Durians can be an absolute joy to feast on given their creamy and sweet nature, and it’s easy to go on a massive buying spree when the King of Fruit is in season! However, what happens when you’ve eaten your fill of this delicious fruit but still have leftovers? Take a cue from our easy durian cake recipes roundup and turn that yummy golden flesh into light-as-air chiffon or butter cakes. Baking with durian doesn’t have to be hard — check out our durian cake recipes if you’re looking for different ways to indulge in your favourite fruit!
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Easy durian cake recipes to make at home
1. No Bake Durian Cheesecake
When it comes to durian cake recipes, durian cheesecake comes up top! Even amateur bakers will find this no-bake durian cheesecake recipe a breeze, as there’s no need to fret over oven temperature settings or fear of burning the cake. While it’s simple to prepare, the taste is anything but, as the crunchy crust complements the mousse-like filling well. Due to its no-bake nature, one bonus tip we have when you’re learning how to make durian cakes like this is to whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. This helps you avoid making a runny mess!
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 120g durian flesh (blended)
- 150g condensed milk
- 220g cream cheese
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 5g lemon zest
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 80ml cold heavy cream
- 6g gelatin powder
- 15ml cold water
- Pinch of salt
- 100g digestive biscuits
- 40g butter
How to make this durian cake:
- Start by melting the butter on low heat. Then, place your digestive biscuits (available on Cadbury, Oreo & Ritz Official) in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin (available on Sweejar Official Store).
- Combine both ingredients with a pinch of salt and mix well. Line a cake pan (available on Sweejar Official Store) with the biscuit mix (remember to press down firmly to make sure the base holds up) and chill it in the fridge.
- Using a mixer (available on Metro Official Store), mix the blended durian flesh, condensed milk (available on Shopee Supermarket), and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract (available on Shopee Supermarket), lemon juice and zest.
- Whisk the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add this into the main bowl to form your durian cream cheese layer.
- Microwave gelatine powder (available on HomeKong Mart) for five seconds, then add a spoonful of the cream cheese filling and mix. Pour this gelatin mixture into the main bowl.
- Remove your biscuit base from the fridge and pour the cream cheese layer on top. Then leave it in the fridge for four hours (or overnight).
- After the cake has solidified, remove the cake by inverting the pan and you’re ready to enjoy your tasty creation!
2. Durian Chiffon Cake
Durian chiffon cakes are perfect if you love the contrast between the rich fruit and the lightness of chiffon! What makes this durian cake recipe stand out is its use of vegetable oil instead of butter. The end result is a moist durian-flavoured cake that’s soft, fluffy, and definitely one of our favourite recipes when learning how to make durian cakes!
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 120g durian flesh (blended)
- 50g corn oil
- 70ml milk
- 40g caster sugar
- 120g plain flour
- 5 eggs (separated)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 80g sugar
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 130°C.
- Start your durian puree preparation by peeling the flesh off leftover durian seeds and using a hand blender (available on Heap Seng Group Official Store) to get a fine paste.
- Mix cooking oil, milk, and sugar in a bowl. Add plain flour , durian paste, and egg yolks and mix till it forms a batter (all available on Shopee Supermarket).
- Whisk the egg whites until they turn white and opaque. Squeeze in a dash of lemon juice and add the sugar in small batches as you’re mixing the egg whites. Mix till stiff peaks form.
- Combine the egg white mixture and egg yolk batter by introducing a third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold the remaining egg white mixture in.
- Pour the combined mixture into a cake mould (available on CHEFMADE Official Store), pop it into the preheated oven for an hour (130 degree-Celsius for 45 minutes and 160 degree-Celsius for the remaining 15 minutes).
- Let it cool before serving.
Pro Tip: It’s easier to separate yolks from whites when eggs are first taken out of the fridge!
3. Durian Lava Cake
Remember the hype about Domino’s Pizza durian lava cake back in 2020? This durian cake appealed to those with a sweet tooth with its mouth-watering lava filling and gooey goodness. Bring back this sweet dessert with the following easy durian cake recipe!
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8-10 minutes
Servings: 8 portions
Ingredients:
- 200g durian flesh (blended)
- 110g butter
- 4 tbsp yogurt
- 65g plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 220g fine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Oil
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Brush oil on your ramekins, then add a tablespoon of sugar in each and swirl the mix around to coat the sides and bottom.
- Whisk the remaining butter and add the durian puree, yoghurt (available on Unique Food Solutions Pte Ltd), vanilla extract, and sifted flour.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with salt and sugar until the mixture turns thick and light yellow.
