Olive oil sponge roll with
one-pot passionfruit curd
Sponge rolls can be diabolically frustrating. It’s all paper and
flying caster sugar, panicky hot sponge roll ups before filling
and fear of melty cream. But oil, with its ambient temperature
flexibility, is the magic fat in this sponge, meaning the cake can
cool longer, sidestepping the sweatiness from rolling it up in a
tea towel (dish towel) while hot that can make a hefty helix.

Good extra-virgin olive oil and passionfruit make a tropical,
grassy duo. The filling amount is minimal, so the roll stays as
round as possible (not slumped into an oval). And my one-pot
passionfruit curd is no fuss.

Make the one-pot passionfruit curd first, so it can cool while the
sponge cooks. Weigh all the ingredients in a small, non-reactive
saucepan. Heat over a medium–high heat, whisking constantly at
a medium tempo, until the curd thickens and the path of the whisk
leaves a clear trail on the saucepan’s base. Remove from the heat,
scrape into a small bowl or container and press a piece of baking
paper onto the surface. Cool completely.

Heat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Lightly spray a 40 cm × 30 cm ×
2 cm (15¾ in × 12 in × ¾ in) shallow-lipped tray with cooking oil and
line the base and short sides with one long sheet of baking paper.

Ensure the long sides of the paper are trimmed to the exact width of
the tray. It is okay if the long tray sides are exposed. Keep the short
side paper flush with the top edge of the tin. Trim flappy paper – the
enemy of smooth cake tops everywhere.

Put the egg whites, 200 g (8 oz) of the sugar and the cream of tartar
in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment,
whisk on speed 8 (under high) for about 6 minutes until the mix
becomes a semi-stiff and creamy white meringue.

Meanwhile, weigh the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a bowl
and set aside with a sieve. Weigh 70 g/ml (2½ oz) of the oil, the
passionfruit pulp and milk into a saucepan and set on the stovetop, but
don’t turn the heat on yet.

Keeps Best made and filled on the

day of baking. Keep leftovers for
1 day (2 days at most) in an airtight
container in the refrigerator.

Makes 6–8 serves.

Takes Just over 1 hour.

One-pot passionfruit curd
50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter,
soft and squidgy
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine)
sugar
100 g (3½ oz) fresh passionfruit
pulp
80 g (2¾ oz) egg yolk
(from approx. 4 eggs)
tiny pinch of salt flakes
continued …
You’ll need around seven to nine
passionfruit ( juiciness dependent)
for this whole recipe.