Passion Fruit Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour*
3 large egg whites (no egg yolk traces)
2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
Finishing Cake
Double recipe: Chocolate Ganache or Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup passion fruit juice or passion fruit liquor
One 3-4 ounce semi sweet chocolate bar, best quality

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Sift together flour and baking powder and set aside.
Line a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Butter sides of pan and set aside.
Using a stand or hand held mixer whisk eggs and yolks until combined. Add first listed sugar and whip until mixture is very light and foamy (like hair mousse) at least 12 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt.
Stop whipping. Sprinkle about a third of flour onto mixture and using a hand held rubber spatula fold delicately together. When nearly combined add another third of flour and combine. Repeat with remaining flour and stop folding when combined.
In a clean bowl whip together egg whites and second listed sugar to soft peaks. Fold into above using a spatula.
Spread mixture onto prepared pan and place in oven for about 10-11 minutes. When cake slightly shrinks away from edges and or the cake bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger it is done.
Let cake cool into pan. Meanwhile make ganache and set aside.
In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a full boil. Pour in a cold bowl and place in freezer until completely cold. Add passion fruit liquor or juice and set aside.
Lift cake out of pan and cut crosswise and lengthwise in half. Place a cake layer on a serving tray.
Dip a pastry brush into the passion fruit syrup and brush one fourth of it onto cake layer.
By now the ganache should have the consistency as peanut butter. If just made, it may be still a little warm and need a little chilling to slightly firm. If needed, place ganache bowl in bowl filled with ice cubes for about 30 seconds. Stir ganache, if needed repeat. Be aware that ganache when too cold will be too firm to properly spread. However, ganache can be reheated in a microwave oven 5-10 seconds at a time if required.
With a metal cake spatula spread one fourth of ganache onto moistened cake layer.
Repeat with cake, passion fruit syrup and ganache until all is used. The cake does not have to be refrigerated if consumed the same or next day.
For chocolate curls place a marble pastry board (or a large marble or high gloss ceramic tile) in a freezer for 30 minutes.
Chop chocolate in small pieces and place in a microwave oven proof bowl. Melt chocolate in 7 second increments, stir in between heating. Stop once chocolate is just melted.
Have a metal cake spatula ready. Remove cold stone from freezer and rapidly pour about 4-6 tablespoons (do not measure-guesstimate) of melted chocolate on stone. Very quickly spread chocolate as thin as you can onto cold stone.
Using your spatula lift up pieces of chocolate and roll and fold into curled shapes.
Repeat with remaining chocolate.
Place onto surface of cake. Serve cake at room temperature.

Dixie Crystals Insight

NOTE: You can use either passion fruit liquor or passion fruit juice. Fresh passion fruit contains mostly seeds and very little juice making it very expensive to use. If using the juice, look for frozen passion fruit puree/ juice in the Latin section or well-stocked grocery stores.

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