Passion Fruit Pudding Cake offers two treats in one – an airy, soufflé-like cake on top and a creamy pudding-like sauce on the bottom. A luscious treat in one pan!
If you were to ask me to pick an exotic fruit, I would choose, hands down, passion fruit, no doubt about it – it’s intriguing, alluring, and captivating, even for a tropical girl like me. And the seductive aroma of the tropics gets to me every time. Not to mention the taste; a little sweet and partly tart, citrusy, and refreshing all at once.
Aah! I’m super excited to share this easy passion fruit cake pudding with you and win you over to join me in my passion fruit craze. 😉
What’s Behind the Name Passion Fruit?
Believe it or not, the flower’s name is related to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. In 1700, missionaries from Brazil named the passion flower “flor das Cinco Chagas” or flower of five wounds. It was their way of introducing Christianity to the indigenous inhabitants through their educational program.
And, of course, passion fruit comes from the passion flower or passiflora species. In Spanish, it’s called maracuya, a little sour but so full of flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Let’s get going with this easy pudding cake. You can make this dessert with frozen passion fruit puree any time of the year. And it will be just as good as the fresh ones without the seeds.
- Passion Fruit – This sweet and tart fruit contains nutrients such as vitamin C and A, antioxidants, and minerals, like potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium. And oh, keep the seeds and pulps because they add flavor and texture to our mousse cake.
- Milk and Butter – Thanks to these two, our passion fruit pudding cake turns out creamy and buttery every time.
- Meringue – The whipped egg whites and sugar make it irresistibly soft and smooth with melt-in-your-mouth delectable goodness.
- All-Purpose Flour – But, of course, our dessert won’t hold without the flour. It will help to stabilize our fruity-based mousse.
- Rum and Lemon – Their complex flavors complement the cake as a whole, giving it a bright and refreshing citrusy goodness with a kick of robust flavor. Feel free to skip the rum to make this heavenly dessert alcohol-free.
How to Make Passion Fruit Pudding
Make the Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C – Grease a 2-quart oven-safe dish (ceramic, glass, or Pyrex custard cups) or eight 4-ounce ramekins generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients – Whisk together granulated sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, milk, rum, lime zest, lime juice, passion fruit puree, and passion fruit pulp until thoroughly combined.
- Combine – Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.
Make the Meringue
- Beat Until Stiff Peaks Form – Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites for about a minute, then add about a tablespoon of sugar if desired – it’s optional. Continue mixing on medium-high until stiff peaks form; this may take 2-3 more minutes. (Photos 1-2)
- Fold– Using a spatula, carefully fold in ¼ of the egg whites mixture, and then fold in the remaining until well incorporated. (Photos 3-4)
Bake the Pudding
- Pour the Batter into a buttered baking dish, place in the large baking or roasting pan, then carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins or casserole dish.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the cake turns light golden and puff slightly (do a test with your finger, it should feel spongy and spring back a bit but hold a shallow indentation.
- Refrigerate Before Serving – Let the cake cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more before serving (you can refrigerate it for 24 hours).
Recipe Variations
- Fruity Additions – Take this passion fruit mousse cake to another level by incorporating more fruits into the batter. Coconut, mango, lime, and pineapple are excellent choices for this.
- Toppings – Aside from powdered sugar, you can go all out with toppings, such as whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, to make our pudding more delectable and enticing.
Tips and Tricks
- If you want sauce at the bottom of the cake, you must use a water bath. The bain-marie should be in a baking or roasting pan larger than whatever you are baking the cake in (ramekins, casseroles, or baking dish).
- The water level usually determines how creamy the layer is at the bottom of the dish – the middle of the casserole is an excellent place to start.
- Be sure that the water you pour into the outer pan is hot, and, to be on the safe side, put the pan inside the oven before you pour the hot water into it.
Make-Ahead Instructions
I recommend making this cake a day ahead since it needs time to set and firm up in the refrigerator. And I guarantee it will taste much better the next day because the flavors meld beautifully.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Once cooled, cover the dish tightly with a cling wrap and refrigerate. The pudding cake will keep in the fridge for four days or two months in the freezer. You can do the same with the leftovers. When ready to serve, defrost it naturally in the fridge overnight or for 1-2 hours on the countertop.
