Photography: Alan Benson
There’s something timeless about a classic vanilla cake – simple, elegant, and endlessly versatile. This recipe from the Clove app takes that beloved staple and elevates it with a luscious passionfruit buttercream, adding a tropical twist that’s both tangy and sweet. Perfect for birthdays, afternoon tea, or any occasion that calls for a little indulgence, this cake is as easy to make as it is impressive to serve. With a light, tender crumb and a creamy frosting bursting with fruity flavour, it’s sure to become a go-to in your baking repertoire. Slice, share, and enjoy a taste of sunshine in every bite.
For more recipes with passionfruit as the hero ingredient, try this baked ricotta passionfruit cheesecake or passionfruit and coconut fudge slice. For more cake recipes, check out our cake collection. To meet the cooks behind the app, read our interview with Alex Elliott-Howery and Anna Guerrero from Clove.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a round 20cm cake tin with melted butter and line the base with baking paper.
Place the self-raising and plain flours, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture is well combined and very pale in colour. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely (this will take about 1½ hours).
To make the passionfruit buttercream, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, icing sugar, and passionfruit pulp in a medium bowl until pale and creamy.
Spread the buttercream over the top of the cooled cake and then spoon over the extra passionfruit pulp to decorate. Serve in wedges.
