Passionfruit cheesecake: it’s a party in your mouth

This passionfruit cheesecake is a tribute to the season’s deep purple orbs, their pulp puckeringly tart yet so fragrant and sweet.

Tangy and delicious: passionfruit cheesecake. Picture: Craig Wall

This “put the lime in the coconut” passionfruit cheesecake is a tribute to the season’s deep purple orbs, their golden pulp puckeringly tart yet so fragrant and syrupy sweet. The heavier the passionfruit are for their size, the more pulp – and a bit of shrivel is no cause for concern. If you’re stuck, a can of pulp from the tinned fruit aisle will do the trick.

Passionfruit cheesecake

250g broken up gingernut biscuits

80g desiccated coconut

150g salted butter, melted

250g cream cheese, softened

1 can (395g) condensed milk

400g Greek yoghurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest and juice of 2 limes

3 teaspoons gelatine powder

¾ cup passionfruit pulp (about 12 medium fruit, or 1 x 170g can)

2 tablespoons fresh pulp (to top)

600ml thickened cream

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Grease a 25x4cm loose-bottomed, fluted tart tin. Use a food processor to blitz broken biscuits and coconut to a rough crumb. Pour melted butter into the processor; pulse to the consistency of fine wet sand. Tip into the tin, pressing firmly and evenly up the sides and ensuring the corners are not too thick. Use a flat-bottomed glass to flatten the base; leave to chill in the fridge.

Clean and dry food processor, then add softened cream cheese, condensed milk, yoghurt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and lime zest; blitz until silky smooth. Warm lime juice in a small saucepan over low heat; sprinkle gelatine powder over juice and stir until dissolved (one to two minutes). Add to cream cheese mixture and blitz again for about 30 seconds. Add passionfruit pulp and pulse a couple of times to disperse seeds; pour into chilled crust. Smooth the top, then chill in fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, gently release the cheesecake from the tin and use a spatula to slide it off the metal base onto a serving plate or board.

Whip cream and icing sugar with remaining vanilla into soft billowing peaks and spoon onto the top of the cheesecake; drizzle with the extra pulp. Serve immediately, slicing with a knife dipped into hot water then dried. Serves 8-12

Passionfruit curd

¾ cup passionfruit pulp

Zest and juice of 2 limes

¼ cup (55g) caster sugar

1 whole egg

3 egg yolks

80g cold unsalted butter, diced

Whisk pulp, juice, zest, sugar, egg and yolks in a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir continuously for 8-10 minutes; let the mixture thicken until it will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add diced butter, one cube at a time, stirring until all the butter has emulsified. Transfer curd to a container, covering directly with a layer of baking paper or cling wrap to stop it developing a skin. Chill for at least one hour. To keep longer, pour hot curd into sterilised jars, seal and refrigerate; it will keep unopened for up to 3 months, or 1-2 weeks once opened. Makes about 2 cups

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