Passion Fruit Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

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Passion Fruit on the Vine

Several years ago, I bought a book every home cook should have- Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst.  It reads like a dictionary of food terms and contains almost anything one might want to know about food and cooking.  In regards to passion fruit, she explains that "it is named not for the passionate propensity it promotes but because particular parts of the plant's flowers resemble different symbols of Christ's crucifixion, such as the crown of thorns".  Be that as it may, using passion fruit for a Valentine dessert seems a refreshing change to chocolate (not that there is anything wrong with chocolate).  

Strained Passion Fruit Juice

My son, Dave and his wife Anne have passion fruit vines framing their Escondido home.  The fruit is beautiful on the vine but is not ready to eat until it turns dark and begins to develop wrinkles.The seeds are edible but I strain the seeds out, making a smooth golden juice which can be frozen for use any time one could want.

Cupcakes for Lovers is one of my favorite passion fruit recipes.  If your weather is good- try it as a dessert or a Valentine picnic.  It goes well with champagne 

Cupcakes for Lovers

makes 15-20 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Passion Fruit Cupcakes with Champagne

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup self-rising flour, sifted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup passion fruit juice (from 4 passion fruits, strained through cheesecloth)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted through a fine mesh strainer

1 tablespoon passion fruit juice (from 1 passion fruit, strained

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cupcake batter:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Using a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together at medium speed until smooth.  

Add sugar. Continue to beat until thoroughly mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.

Combine flours and set aside.  Add to the butter/cream cheese in two additions alternating with passion fruit juice.  Beat well after each addition.  Add in the vanilla extract and beat until evenly incorporated.  

Spoon batter into cupcake liners (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter per cupcake, depending on size of liners).  Cupcake papers should be about 2/3 full.    Bake about 30 minutes.  Cool thoroughly.

Frosting:

Combine butter and cream cheese using a stand mixer.  Beat until well combined.  Add confectioner's sugar, juice and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.