Moist passion-fruit cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm sandwich cake tin.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale. Add the grated rind of one lime.

4. Halve the passion-fruit and scoop out the pulp. Rub the passion fruit pulp through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk the sieved passion-fruit into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour and salt, then add the single cream and the milk.

5. Whisk together the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff. Using a metal spoon carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the passion-fruit mixture. Pour this into the prepared cake tin.

6. Put the cake tin into a roasting tin and pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes until set and cooked through. Test whether the cake is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean the cake is cooked. If not, bake for a further 5 minutes and test again. Cool the cake on a rack.

7. While the cake is baking, make the rhubarb compote. Place rhubarb, 75g caster sugar and vanilla pod in a non-reactive saucepan. Add the water, lime juice and zest. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and cook gently for 5-10 minutes until the rhubarb is tender. Cool and chill.

8. Serve slices of the passion-fruit cake accompanied by a dollop of rhubarb compote, slices of papaya and whipped double cream.