without, I’d say chocolate and fried chicken. The third food in my holy trinity is passion fruit. If you haven’t tasted passion fruit, this pound cake is the perfect introduction. If I’m ever stranded on a deserted tropical island, I might get lucky and find a few vines of passion fruit and perhaps some cocoa pods, but I won’t hold out much hope for getting any fried chicken.
CAKE
1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (6 ounces/170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar
Grated zest of 2 oranges, preferably organic
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GLAZE
½ cup (125 ml) strained fresh passion fruit pulp (from about 6 passion fruits) or thawed frozen purée (see Tip)
⅓ cup (65 g) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) loaf pan, dust it with flour, and tap out any excess. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper.
To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, and the orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running, slowly dribble the egg mixture into the butter mixture, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the eggs are completely incorporated. (The mixture may look curdled, which is normal.)
Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture by hand just until combined. Don’t overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool about 15 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, very gently stir together the passion fruit juice and ⅓ cup (65 g) sugar. Don’t let the sugar dissolve.
Loosen the cake from the loaf pan by running a knife around the sides of the cake. Invert the warm cake out of the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and turn it right side up onto a plate.
Using a wooden skewer, pierce the top of the cake all the way through to the bottom about 50 times. Spoon half of the glaze over the top of the cake. Turn the cake on each of its sides, spooning the rest of the glaze over so that the cake is evenly coated. Sop up the glaze that collects in the plate by rubbing the bottom and sides of the cake in it.
SERVING: Serve the sliced cake just as it is or with a compote of fresh tropical fruit or berries.
STORAGE: Store the cake loosely wrapped in plastic wrap, to keep the glaze crisp.
VARIATION: To make ORANGE POUND CAKE , replace the passion fruit juice in the glaze with ½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice.
TIP: To strain fresh passion fruit pulp, halve the fruits, scoop the pulp into a mesh strainer set over a bowl, and press the pulp to separate the seeds from the juice. You can find frozen passion fruit purée in Latin markets as well as online (see Resources ).
Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candied Peanuts
MAKES ONE 9-INCH (23-CM) CAKE; 12 TO 16 SERVINGS
This is one big, tall, scrumptious dessert: layers of moist banana cake topped with a mocha ganachelike frosting, and crowned with handfuls of salted candied peanuts.
Speaking of tall and scrumptious, I made this cake for a friend who’s a showgirl at the Lido in Paris as a thank you for allowing me a behind-the-scenes visit. She shared it with her colleagues between high kicks on stage and she assured me that even though those women are leggy and lean, their cake-eating capacity knew no limits.
The next morning, I read an email, sent at 3 A.M., undoubtedly just after the last curtain call, giving the cake quite a few thumbs up. Or, should I say, a few legs
CAKE
1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (6 ounces/170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar
Grated zest of 2 oranges, preferably organic
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GLAZE
½ cup (125 ml) strained fresh passion fruit pulp (from about 6 passion fruits) or thawed frozen purée (see Tip)
⅓ cup (65 g) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) loaf pan, dust it with flour, and tap out any excess. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper.
To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, and the orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running, slowly dribble the egg mixture into the butter mixture, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the eggs are completely incorporated. (The mixture may look curdled, which is normal.)
Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture by hand just until combined. Don’t overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool about 15 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, very gently stir together the passion fruit juice and ⅓ cup (65 g) sugar. Don’t let the sugar dissolve.
Loosen the cake from the loaf pan by running a knife around the sides of the cake. Invert the warm cake out of the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and turn it right side up onto a plate.
Using a wooden skewer, pierce the top of the cake all the way through to the bottom about 50 times. Spoon half of the glaze over the top of the cake. Turn the cake on each of its sides, spooning the rest of the glaze over so that the cake is evenly coated. Sop up the glaze that collects in the plate by rubbing the bottom and sides of the cake in it.
SERVING: Serve the sliced cake just as it is or with a compote of fresh tropical fruit or berries.
STORAGE: Store the cake loosely wrapped in plastic wrap, to keep the glaze crisp.
VARIATION: To make ORANGE POUND CAKE , replace the passion fruit juice in the glaze with ½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice.
TIP: To strain fresh passion fruit pulp, halve the fruits, scoop the pulp into a mesh strainer set over a bowl, and press the pulp to separate the seeds from the juice. You can find frozen passion fruit purée in Latin markets as well as online (see Resources ).
Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candied Peanuts
MAKES ONE 9-INCH (23-CM) CAKE; 12 TO 16 SERVINGS
This is one big, tall, scrumptious dessert: layers of moist banana cake topped with a mocha ganachelike frosting, and crowned with handfuls of salted candied peanuts.
Speaking of tall and scrumptious, I made this cake for a friend who’s a showgirl at the Lido in Paris as a thank you for allowing me a behind-the-scenes visit. She shared it with her colleagues between high kicks on stage and she assured me that even though those women are leggy and lean, their cake-eating capacity knew no limits.
The next morning, I read an email, sent at 3 A.M., undoubtedly just after the last curtain call, giving the cake quite a few thumbs up. Or, should I say, a few legs
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