You can also store passion fruit puree for future use. Keep the puree in an airtight glass container for four days. You can also use an ice cube tray for easy storage. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze again. They will keep for six months. Thaw and use them to make passion fruit desserts and juice anytime. 😉
FAQs
Some doctors say passion fruit boosts the immune system, improves blood flow, and reduces stress. This is because passion fruit is packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, despite its high water content.
Aside from this delicious self-saucing pudding, you can also make cakes and pastries, such as cheesecake, mousse, tart, pavlova, and roulade. Passion fruit also makes refreshing beverages.
A pudding that produces a sauce at the bottom after it is done baking. The water bath or bain-marie creates a luscious dessert with a special sauce, making it even more enjoyable.
What to Serve with Passion Fruit Pudding Cake
Complete your perfect dessert with the easy and refreshing cocktail recipes below.
- Mai Tai
- Pina Colada
- Jungle Juice
- Peach Bellini
- Strawberry Daiquiri
More Fruity Desserts to Try
Conclusion
These health benefits from passion fruit are enough reasons to make you fall in love quickly with this fruit. Not to mention all the fantastic recipes you can make with them. What was your first experience with passion fruit? Let me know in the comments! 😉
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in October 2015 and has been updated with additional tips and a video.
Passion Fruit Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- 2 fresh passion fruit, sub ¼ cup passion fruit puree
- ¼ cup (60ml) passion fruit puree
- ⅔ cup (120g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ⅓ cup (75g) butter, melted
- ¾ cup (177ml) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5g) salt
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) rum, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a 2-quart oven-safe dish (ceramic, glass, Pyrex custard cups) or eight 4-ounce ramekins generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Whisk together granulated sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, milk, rum, zest, lime juice, passion fruit puree, and passion fruit pulp until fully combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites for about a minute, then add about a tablespoon of sugar if desired – it's optional. Continue mixing on medium-high until stiff peaks form; this may take about 2-3 more minutes.
- Using a spatula, carefully fold in ¼ of the egg white mixture, and then fold in the remaining until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a buttered baking dish, place in the large baking or roasting pan, then carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins or casserole dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top turns light golden and puff slightly (do a test with your finger, it should feel spongy and spring back a bit but hold a shallow indentation.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more before serving (up to 24 hours).
Tips & Notes:
- If you want sauce at the bottom of the cake you have to use a water bath. The water bath should be a baking/roasting pan that is larger than whatever you are baking the cake in (ramekins, casseroles, or baking dish).
- The water level usually determines the creamy layer at the bottom of the dish – the middle of the casserole is a good place to start.
- Be sure that the water you pour into the outer pan is hot, and, to be on the safe side, put the pan inside the oven before you pour the hot water into it.
- This cake can be made ahead of time, up to 4 hours, refrigerate, and then baked when ready.
- Sub passion fruit puree with mango or pineapple puree.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Grace says
The recipe sounds great. We have a passion fruit vine and excited to try different passion fruit recipes. I’m planning to make this for thanksgiving. Can this be made and then transported in the car for 45 min? Would the cake collapse? Wondering if anyone has tried…
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Grace, I haven’t tried it but don’t think it would collapse , unless there are plenty of bumps along the way. Do let us know how it works out .
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Grace says
Thanks! I am making it now. Can I use unbleached all purpose flour?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can.
Maggie says
Salted or unsalted butter?
ImmaculateBites says
un-salted butter.
Reshmy Vincent says
Hi ….can make it in a pressure cooker…also is it possible to substitute rum with brandy?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes brandy would do just fine here .
Reshmy Vincent says
Hi ….can make it in a pressure cooker
ImmaculateBites says
I haven’t tried this in a pressure cooker. So can’t say for sure.
Madeline says
I did make it in a pressure cooker and it came out great! Everyone loved it. Here’s how I cooked it: On the cooker, press manual mode for 10 minutes and let it naturally release for 15 min. I used Imma’s recipe.
imma africanbites says
Thank you for sharing. This would be of big help to our readers.
