My new website is officially LIVE! And isn’t she beautiful?? So much work went into creating this space and I am so excited to finally share it with you guys. In celebration of the new launch I am hosting a giveaway on my Instagram! I am giving one lucky winner a basket full of some of my favorite things valued over $100. Click here to check it out and enter!
I haven’t been able to post new recipes for you guys during the rebranding and new website development but I am happy to be back with the perfect springtime dessert, my Sunshine Cake! This cake encompasses some of my favorite flavors from Maui, coconut and passion fruit. It starts with my favorite vanilla cake base and then a layer of whipped cream frosting, a homemade passion fruit curd and then topped with a toasted coconut and pretzel “crack”. It is insanely delicious.
For this recipe, like my Lilikoi Bars, you are going to need some passion fruit puree. I have yet to be able to find it in my home state of Utah so if you are like me, head over to Tastes of Aloha and use code shaemakes for free shipping to order the passion fruit puree you will need. You can also substitute the passion fruit for fresh lemon juice instead if you do not want to order the passion fruit puree.
Tips & Tricks:
- If you are intimidated by the amount of work this cake takes, split it into two or three days. Make the crack and curd on day 1 and the other 2 elements on day 2 or 3. This is how I do it and it’s a lot less stressful that way.
- Make sure you cook the curd for the recommended amount of time to make sure it reaches the consistency we are looking for.
- Everyone’s oven is different so keep an eye on your “crack” to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Sunshine Cake
Description
Some of my favorite flavors of Maui combined into one delicious desert. Moist vanilla cake topped with whipped cream frosting, homemade passion fruit curd and a toasted coconut and pretzel “crack” topping.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 sticks salted butter (room temp)
- 6 egg whites (room temp)
- 2 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup sour cream
For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup packed powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
For the Passionfruit Curd
- 1 cup passion fruit juice (click here for my favorite and use code shaemakes for free shipping)
- 9 egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 sticks salted butter
For the “crack”:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 1/2 sticks melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg whites one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions as well.
- Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for 1-2 minutes until combined.
- In a separate large bowl combine dry ingredients.
- Alternating between the dry mixture and the milk add them to the egg mixture, always starting and ending with the dry mixture.
- Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray and pour the cake batter into the pan.
- Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.
For the passion fruit curd:
- In a medium sized bowl combine egg yolks, sugar and passion fruit juice and whisk until smooth.
- In a medium sized sauce pan add the mixture and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly for 8 minutes until thickened.
- Turn off the heat and add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Add each additional tablespoon of butter once the previous one is melted.
- Remove from the stove and pour through a fine mesh sieve and discard any solids left in the sieve. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the curd and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium/high speed for 3-4 minutes until completely smooth.
- With the mixer on medium/high speed, slowly pour the 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Once all the cream has been added, turn mixture to high and beat for another 30-60 seconds until stiff peaks are formed.
For the “crack”:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine crushed pretzels, coconut, brown sugar and melted butter. Mix until brown sugar is no longer dry and is completely mixed in.
- Line a half sheet pan with tinfoil. Spread mixture in an even layer and bake for 9-10 minutes until starting to bubble.
- Remove from the oven and stir the mixture with a spoon and then spread it out evenly again and bake for an additional 6-10 minutes until nice and toasty brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Once completely cool, break it into chunks and set aside.
Assembly:
- Spread whipped cream frosting evenly over cooled cake.
- Spread the passion fruit curd evenly over the top of the whipped cream frosting.
- Crumble the “crack” topping evenly over the top of the curd.
- Serve immediately and store leftovers in the fridge.
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