Lemon Passionfruit Cake with Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream

April 21, 2026marissamakes
A lemon passionfruit cake with raspberry mascarpone buttercream styled in a bright but rustic setting. There are yellow tulips, sliced lemons, passionfruit, and raspberries that top the cake and are scattered around the scene.

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves: 8-10

I love a cake filled with tart, fruity flavors, and this lemon passionfruit cake with raspberry mascarpone buttercream is truly sunshine in cake form. It’s perfect for celebrating late winter and spring flavors, and the natural color from freeze dried raspberries in the buttercream makes this cake extra visually striking. This cake has a lemon sponge, is filled with tart and sweet passionfruit curd, and is finished with a not-too-sweet mascarpone buttercream. If you can’t get fresh passionfruit, you can use 100% passionfruit juice instead.

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What is passionfruit?

If you’re not familiar with passionfruit, please allow me to introduce you to this strange little fruit that really packs a punch. There are many varieties of passionfruit, but they all look somewhat like a dinosaur egg on the outside, either a shade of purple or green. As they ripen, the skin wrinkles, which looks odd but means they’re balanced in flavor and ready to eat.

When choosing passionfruit, pick ones that have a bit of weight to them, because this means there’s more pulp inside. Passionfruit are generally a pretty lightweight fruit though. Pick ones that are wrinkly, but not to withered. To get the juice, cut them open and press the pulp through a fine strainer. The seeds are crunchy, but are perfectly edible. Just not the best texture for this cake!

Ingredients for the perfect cake

This lemon passionfruit cake is filled with tons of punchy flavors, thanks to lemon juice and zest in the cake, and passionfruit juice in the curd. If you can’t, I recommend using fresh lemon juice and fresh passionfruit juice (from strained pulp) wherever called for in this recipe. If you can’t find fresh passionfruit where you live, you can substitute with bottled juice as long as it’s 100% passionfruit juice and not a juice blend.

The sponge of this lemon passionfruit cake is sort of a pound cake, sort of not. It’s on the denser side, but super moist thanks to the inclusion of sour cream and milk in the batter. You’ll also need standard cake ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla.

To get the lemon flavor to really come through in the sponge, rub the lemon zest into the sugar before beating with the butter. This allows the oils to really permeate the mixture and make a lovely lemon flavor in the finished cake.

How to make the best passionfruit curd

I love making fruit curds. I think it’s an incredibly easy way to make something incredibly delicious. For this recipe, you will need around 11 passion fruits, depending on their size. Preparing the passion fruit pulp for the curd is a little bit of a labor of love, but I promise it’s worth it! You will need to spoon out the pulp and pass it through a strainer, so that you are left with only the passion fruit juice. Feel free to save the pulp and seeds to use as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal!

Many curd recipes call for the use of a double boiler, or tempering the eggs. I personally do not find either necessary. Passionfruit curd is very easy to make: everything except the butter goes into the pot at once, and it only takes about 10 minutes in total. Make sure you whisk your eggs well before you add them to the pot. To ensure even cooking, continue whisking the entire time the curd is over heat. To guarantee an extra silky smooth lemon curd, simply pass it through a mesh strainer before using.

This passionfruit curd has a higher proportion of butter to help it set. Because we are using it as a cake filling, I like to make it the night before to give it sufficient time to firm up and set in the fridge, but you can also make it 2-3 hours in advance.

The prettiest raspberry buttercream

One of my favorite things about baking with raspberries is the gorgeous natural color that comes along with them. This raspberry mascarpone buttercream (adapted from Baker Bettie’s mascarpone buttercream) is one of my favorites because it’s not too sweet, and oh so silky. It uses freeze dried raspberries for intense flavor (and color), which pairs so nicely with the sharpness of the citrusy flavors in the sponge and filling.

Tips for making this cake

Time management is really the biggest factor in this cake. I like to get my passionfruit curd made before I do the cake layers (or made in advance), and then make the raspberry mascarpone buttercream when the cake layers and curd are already cool. You can also make all the components 1-3 days ahead of time. Simply refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

It’s super important that all the ingredients are room temperature when making each component, unless otherwise noted. If the butter, dairy, or eggs are too cold at any point, it can cause the batter or buttercream to split. The only part where temperature is not a big deal is when making the curd.

When assembling this passionfruit-lemon cake, make sure the curd is cold and set, the cake layers are cold or at room temperature, and the buttercream is room temp. For each layer with filling, create a thick buttercream dam around the edge so nothing leaks out. Just take your time, and it will come out beautifully!

Tools you’ll need

I recommend using a stand mixer or hand blender for this recipe, and you will need a food processor or blender to grind the freeze dried raspberries.

You will also need two 8” cake pans, or three 6” cake pans. If you are making a 3 layer cake, you may need dowel supports to help stabilize the cake layers during assembly. I also suggest using an offset spatula or frosting smoother to help with smoothing the raspberry mascarpone buttercream.

