Passion Fruit Bundt

Finding new ways to enjoy my a-bundt-ance of passion fruit. # 164: Passion Fruit Bundt

Without a size reference, this makes it look like a single, very intricate doughnut.

Happy March! Can you believe we’re already in the third month of 2020? So many bakes to try, so little time. I feel like this is the perfect time of year to remind myself (and anyone else who has too many hobbies and projects on their plate right now) that it’s OK to slow down and skip a week. Sometimes you just need to bake tahini swirl brownies and not take a single picture of them (and then eat half the pan while watching West Wing. No judgement.)

This fancy little wreath is a rich pound-cake-like bundt soaked with a passion fruit syrup.

I FINALLY made it through all of the passion fruit curd that I had in my freezer a few weeks ago. It felt like such an accomplishment, considering how much I had stocked up! But then Dessert Sadness hit. You know, the feeling you get when you’ve finished the last bite of that decadent cake or sundae you wish could last forever.

The very next week, a coworker brought some in from the vine in her backyard and I couldn’t resist. It was like she could sense my passion fruit void! I now have a happy container of passion fruit pulp in the freezer waiting to be transformed. (I’ve been putting them in my smoothies too, and it adds the delightful tropical vibe that I never knew I needed.)

Look at this mesmerizing bundt pan! It was a little too big for this recipe but I wanted a fun pattern since it was going to be a naked cake. Bundt pans are prohibitively expensive in my opinion – who has $40 to drop on a cake pan?? Oh well. Thank god for family and friends who are willing to lend out their baking pans. Apparently some libraries have baking pans you can check out like books. Round of applause for whoever came up with that idea!

Even without the passion fruit syrup, this would still be a delicious cake! It incorporates lemon and passionfruit juice into the batter for some added zing.

Don’t worry if the batter looks separated after you add the citrus – it comes back together once you add the flour! The eggs don’t love acidic juice being added – it can change the structure of their proteins like heat can. Adding flour can’t reverse the physical effects if the batter fully curdles, but it can mask the initial separation by changing the viscosity of the batter. A thicker batter magically makes appears more homogeneous!

See? Almost the consistency of a soft cookie dough.

It snowed in the Bay Area! A very tiny, flour flurry.

Post-sauna. So much golden potential. I was holding my breath as I let it cool before flipping it. Would it all be a pile of crumbs? Or would it keep the pretty design?