Kristie says
I made this last week and LOVED it. However, I didn’t strain out any seeds, not even from the puree that I made. I felt like it took away from the overall taste because I was worried about biting one (felt like biting into sand) or getting stuck in teeth etc. Would I miss out on any flavor or other attribute if I strained them out entirely next time? In fact, now as I’m looking at other recipes with seeds I’m wondering how they manage it. Mine were extremely ripe, does that harden or change the seeds somehow? This is my first time working with passion fruit so I was unsure. Fantastic recipe tho!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Kristie,
Not at all . You can strain out all the seeds , if desired . I make it with frozen puree passion fruit all the time and it works out just fine.
Thanks for the feedback
Lisa Crane says
Hi there – I need a tad bit of clarification. I have TONS of passion fruit, but no frozen puree. Can I just use 1/2 cup of fresh passion fruit? If I must make the puree, must I strain the seeds or can I leave them in and puree in my Vitamix?
Second, can I use almond flour instead of regular?
Thanks and can’t wait.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lisa,
You can use 1/2 cup of fresh passion fruit pulp without blending .As you can see in the pictures I left mine in. I can’t say for sure about the almond flour, cause I haven’t tried it with almond flour.
I would be curious to know too! Do let me know if you do.
Thanks
Peter Truong says
Very tasty but a bit sweet to my taste. I will try decreasing the sugar by a third next time. By far the most fragrant dessert I have ever had!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
Scoop says
Have read this recipe over a few times while planning dinner parties and finally made it (had some passion fruit to use up). IT WAS AWESOME! A super hit. I just at the last leftover ramekin cup for my breakfast today and was sorry to see it go. This will def make the rotation with different fruits and liqueur flavours. I can imagine a “pina colada” type pudding with rum, coconut and pineapple. An orange pudding with triple sec or cointreau. Sky’s the limit on this recipe. Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Oh Boy! My mouth is salivating – Decisions Decisions. Thanks for sharing!!!
Dawn Noah says
Hi and tks for super succesful delicious pudding…i live in South Africa St Francis Bay and have beautiful vines and granadillas plentiful..this is a failproof amazing pud…thanks for sharing. Dawn Noah
imma africanbites says
All great memories during my South African trip. Would love to be there soon with my family. Thanks for stopping by, Dawn! 🙂
Jazz says
I cant wait to try this! I made your moist banana bread recipe at least 3 times and its perfect everytime. Because of this i bought new tools ramekins, moulds ,mixer etc . My partner and my 4 months old baby cat are both helping in the kitchen 🙂 . Thank you . Cant wait to try your other recipes :).
imma africanbites says
Thank you so much, Jazz. This recipe here is truly one of my fave summer treats. Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Girrrrrrrrl. Thank you for this recipe. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever baked. My kids my husband my in-laws everyone loves this. The first time I made it, I had amaretto on hand so I used that and whoa. Just phenomenal.
ImmaculateBites says
YESS!!! Am glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. It’s SO Luscious! Thanks Girl!
lreich says
Hi Immaculate,
I would love to give this a try. Just a few questions. Are the 1st and 2nd item same? Both passion fruit puree? Also in the recipe it says stiff peak, but under the picture says soft peak, which is right? Can I back it in a cake pan? Thank you so much!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Ireich! The first is passion fruit (the fruit itself) while the second is passion fruit puree(sold in supermarkets). If working with passion fruit fruit puree use 1/2 cup .
Helen says
Can I make this without using the water bath?
ImmaculateBites says
If you do it’s not going to have the pudding at the bottom.
Aurora K Pajeau says
This is the one passion recipe I kept coming back to the past 10 days. I’ve picked all my fruit and even ordered frozen pulp from NZ. I hope it turns out but one error and not too bad. I poured half the eggwhites in instead kf yellows. Will see. Sure it will be great!!
Jovani says
I want to dive into this for thanksgiving this year- break from the Norm! For the Passion fruit, I need clarity, if I don’t find fresh PF, I can use frozen PF + puree? Or is it one or the other? Definitely don’t want to mess this up!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jovani! It’s just one . If you can’t find fresh passion fruit , just use frozen. That’s the one I usually use when passion fruit is not in season.
Happy Cooking!!
Mariana says
Did this the other day, incredible desert.really loved the different textures and the combination of the lime juice with the passion fruits! Thank you for the recipe!
ImmaculateBites says
You are welcome! Glad to hear it worked out for you Mariana!