Passion fruit Victoria sandwich recipe

This deliciously sweet passion fruit Victoria sandwich is bursting with flavour and would make the perfect homemade treat for mum on Mother's Day or to share at Easter. The tangy taste of the passion fruit works wonders with the soft creamy filling. This cake won't last long as it contains no refined sugar to preserve it and fresh cream - so make sure you invite the family around to help you devour it fresh!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 60ml maple syrup
• 200ml mango puree (made from approx. 1 mango)
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 300g self raising flour (or a gluten free option)

For the filling and topping:

• 6 ripe passion fruits
• 400ml double cream
• 4tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins with non-stick baking parchment using a little extra butter. Top tip: you can use the leftover butter on the butter wrapper for this and it's a great job for little ones.
2. Make the mango puree by slicing the mango from top to bottom as close to the stone as possible on either side. Score a criss cross pattern in each half of the mango, then push the fruit cubes outward creating a hedgehog shape. Slice the fruit off the skin and blend in a blender until perfectly smooth.
3. In a large bowl beat the butter with the maple syrup and 1 tbsp of flour until soft. Add the mango puree and vanilla extract with 2 tbsps of flour and beat in. (Or you can use an electric cake mixer with the paddle attachment.)
4. Add the eggs one at a time with 1 tbsp of flour with each egg added. Beat in thoroughly. (The flour stops the mixture from splitting, which happens if it’s too wet.)
5. Sieve in the rest of the flour gradually and fold lightly into the mixture using a metal spoon. (You want to keep as much air as possible in the mixture – so be careful not to over mix it.) Why not let little ones have a stir or press on and off on the mixer.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the two sandwich tins. Smooth over lightly, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. Insert a knife to check they are cooked – it should come out clean. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool a little, then move onto wire rack to cool completely.
7. Once the sponge is completely cool, whip the cream until thick, then very lightly stir through 2 tbsps of maple syrup. Cut open the passion fruit and scoop the flesh into a bowl and stir in 2 tbsps of maple syrup. Sandwich the sponges together using half the whipped cream and half the passion fruit flesh. Then top with the rest of the cream and drizzle the remaining passion fruit over the top. Simple and delicious.