, pipe a swirl of cream onto the top of each cupcake. Drizzle a little left over passionfruit filling over the top of the cream.

Place the reserved cake triangles gently on the centre of each cake, and dust with icing sugar.

For the Cream

300 mls thickened cream

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Place the cream and sugar into a bowl, beat until the cream holds it shape.

For the Passionfruit Filling

Pulp of 6 passionfruit (strained, seeds removed)

1 tablespoon passionfruit seeds

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 tablespoons custard powder

2 tablespoons water

To make the filling- mix the custard powder and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Add the passion fruit pulp, seeds, and sugar and stir over a low heat until thickened.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool.

Enjoy!