Blackberry & Passionfruit Origami Cake
Vibrant and fruity passionfruit cake, creamy mascarpone frosting, and fresh blackberries, wrapped in a beautiful origami-style white chocolate ganache.
For this recipe I wanted to try making an origami cake (which uses a chocolate ganache collar to create a beautiful, folded pattern on the sides) but leave two of the sides exposed. This way you still get to see the fresh fruit and vibrant passionfruit cake layers on the inside. It’s the best of both worlds!
Servings: 16 to 20 | Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes + 8 hours 30 minutes chilling
Two 12” x 5” rectangle pans (or two loaf pans of similar size)
Parchment paper
Sifter / fine-mesh sieve
Offset spatula
Wire cooling racks
Plastic wrap
Cake leveler
Knife
Hand-mixer / Stand-mixer
Large piping bags
Large round piping tip
Large star piping tip
Rectangular cake board
Acetate (at least 5” tall)
Origami Template (link)
Tape
Ruler
Baking sheet
Heat-safe bowl
Small saucepan
Scissors
Passionfruit Cake:
2 cups flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp passionfruit puree
1 ½ cups canola oil
¾ tsp vanilla
Yellow food coloring
Orange food coloring
Mascarpone Frosting:
24 oz. mascarpone cheese, cold
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
3 tsp vanilla
Assembly:
36 oz. fresh blackberries
White Chocolate Ganache:
26 oz. white chocolate
¾ cup + 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Blue food coloring
Red food coloring
Passionfruit Cake (20 minutes prep + 30 minutes baking + 30 minutes cooling)
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Grease two 12” x 5” rectangular pans with shortening and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, passionfruit puree, canola oil, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together until just combined.
Mix in a drop each of yellow and orange food coloring to give the cake a more vibrant color.
Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Run a knife or offset spatula around the outside of the cakes to release them from the sides of the pan and allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack, removing the parchment from the bottom, and let cool completely.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
Using a cake leveler, cut off the rounded tops of the cakes and discard. Then cut each cake in half so you have four 12 x 5” cake layers, each about ½” tall.
With a sharp knife, cut the caramelized ends off the short sides of the cake. Set aside.
Mascarpone Frosting (10 minutes)
In a large bowl, using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, beat the mascarpone until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Sift in a ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing on low between each addition until incorporated.
While mixing on low, gradually add the cream and vanilla until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Divide the frosting in three equal batches:
Transfer one batch to a large piping bag with a large round piping tip and set aside.
Transfer the second batch to another large piping bag with a large star piping tip and refrigerate for later.
Leave the third batch in the mixing bowl and set aside.
Assembly (35 minutes)
Wash and thoroughly dry the blackberries and set aside.
Place your first layer of passionfruit cake onto the center of a rectangular cake board.
Pipe a ¼” thick layer of mascarpone frosting on the top of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula.
Carefully place about 10 oz. of blackberries in four rows, pressing them into the frosting slightly so they stay in place. Cover the entire layer.
Place another layer of passionfruit cake on top.
Repeat this process until you have 3 layers of cake, frosting, and berries. You should have about 6 oz. of blackberries remaining at the end. Keep refrigerated until later.
Top with the last layer of passionfruit cake.
Cut out two 5” x 5” squares of acetate and place them on the short ends of your cake.
With your spatula, spread a thin layer of mascarpone frosting on the top and long sides of the cake. Make sure to spread it all the way to the acetate at the ends, creating a seal.
Transfer the cake to the fridge to chill while you make the ganache.
White Chocolate Ganache (1 hour prep + 8 hours chilling)
Measure your cake to make sure it is 12” x 5”. If it’s not, that’s okay, you can still use the template provided, you just may need to adjust the height before printing.
Print out the template provided twice. Cut them out and tape the short ends together so you have a mold template at least 12” long. Do not trim it down yet.
Tape the paper template to a sheet of acetate and fold along the lines, folding one direction for the straight lines and the opposite direction for the diagonal lines. Use a ruler to help you get straight folds. Carefully remove the paper template and do this again so you have two acetate molds.
Set acetate molds aside on a baking sheet.
Place the white chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream just to a boil.
Immediately pour over the chocolate, making sure all chocolate is submerged. Let sit 5 minutes.
Stir the ganache in a single direction until smooth.
Add a couple drops each of red and blue food coloring and stir. Add an additional drop of each color at a time, until the ganache is the desired color.
Transfer to a large piping bag and let cool, a couple minutes, until it thickens up.
The consistency you’re looking for is soft, but not too runny. Pipe a little chocolate onto the mold. It should flow a little bit and then come to a stop. If it’s running a lot, let it cool more. If it’s too thick and not moving at all, warm the bag between your hands until it thins out again.
Once it’s ready, pour about a third of the ganache onto each of the acetate molds and spread evenly with an offset spatula, making sure the ganache fills all the crevices. Set aside the remaining third.
Clean up the edges of your molds by running your spatula along them, so they’re nice and straight.
Take your cake from the fridge, leaving the acetate on the short sides.
Carefully pick up one mold with both hands and hold it up to the side of the cake. Compress the mold so the design looks as desired and use scissors to trim off the excess, along one of the straight lines, so it fits neatly.
Press the mold against the side of the cake, using your fingers to straighten out the design and making sure it fits snugly.
Now do the same thing with the second mold on the other side of the cake.
Once your molds are in place, spread the remaining ganache on top of the cake with your spatula and smooth.
Place the cake into the fridge to chill, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Assembly Cont’d (10 minutes)
Once the cake has finished chilling, carefully remove the acetate from the sides.
Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess ganache that has run onto the cake board.
Take your piping bag of chilled mascarpone and pipe the frosting on top of the cake.
Decorate with remaining blackberries.
Serve immediately, using a heated knife to cut cleanly through the ganache. Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge, up to a week.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade
I am weekly stunned by the beauty of the delicate pastries you are creating, Shade, and this blackberry origami cake is no exception. It it delightful: beautiful and it looks delicious! I am hopeful that you will start a brick and mortar or online business so that I may buy some of these gorgeous things!