Good news durian lovers! Durians are back in season, which means that there are more Musang Kings and D24s for you and your loved ones to enjoy.

Still, if you’re looking for an interesting way to enjoy the rich flavour of the king of fruits, why not try your hand at baking a delicious durian sponge cake laced with soft cream cheese?

What’s more, the subtle buttery sweetness of the mascarpone whipped cream blends really well with the juicy durian flesh.

Simply put, if you’re a durian lover, this cake (along with this recipe) is right up your belly. Enjoy!

Ingredients

A) Sponge cake mix A

• 90ml fresh milk
• 5 pieces durian, de-seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks (use scissors)
• 140g cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/4 cups castor sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 60g salted butter, melted at room temperature
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

B) Sponge cake mix B

• 4 egg whites
• 55g fine castor sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

C) Durian filling

• 10 pieces of durian, de-seeded

D) Mascarpone whipped cream

• 230g mascarpone cheese, refrigerated
• 296ml heavy whipping cream, refrigerated
• 70g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

A) Sponge cake mix A

• Line the bottom of a round cake pan (preferably 76mm x 203mm) with a layer of parchment paper. Do not grease the cake pan.
• Preheat the oven to 175°C.
• Whisk the castor sugar and egg yolks until they’re mixed well and then add in the melted butter. Next, add in the cut durian pieces and whisk thoroughly as well.
• Add in the milk and vanilla extract, the the sifted cake flour and baking powder into the mixture.
• Add in the salt and whisk till all ingredients are mixed well. There should be no lumps in the batter when you’re done.

B) Sponge cake mix B

• With an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites till they’re frothy.
• Add in the cream of tartar and whisk till a thick foam forms.
• Then, gradually add in the castor sugar and continue to whisk till firm peaks form.

C) Combining sponge cake mix A & B

• Gently fold in the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture in four batches. Mix until everything is combined well.
• Then, gently pour the batter into the cake pan and level it out. To do this, simply shake the cake pan from side-to side until the batter levels out; tap it against the tabletop to remove air bubbles.
• Next, place the cake pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the top of the cake turns golden brown.
• Use a toothpick or a thin skewer to poke the centre of the cake and see if your cake surface is smooth; it is baked if the toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the pan.
• Once it’s cool, run a butter knife along the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan.
• Then, turn the cake over from the pan onto a cake board so you can remove the parchment paper.
• Next, peel off the cake skin on top of the sponge cake. Repeat this twice so you get three sponge layers.

D) Durian filling

Cut the 10 pieces of de-seeded durian flesh into chunky pieces.

E) Mascarpone whipping cream

• Place your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for five to 10 minutes to chill.
• Then, add the cold mascarpone cheese, cold heavy whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract into your bowl and beat at a medium-low speed.
• Then, increase the mixing speed and beat until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat the mixture as it will separate.

F) Assembling the cake

• Spread a layer of mascarpone whipped cream on top of one layer of the cake and add a layer of durian filling.
• Then, stack the second cake layer on top of the first. Repeat the above step for the third layer as well.
• Finally, coat the entire top of the cake with whipped cream. Depending on your preference, you can also choose to coat the sides of the cake lightly or to coat the entire cake with whipped cream. It’s up to you.

Tip: Keep the mascarpone whipped cream refrigerated. However, if kept in the fridge for too long, you may need to re-whip it and add in some icing sugar to re-thicken the cream.

For more of Justine Lim’s recipes, go to her Instagram page or follow Butterkicap’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com. Butterkicap is a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of her people, food and places.