Sesame passion fruit cake blends the nutty depth of black sesame with the bright tang of passion fruit. The black sesame cake is complemented by a rich, sour passion fruit cream, adding a burst of vibrant flavor. Topping it all off is a fluffy sesame frosting, lighter and less sweet than traditional buttercream.
You might also like Sesame Creme Brûlée or Peach Jam Cake.
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Why black sesame and passion fruit?
Black sesame and passion fruit are not common pair, but it works very well in this recipe. Black sesame paste contains lots of fat, plus the butter and sugar in the dessert, it could make a cake become overly rich and heavy. That is why I decided to add passion fruit here. The passion fruit cream was inspired by Jules Wiringa’s recipe. The tanginess of passion fruit balanced out the richness of black sesame. The bright yellow also contrasted very well with the gray base, made this cake more visually appealing.
Ingredients of Sesame Passion Fruit Cake
- Butter - The sesame cake is butter-based, when creamed with sugar, butter creates a light, airy texture by incorporating air into the batter. This process is essential for a tender and fluffy sesame cake.
- Sesame Paste - Sesame not only provides a deep, nutty flavor, but also contributes to the cake's moist texture. I use this black sesame paste because of the high quality and the big volume. You can also get small jar of sesame paste (black tahini).
- Sugar - In the sesame cake, I use both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Granulated sugar gives it a fine, airy crumb. Light brown sugar contributes additional moisture to the cake, making it more tender.
- Egg - Egg acts as a binder, holding the ingredients together.
- Baking Powder - Although air is incorporated during the creaming of butter and sugar already, I add baking powder for additional leavening, giving the cake a lighter texture.
- Milk - Milk adds moisture and richness to the cake, and I like to add milk at the end to control the consistency of the cake batter.
- Passion Fruit Puree (Juice) - The passion fruit puree I use is this one. Although it is called “puree”, it’s more like passion fruit juice without the seeds. You can also get the frozen Pitaya passion fruit juice from Whole Foods or Weee.
- Corn Starch - Corn starch is the thickener in the passion fruit cream. If you are curious about the difference between using flour and corn starch, check the recipe FAQ of Matcha Pastry Cream.
- Heavy Cream - The acidity in passion fruit juice can cause the proteins in the heavy cream to coagulate, which, in the case, give the Passion Fruit Cream the right thickness we want for filling here, but not with milk (Check recipe FAQ).
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Passion Fruit Cream?
Mix passion fruit puree, heavy cream, sugar, corn starch and egg yolk with a whisk.
Cook over medium heat until thicken and it starts bubbling. The mixture should be pretty smooth, but if you cream is lumpy, whisk quickly to break the lumps.
Remove from heat, strain, and add passion fruit seeds if you want.
Chill the Passion Fruit Cream with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the the cream.
How to make Sesame Cake?
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare two quarter sheet trays with parchment paper.
Mix butter, sesame paste, sugar and light brown sugar with a paddle until creamy and fluffy.
Add eggs and mix until smooth and fully emulsified.
Add flour and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
Add milk and mix until you don’t see any liquid.
Divide into two trays, and smoothen with a small offset spatula.
Bake at 325°F for 18 minutes.
How to assemble Passion Fruit Sesame Cake?
Make sure you have all the components ready before you start, including Black Sesame Frosting, Passion Fruit Cream, Sesame Cake and all the decorations.
Trim off the sides of sesame cake first. Pipe some black sesame frosting around the edge of the cake.
Add the passion fruit cream, and smoothen the surface with a spatula.
Top the second sesame cake.
Finish the cake with the rest of the sesame frosting.
I add some finish touch with flowers, Sesame Tuile and Black Sesame Crumble.
Equipment
I use the small offset spatula to frost the cake.
The wavy decoration on top of the cake is piped with this kind of V-shaped piping tip.
The sesame cake is baked in these quarter sheet pans.
Storage
Store the cake in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Leave the cake in the room temperature for 10-20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
If you have extra Passion Fruit Cream, refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Every time after using, cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to avoid the condensation.
Recipe Tips
Save the portion for frosting and decoration. When making layered cake, I try to save half of the frosting cream for final layer and decoration. Meaning I use the first half of the frosting cream and filling for everything before finishing.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, of course you can make the passion fruit cream with fresh passion fruit juice. Remember to filter the seeds first before weighing. The ratio of juice and cream might change if you include the seed’s weight. And you can add the seeds back as a topping afterwards.
No, milk has a higher protein content than heavy cream, so it could curdle once you combine with passion fruit puree and cook the mixture.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Card
Sesame Passion Fruit Cake
Ingredients
Passion Fruit Cream
- 90 g passion fruit puree (juice)
- 160 g heavy cream
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 20 g corn starch
- 50 g egg yolk about 2 yolks
Sesame Cake
- 100 g unsalted butter soften
- 30 g black sesame paste
- 110 g granulated sugar
- 110 g light brown sugar
- 3 egg
- 260 g all purpose flour
- 14 g baking powder (1 tbsp)
- 110 g milk
Instructions
Make Passion Fruit Cream
- Mix: Mix passion fruit puree, heavy cream, sugar, corn starch and egg yolk with a whisk.
- Cook: Cook over medium heat until thicken and it starts bubbling. The mixture should be pretty smooth, but if you cream is lumpy, whisk quickly to break the lumps.
- Strain: Remove from heat, strain, and add passion fruit seeds if you want.
- Chill: Chill the Passion Fruit Cream with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the the cream.
Make Sesame Cake
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare two quarter sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Cream: Mix butter, sesame paste, sugar and light brown sugar with a paddle until creamy and fluffy.
- Mix: Add eggs and mix until smooth and fully emulsified.
- Mix: Add flour and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
- Mix: Add milk and mix until you don’t see any liquid.
- Bake: Divide into two trays, and smoothen with a small offset spatula. Bake at 325°F for 18 minutes.
Assemble Passion Fruit Sesame Cake
- Prep: Make sure you have all the components ready before you start, including Black Sesame Frosting, Passion Fruit Cream, Sesame Cake and all the decorations.
- Pipe: Trim off the sides of sesame cake first. Pipe some black sesame frosting around the edge of the cake.
- Fill: Add the passion fruit cream, and smoothen the surface with a spatula.
- Finish: Top the second sesame cake. Finish the cake with the rest of the sesame frosting. I add some finish touch with flowers, Sesame Tuile and Black Sesame Crumble.
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