I desperately wanted to make passionfruit curd for this cake, but I can't find passionfruit anywhere! The best alternative I could think of was using a jar of mango-passionfruit spread from the jam aisle instead.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
2⅔ c flour
¾ c unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 c butter, room temp
3 c brown sugar, lightly packed
4 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
1⅓ c yogurt
1⅓ c hot coffee
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
14 ounces chopped dark chocolate
1 tsp instant espresso
¾ tsp salt
1 c heavy cream
2 tsps vanilla
1 c butter
For the Mango-Passionfruit Curd
1 (9.5 oz) jar of [url:https://amzn.to/2H9pcyE]Santa Cruz Organic Mango Fruit Spread[/url] (available at Target, Meijer, Whole Foods, etc -- look for it near the jelly!)
Zest & juice of one lemon
1 egg
4 egg yolks
½ c butter, room temp
Method
For the Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350F. Oil and line two 8-inch pans. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar, until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until very well incorporated. Add the vanilla. Being sure to scrape the bowl often, pour in a third of the dry ingredients, mix until just combined, then add half of the sour cream and mix until just combined. Repeat, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Gently stir in the hot coffee, and pour into prepared pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Place baked cakes in pans on a cooling rack for ten minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to cool completely.
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Put the chocolate, instant espresso, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside.
Bring the cream to a boil in a small pan. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't boil over!
Once the cream is boiling, pour it over the chocolate. Stir a few times to combine, then allow to set for about 2 minutes to heat the chocolate. Whisk gently until completely incorporated, then let cool on the counter for about 20 minutes or until room temperature.
When cool, add the butter and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
For the Mango-Passionfruit Curd
Add enough water to a medium saucepan (or a double boiler) to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the fruit spread, lemon zest and juice, egg, and egg yolks in a medium size metal bowl (that will fit well over the simmering water without touching it) and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.
Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. Whisk constantly until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from the heat. Press plastic wrap to the surface and allow to cool. Once the mixture is room temperature, beat in the butter until lightened and fluffy.
Transfer to a clean container place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Chill before using.
To Assemble
[url:https://whisk-kid.com/2011/02/how-to-assemble-a-layer-cake.html]Build the cake using this method[/url]. Fill the cake with the mango curd.