Passionfruit Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting | Apt 2b Baking Co

I love a cake that you can stir together in one bowl, and this passionfruit cake fits the bill. It is packed with passionfruit flavor and is mouth-puckering tart, but the *ahem generous* swoops of chocolate frosting balance it quite nicely. You could also add an additional 1/4 cup (50g) sugar for a sweeter cake, but I’m a fan of the contrast. If you aren’t a huge frosting fan you may want to hold a little back when you are topping the cake. The cake is also delicious - tart, floral, and tropical - on its own. If you’d prefer to skip the frosting all together, make a little bit of glaze made from passionfruit and confectioners sugar and drizzle it over the top instead.

Would you believe that I have misplaced my sprinkles? I’m not sure how it happened, but after my Christmas cookie bonanza I managed to hide ALL OF MY SPRINKLES from myself and I didn’t discover it until I went their normal storage spot to grab some to sprinkle this beaut. In the end it was a blessing because I crushed up a handful of dehydrated raspberries for decor instead and they added a nice tart punch to the topping.

p.s. I use a spoon, instead of an offset spatula, to get these deep swoops and swirls.

One Bowl Passion Fruit Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

makes one 8-inch square cake

Frosting recipe from Smitten Kitchen’s “I want chocolate cake cake”

I used Goya brand passionfruit puree for this cake which I can find easily at most of the supermarkets in my area. Its also very inexpensive and runs about 3 bucks for 7 ounces. You can certainly make your own puree or use a higher end brand, but I’m here to tell you that the inexpensive stuff works just fine. Choose your own adventure. Although, if you can find fresh passionfruit, a few of the seeds and pulp sprinkled over the top would make a beautiful, crunchy garnish. This cake tastes best the day that it is baked, but holds up for a couple of days at room temperature. If you use dehydrated fruit as a garnish it will soften as it sits.

For a less tart cake use 1 cup (200g) sugar.

One Bowl Passionfruit Cake

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

2/3 cup passionfruit puree

1/3 cup (75g) sour cream

4 tablespoons (55g) melted unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups (140g) cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Chocolate Frosting

2 ounces (55 grams) unsweetened (or bittersweet) chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar

1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoons milk, plus more if necessary

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

fat pinch of salt

Heat oven to 350ºF and butter and flour or spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, passionfruit puree, sour cream, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt until combined and smooth.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a fine mesh sieve and sift it into the large bowl. Whisk the batter until smooth and pour into the prepared pan. Slide the pan into the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean 20-25 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack.

While the cake is cooling make the frosting.

Add all of the frosting ingredients to a large bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy, add a bit more milk if necessary. Alternately, Deb makes the frosting in a food processor.

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake and decorate with a shit-ton of sprinkles. Enjoy immediately! This cake keeps is best the day it’s baked, but will keep for a couple of days, covered at room temperature. The dehydrated raspberries will soften over time.

Stamped Brownie Cookies | apt 2b baking co

Last year I fell in love with stamped gingerbread cookies so this year I was primed and ready for another stampable cookie for my holiday packages. I find that darker doughs - like chocolate or gingerbread are the most dramatic when glazed, so I went for deep rich chocolate with both Dutch process and black cocoas. You can stamp just about any cut out cookie dough that holds it’s shape while baking though, so if you’ve invested in stamps try out a few doughs. And alternately, these cookies are absolutely gorgeous when stamped and glazed, but also work well as cut out cookies without a stamp. Happy Baking! I’ll be back soon with more cookies!

Stamped Brownie Cookies

makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size

Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Brownie Roll-Out Cookies

These soft and chewy chocolate cookies are gorgeous when stamped, but also work well as cut out cookies if you don’t have a stamp. Flavor the glaze however you like, but a little peppermint and vanilla is nice for the holidays. I bet a little bit of espresso powder instead would be just delicious. Make sure to not over bake the cookies, they’ll lose their chew and will be more of a standard sugar cookie. I found 7 minutes in my oven was just right, but keep an eye on yours as all ovens vary. I like to brush the glaze on with a pastry brush. Use a thin layer to see lots of the cookie peeking through or a thicker layer for a more opaque look.

Brownie Cookies

3 cups (384g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (50g) dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 cup (50g) black cocoa powder (or dutch process)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups (330g) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons cream

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

pinch salt

Whisk the flour, cocoas, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Cream until light and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time. Mix until well combined then add the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix until combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the dough is evenly mixed.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour and up to 2 days.

When you are ready to bake, arrange two racks as close to the center of the oven as possible and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Work with half of the dough at a time and roll out the dough so it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Dip the cookie stamps in a bowl of cocoa powder or flour, shake off any excess and then press them firmly into the dough, one at a time, to create a deep imprint. Use a round cutter to cut the cookies.

Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheets about 1-inch apart. Re-roll the dough scraps and continue to stamp and cut until all the dough is used up. Bake the cookies until they are just firm to the touch and puffed, 7-10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.

Prepare the glaze while the cookies are baking as it is best brushed on while they are still warm. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. It should be the texture of Elmer’s Glue. If it seems a little thin, add a tablespoon or two of confectioners sugar. If its thin, add a little more cream.

Remove the cookies from the oven, let them rest for 5 mins, then brush or dab the glaze all over with a pastry brush. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.

I used hand carved cookie stamps for these cookies. Zozo Baking sells similar ones.

You can also find cookie stamps in most kitchenware shops or online.