- Gradually fold the durian puree mixture into the egg mixture.
- Fill the cups with the mixture and bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Leave your lava cakes to cool till room temperature and serve thereafter.
4. Durian Mousse Cake
Craving a more intense durian flavour from your durian cake recipes? Try baking a durian mousse cake! Durian mousse cakes pack a punch in the texture and flavour departments by offering fluffy sponge layers that pair well with the creamy durian puree. Attempt to give the legendary Goodwood Park durian mousse cake a run for its money with the recipe below!
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 400g durian flesh
- 4 eggs (separated)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 80g sugar
- 100g cake flour
- 200ml milk
- 5g gelatin
- Sugar to taste
- 300ml thickened cream
How to make this durian mousse cake:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Combine oil, water and vanilla essence. Set aside for mixing later.
- Add salt and egg whites to the clean bowl and beat on medium speed until frothy with big bubbles
- Add cream of tartar (available on Shopee Supermarket)
- and beat with a mixer until foamy, while gradually adding sugar until soft peaks form
- Reduce to low speed and beat in the yolks, one at a time. Then, add in the oil mixture that was previously set aside.
- Add sifted flour and keep the beating going. Make sure not to overwork the batter or it’ll deflate.
- Use a spatula (available on EZCOOK Official Store) to gently scrape the mixture into a pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Cover with cling wrap (available on Shopee Supermarket) to prevent the cake from drying out.
- While the sponge cake is baking, start preparing the mousse. Add the milk and puree the durian flesh.
- Bloom the gelatin powder in cold water and let it sit for two minutes. Microwave it for five seconds so it can easily dissolve into the puree mixture.
- Whip the thickened cream until stiff peaks form. Thereafter, combine with the durian puree to form your durian mousse.
- Assemble the final product by spreading the durian mousse over the sponge cake. Use a cake slicer (available on Walfos Official Store) to divide the cake into separate layers so you can spread the mousse evenly.
- When you’re done layering and filling out crevices, freeze the cake overnight before serving it the next day. Voila! You have made a delicious durian mousse cake!
5. Durian Butter Cake
Known as pound cake among veteran bakers, the durian butter cake has to be the simplest recipe on our list if you want to learn how to make durian cakes in easy mode! With its sweet, buttery taste, you’ll love how both durian and butter flavours mesh to overwhelm your taste buds — in a good way! Using a small range of ingredients and simple baking techniques, it’s the perfect durian cake recipe to try if you’re new to baking.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
- 160g durian flesh (blended)
- 180g butter
- 140g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 120g cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Prepare the cake batter by first mixing butter with sugar. Then add in the eggs to form a golden yellow mixture.
- Mix cake flour and baking powder (both available on Shopee Supermarket). Add the mixture in two batches, making sure to mix well in between for easier dissolving. Once done, pop the blended durian flesh in and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the batter into a loaf pan (available on Walfos Official Store) lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool and slice the cake so it’s ready for eating.
6. Durian Crepe Cake
This durian crepe cake may not be as easy as baking a no-bake durian cheesecake, but trust us, the results are worth the hassle! This rewarding durian cake recipe combines pleasing aesthetics with layers of luscious durian cream for a dessert that’s all smooth and no bite.
Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 30 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
Crepe
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 3½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- Salt
Filling
- 470ml heavy whipped cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 120g durian flesh
How to make this durian crepe cake:
- To make the batter for the durian crepe cake, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar and a pinch of salt
- Sift in the flour and tapioca starch (available on Green Earth Organic SG Official Store) and mix everything well until there is no lumps
- Cover the batter with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- While waiting, work on the durian crepe cake filling. Deseed the durian flesh (or use durian puree) and blend until it turns into a fine paste.
- Begin whipping the thickened cream and sugar until stiff peaks appear. Following this, carefully fold in the durian paste and mix well. Give the filling a quick mix with a mixer.
- Cover the filing with cling wrap and leave it in the refrigerator
- To make the crepe, heat a frying pan (available on Shopee Supermarket)
- on high heat and brush a layer of oil onto the pan to prevent the batter from sticking
- Pour in a scoop of the crepe batter and tilt the pan so the batter spreads out thinly and evenly. Let it pan-fry for a few seconds until solidified before flipping the crepe around to pan-fry the other side. Keep doing this until you have at least 10 layers of crepe.
- Start forming the durian crepe cake by alternating between laying a crepe down and spreading the durian filling over it. Repeat until you achieve the desired height.
