Spring Fling Sponge
The bearded cake jokes from my extended in-laws were unkind, as were the taunts about the ugg boot fur. Blokes! You can blame my wonky slice photo on the fact that I was laughing so much and trying to shush them long enough to say it was just fairy floss. You know, the Persian kind (pashmak), made from sesame and sugar.
I realise fairy floss isn't a very traditional topping for a sponge, but this was a birthday sponge and I wanted to make it a bit special. A bit pretty, in a fluffy way, not a hairy one.
So here's my traditional sponge with a Spring makeover. It has vanilla and coconut in the cake and it's filled with passionfruit curd and cream then topped with drippy passionfruit icing. Fairy floss optional.
Ugg boot fur never tasted so good.
Vanilla, Coconut and Passionfruit Sponge
For the sponge, follow this recipe and add 1/2 cup desiccated coconut to the flour after it has been sifted. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract at the same time as you add the butter.
Replace jam and berries with passionfruit curd (recipe below).
Top the whole glorious pile with passionfruit icing (recipe below). If decorating with Persian fairy floss (pashmak), you can find it in delis and specialty food stores. I used vanilla flavour. Place fairy floss on top of cake just before serving. Remember to keep it in a cool, dry place. It's delicate stuff.
Passionfruit Curd
4 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
Zest of one lemon
50ml lemon juice
50ml passionfruit pulp
100g cold butter, cubed
Whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.
Add lemon zest, juice and passionfruit pulp and whisk.
Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and add butter.
Stir over a medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Take off the heat and pour into a container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Passionfruit Icing
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 passionfruit
Mix icing sugar with just enough passionfruit pulp to create a thick icing.
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