Passionfruit - it puts the summer in autumn.

It's March. Summer is gone, the mornings are crisp. Pleasantly so, but confusing wardrobe-wise. To jacket or not to jacket?

And so, our year rolls on. Once again I missed the Moonlight Cinema boat, I've sadly nearly missed the picnic season, and I've thankfully escaped the swimsuit season and can put my bathers back in the bottom drawer where they belong (is that a gentle autumn zephyr outside or the collective sigh of relief of all Elwood's beach goers?). People are starting to ask about soup at work, uni homework has hit with a vengeance and I'm longing for the Easter break.

But it's not all hot cross buns and casseroles. 

Enter passionfruit. All that purple and yellow screams summer, but happily it's also in season in March. As if to soften the blow of the inevitable arrival of winter. 

Admittedly passionfruit don't generally feature heavily on my shopping list. They play a cameo role at best. But a lovely lady-with-a-baby I know has a bountiful vine in her yard, and so my charge and I scratched around one afternoon and collected the perfect fruit that had fallen to earth. Ok, I collected, he ate grass. But whatever, the sun was shining, there was fruit all around, we were in backyard heaven.

I went home that day a richer woman. Six passionfruit richer. Got me thinking about ye olde days. Perhaps they had it sorted with that whole barter economy thing. Suits me. I'd give up cash for food, such is my lust for it. I give you my child minding services, and you give me fresh produce. I guess the terms and conditions could get tricky though. One hour of babysitting equals how many passionfruit? 

My happy fresh fruit bonus led to all kinds of fruity food imaginings, but in the ended I opted for a simple cake. I had a little play around with a basic butter cake recipe. It worked pretty well, have a go and please tell me what you think. 

Passionfruit Butter Cake

125g unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups SR flour 

1/2 cup yoghurt + 2-3 tbs milk

Pulp of 3-4 passionfruit

Cream butter, vanilla essence and sugar till pale and creamy (taste it, all that butter is freaky I know, but delicious). Add eggs one at a time. Add passionfruit pulp. Stir in half sifted flour and yoghurt, then the remaining flour, yoghurt and milk. Spoon into a ring tin and bake in a moderate oven for 40mins or till light golden and a skewer comes out clean. 

When the cake has cooled somewhat make a runny icing to drizzle over from 2 passionfruit, a little butter, icing sugar and hot water. A nice runny icing will be almost more like a glaze which I like. But if you lean more towards the spreadable icing way of thinking, then of course make it thicker.

When all is said and done in the kitchen, put the kettle on and take a slice of cake out into the sun. Close your eyes, eat, and muse over the wonder of the big orange ball in the sky that keeps us earthlings warm.

So go grease that ring tin and have yourself a final fling with summer. Mmm passionfruit.