Capture magic of lilikoi in cake

The reason lilikoi is called passion fruit in English is that it is passionately awesome. OK, I made that up. But it is true that pure, fresh lilikoi is magical.

Just mix a little juice and powdered sugar into a thin sauce. Taste. You see? Tart, assertive, fragrant. A wallop of yum.

I’ve been experimenting with lilikoi due to a request from Janet Tamura, who has a supply of frozen purée and wants to make a cake. Many local cookbooks include recipes for these cakes made with a box mix, but Tamura wanted to make hers from scratch. So the search began. Making up my own rules, I decided the recipe should be easy — basic flour, eggs, sugar, butter — in order to maximize the lilikoi magic.

This recipe is based on one for a lemon pound cake. It can be made as a loaf, cupcakes or, with some adjustments, a 9-by-13-inch sheet cake, but I like it best in loaf form, befitting its pound-cake origins.

This cake is fabulous, not due to my skill but because of the magical properties of lilikoi. I may have mentioned those before.

Fresh lilikoi is sold at farmers markets and in Chinatown, or purée is sold at R. Field Wine Co. in a 30-ounce jar for $26.99. If you must, you could try this with frozen juice concentrate, undiluted. Your results will not be as fabulous, however.

On the other hand, if you have a vine that’s in overdrive and need more recipe ideas, meet me here next week and we’ll make lilikoi pudding with tapioca pearls.

LILIKOI CAKE

6 lilikoi (passion fruit)
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

>> Glaze:
2 tablespoons passion fruit juice or pulp
1 cup powdered sugar

Cut lilikoi in half and scoop contents into colander or strainer set over a bowl. Let juice drain, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Place remaining pulp (with seeds) in blender and purée. Strain through fine-mesh sieve, pressing with spoon to remove seeds. Discard seeds (some seeds will make it into the purée; this is OK, it will give the cake tiny black specks). You should have about 1/4 cup purée; if not, add some juice. Save remaining juice for another use (see suggestions below).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or a 9-by-9-inch cake pan, or place 18 paper cups in muffin pans.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Beat dry mixture gradually into creamed mixture. Add 1/4 cup lilikoi purée. Batter should turn smooth and silky.

Pour into prepared pan or cupcake cups. Bake 60 minutes for loaf pan, 50 minutes for cake pan or 45 minutes for cupcakes, until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake or cake will be dry.

To make glaze: Combine lilikoi purée or juice with powdered sugar and stir until smooth.

Serve slices of cake drizzled with glaze.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Notes: To make this cake in a standard 9-by-13-inch pan, increase recipe by 1 1/2. For a sugar-free version, replace sugar with 1/2 cup Splenda and bake in muffin tins. Results will be dense, more like a muffin than a cake.

What to do with lilikoi juice: Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons into a lemon-lime soft drink to make lilikoi soda, or stir into water to make juice (add sugar to taste). Juice may also be added to cocktails, smoothies or milkshakes.

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Write “By Request,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Email bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.