How to store this lemon passionfruit cake

This cake keeps very well in the fridge, covered carefully, for 3-5 days. Allow to come to room temp before serving.

Looking for more springy and bright dessert ideas?

Why not check out my…

Double Lemon Cake with Marionberry Compote

Strawberry Financiers with Rhubarb and Rose Buttercream

Meyer Lemon Italian Meringue Pie

Key Lime Pie with Speculoos Crust

Passionfruit Curd Tart with Shortbread Crust

I hope you give this Lemon Passionfruit Cake with Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream a try! Be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your bakes, and leave me a comment below! Your feedback helps other bakers who are giving this recipe a try, and I love hearing about your bakes!

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Lemon Passionfruit Cake with Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream

  • Prep time: 3 hours
  • Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Total time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Serves: 8-10

This lemon passionfruit cake with raspberry mascarpone buttercream is truly sunshine in cake form. It’s perfect for celebrating late winter and spring flavors, and the natural color from freeze dried raspberries in the buttercream makes this cake extra visually striking.

Ingredients

For the cake sponge

  • 3 cups all purpose flour, (397g)
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1.5 cups white granulated sugar, (300g)
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (226g)
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature (60g)
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup milk , (177ml)
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste, or vanilla extract

For the passionfruit curd

  • 1 cup passionfruit juice, seeds and pulp strained out, from about 8 passionfruit (237ml)
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 3/4 c white granulated sugar, (100g)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (170g)

For the raspberry mascarpone buttercream

  • One 1.2oz bag Freeze dried raspberries, (34g)
  • 1.5 cups unsalted butter , Softened to room temperature but not warm (339g)
  • 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature (227g)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed, at room temperature (60ml+)
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Make passionfruit curd

  • 1)

    First, make the passionfruit curd to give it time to set before using. This can also be done the night before.

  • 2)

    Add the passionfruit juice, lemon juice, and sugar to a medium sized heavy-bodied sauce pan or pot. Beat the eggs and yolks thoroughly and add to the pot. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken. Make sure to whisk the edges of the pot thoroughly, as this is where the curd has a tendency to burn.

  • 3)

    Cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, or until the curd starts to thicken. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon, and you can draw a line through it that holds its shape with your finger.

  • 4)

    Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the passionfruit curd into a heat-proof container, such as a pyrex, to remove any bits of egg.

  • 5)

    Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, to the container with the hot passionfruit curd. Stir continuously until all the butter is incorporated. The heat from the curd will melt it into the mixture

  • 6)

    Cover the passionfruit curd with cling wrap so that the wrap is touching the surface of the curd and allow to cool fully before using, at least 2 hours-overnight. It will continue to set as it cools, so don’t rush this part.

Make the sponge layers

  • 1)

    Grease and line two 8″ cake pans and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  • 2)

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  • 3)

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until incorporated and fragrant. Then add the butter, and cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

  • 4)

    Next, add the 3 eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla paste (or extract). Don’t worry if the mixture splits a little bit from the high fat content: it will come back together.

  • 5)

    In two additions, add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, then add the lemon juice, sour cream, and milk together in two more additions.

  • 6)

    Divide the cake batter evenly among the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the two cake layers to cool fully on a wire rack before using.

Make the raspberry mascarpone buttercream

  • 1)

    Using a food processor or blender, grind the freeze dried raspberries into a powder. If you like, you can sift it to remove any seeds, but this is up to your preference.

  • 2)

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted its a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, mascarpone, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until combined and fluffy.

  • 3)

    Add your raspberry powder, and beat until combined. Next, add your powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, scraping down the bowl in between additions. After you have added two cups, taste the buttercream, and continue adding powdered sugar until you reach your desired sweetness. More sugar will make a stiffer buttercream, so add a dash of heavy cream as needed until you reach your preferred consistency.

Assemble the cake

  • 1)

    Trim the very tops of the cake layers to expose the sponge and create a flat surface.

  • 2)

    Starting with the bottom cake layer, spread a thin layer of buttercream across the sponge, and pipe a ring of buttercream, about 1” tall around the edge to create a dam for the passionfruit curd.

  • 3)

    Spoon about 1/4 cup of the passionfruit curd onto the cake layer. Feel free to add a bit more, but don’t add too much or the cake won’t be as stable.

  • 4)

    Add the top cake layer and fully frost and decorate with the buttercream, as desired. Garnish with passionfruit pulp, fresh raspberries, and lemon slices. Serve chilled or at room temperature with an extra dollop of passionfruit curd.

Notes

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You may substitute the vanilla paste with an equal amount of vanilla extract.

Mascarpone buttercream recipe adapted from Baker Bettie.

All components can be made in advance:
The passionfruit curd can be made up to 3 days in advance (I like to make it the night before), and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
The cake layers can be stored in the fridge, wrapped well in Saran Wrap, for 3 days.
The buttercream can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge. Simply bring to room temperature and beat at medium speed for a few minutes until it’s fluffy again before using/

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