Liliko'i...the pasionate fruit and the Elizabeth Cake

(Originally published June 10, 2003 - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)

LILIKO'I....The passionate fruit

One of my favorite tropical fruits is the liliko'i or passion fruit. I find it very versatile since it can be used in either sweet or savory recipes. I find myself looking for different ways in which to use it.

Living in Hawaii, we are all familiar with the liliko'i. Liliko'i or passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is the fruit of a very prolific vine. The fruit is named after the flower, which is said to resemble the iconography (wounds, nails, crown of thorns) of the Crucifixion (Christ's Passion).

Some varieties are red, purple or yellow and they range in sizes from the size of an egg up to 12 inches. The fruit is said to originate in Brazil, but the common yellow ones that grow wild in many parts of the island and with which we are most familiar are native to Australia. The juice is a wonderful source of Vitamin C.

When liliko'i are in season, I try to harvest often, juice them and save in freezer. It is also convenient to save several 1/2 cup batches of the pulp and seeds for other uses, or to mix in fruit salads.

Another wonderful use for the juice is in the form of ice cubes. They add sparkle to iced tea, seltzer or tonic water and to un-cola sodas! Juice them as described and pour into ice cube trays. After freezing, it is best to pop them loose and store in freezer type plastic bags. For some reason, when left in the trays, the cubes will start shrinking within a few days.

When juicing, I gather several items ahead of time to make the job easier. A large wooden cutting board, a sharp knife, a large non-reactive bowl, such as glass, ceramic or stainless steel; a large stainless steel sieve, a regular stainless steel spoon and a wooden spoon.

Cut the fruit in half and scoop the pulp and seeds with the regular spoon. If saving to use without juicing, place in 1/2 cup batches in freezer safe plastic bags. If juicing, scoop the pulp and seeds into the stainless sieve, which you have placed over the bowl and smash down with the wooden spoon trying to press as much juice as possible.

After juicing you can also wash the seeds clean of leftover pulp and dry over several layers of paper towels. When dry, save in clean glass jars for other uses.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH LILIKO'I ICING
I made this cake (with some variations as shown below) for our Church's Christmas Program and Dessert evening, a few years ago. I doubled the recipe. It was super and I came back with a clean cake stand! I have since been requested to bring the cake to several other private parties.  Draws raves everytime! I call it my Elizabeth Cake in honor of a very good friend - You can read my essay honoring Elizabeth which was my first piece posted on Gather.

Yields 8 to 10 servings.

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S or your favorite cocoa
1 cup boiling water (*)
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (*)
1/4 cup dairy sour cream

Heat oven to 350oF. Grease three 9-inch round baking pans. Line bottoms with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Mix cocoa with boiling water in small bowl; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cocoa mixture, beating well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately the milk and sour cream to the butter mixture, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; carefully peel off wax paper. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

(*) SONIA'S NOTES:
Recipe can be doubled.

Instead of water and milk, I used ginger ale. It gave the batter a nice airy feel. When the cake was baked, it rose nicely and was quite light. Also, I used a big bundt cake pan and made cupcakes with the unused batter. I took the bundt to the church and we ate the cupcakes!

LILIKO'I (PASSION FRUIT) ICING

2 sticks butter
2 (8 ounce) tubs whipped cream cheese or
2 (8 ounce) blocks regular cream cheese
1 cup confectioner's sugar or to taste
Liliko'i syrup to taste (Recipe below)

Mix all ingredients in a food processor or with an electric hand mixer. Drop in large `glops' all over the top of cake, letting it run down the sides, but before you do:

Drizzle the cake with some of the liliko'i syrup, being careful not to drench too much.

LILIKO'I SYRUP
Cut passion fruit in half and scoop out pulp and seeds. Pass
through a fine mesh sieve or squeeze through a couple layers of cheesecloth.

Add honey or sugar to taste and boil down to half the original amount. When cool, place in a plastic squeeze bottle and keep in refrigerator until needed.

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(c) Sonia Martinez