Dragon Fruit Cake

• 1 dragon fruit, peeled and cubed
• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ tablespoon salt
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup, or to taste (Optional)

Dragon Fruit Cream Cheese Icing:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 ¾ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (16 ounce) package vanilla buttercream frosting

Directions

1. Place dragon fruit flesh in a blender or food processor and purée. Transfer purée to a bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
3. Sift cake flour, all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
4. Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time; beat until yolks disappear.
5. Combine milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract together in a cup and set aside.
6. Add 1/2 flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, beating until just combined. Add 1/2 milk mixture. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add remaining milk mixture and stir until mixed thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup dragon fruit purée and very lightly swirl into cake batter.
7. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
9. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes; turn out onto wax-paper lined racks and cool 5 minutes more. Brush tops and sides of cakes with simple syrup.
10. While cakes are cooling completely, beat cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar slowly and beat 3 minutes more. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons dragon fruit purée, beating until combined and purée is completely incorporated.
11. Place one cake layer top-side up on a serving plate; place strips of waxed paper under edges of cake to keep the plate clean. Spread approximately 1/2 vanilla buttercream frosting on top. Top with second layer, bottom-side up and lightly frost top and sides with remaining vanilla buttercream frosting.
12. Apply dragon fruit cream cheese icing to top and sides of cake, leaving some of vanilla buttercream frosting showing through.

Tips

Try to find pink-fleshed dragon fruit. White is more common, but the pink one gives the frosting the nice pink hue.

Simple syrup is an equal mixture of sugar and water, cooked over high heat until it comes to a boil.

Leftover dragon fruit purée keeps well in the refrigerator for up to five days and can be used as a topping for ice cream or oatmeal or to make smoothies.