- Once done, cover the durian crepe cake with cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes so it can set.
7. Burnt Durian Cheesecake
Hopping on the Basque-style burnt cheesecake trends, this localised version uses our King of Fruit to make a luscious burnt durian cheesecake. Slightly crisp on the outside, all wobbly and jiggly inside, what’s not to love about that caramelised skin and custard middle? Burnt durian cheesecakes are intentionally baked with high heat so you can achieve that caramelised top, but this is definitely a beginner-friendly durian cake recipe since you won’t need to worry about accidentally burning the cake during the baking process.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 130g durian flesh (blended)
- 200g cream cheese
- 20g icing sugar
- 30g condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg white
- 5g corn starch
- 115ml whipping cream
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 230°C.
- Begin by mixing the cream cheese, condensed milk, and icing sugar (available on Shopee Supermarket) until the mixture is smooth. Then add cornstarch to increase overall thickness.
- Add the egg yolks and egg white gradually, making sure each yolk is beaten well before proceeding to add the blended durian flesh and whipping cream.
- Pour the final mixture into a cake tin lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the top gets slightly burnt.
- Let it cool to room temperature. Then pop it into the refrigerator to set for three hours.
8. Durian Ogura Cake
Fancy a change from the average durian cake recipes? Unlike the other durian cake recipes mentioned above, the durian ogura cake requires a water bath baking method! Due to its egg-heavy recipe, ogura cakes require extra moisture to rise and give shape to its fluffy self. By adding steam to the formula, the cake can rise and get that cloud-like texture! The end result is a flawless brown top that beautifully contrasts its creamy yellow centre.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 50g durian flesh (blended)
- 200g cream cheese
- 50g caster sugar
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 egg white
- 35ml vegetable oil
- 50g flour
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 140°C.
- Begin by mixing four egg yolks, one egg white, vegetable oil (available on Shopee Supermarket), and durian puree. Then sift in the flour and mix in the salt until you get a thick blend.
- In another bowl, combine the three remaining egg whites with caster sugar and cream of tartar, and whisk away till you get a white, cloudy consistency.
- Combine both of these mixtures in two parts and mix them until you get an even batter for baking.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a square mould lined with parchment paper. Then, place the square mould into a hot water bath, making sure the water doesn’t come in contact with your cake mixture. This helps to prevent your cake from drying up and cracking.
- Once done, carefully remove the cake and parchment paper from the mould to reveal your yummy durian ogura cake!
Pro Tip: For a more convenient alternative, you can also place a bowl of water next to the mould in the oven.
9. Durian Custard Cake
No list of durian cake recipes would be complete without some good old custard cake! Durian custard cakes leverage upon the ingredients’ richness to deliver an eggy winning formula. By complementing the natural sweetness of durians with a silky custard consistency, you’ll adore how everything mashes to satisfy your inner sweet tooth! Experience the creamy and sugary goodness of durian custard cake by trying the recipe below.
Prep time: 50 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Cake
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 egg white
- 20g caster sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- 60g corn oil
- 60ml milk
- 100g plain flour
- 10g cornflour
- Separate batch of 4 egg whites and 80g caster sugar
Filling
- 120g Durian flesh paste
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 30ml milk
- 50g caster sugar
- 150ml milk
- 20g butter
- 180g non-dairy whipping cream
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 140°C.
- Begin with the cake batter. First, whisk the corn oil, milk, salt, vanilla essence, and caster sugar together. Then sift in both plain and cornflour.
- Next, add five egg yolks and one egg white into this batch and whisk away.
- In a separate bowl, beat four egg whites while pouring in 80g caster sugar in three batches. Do this until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the egg white mixture with the batter and mix well.
- Once done, bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 140°C, 10 minutes at 160°C and 10 minutes at 180°C.
- Leave the cake to cool while working on the custard. Start by blending the durian flesh into a fine paste and mixing in milk, sugar, and custard powder (available on Shopee Supermarket). Mix until smooth.
- Thicken the mixture by heating up the excess milk over a gentle flame and pouring in the custard mix. Stir until thickened before adding in butter and continuing the stirring process.
- Cover the paste with cling film and let it cool. Once done, whisk the non-dairy whipping cream until stiff peaks form and add it in to have your custard end product.
- As for cake assembly, slice the cake proportionately and spread custard on top of each portion. Then, layer the cake on top of each slice. Pipe some custard on the topmost slice to complete your durian custard cake recipe.
10. Durian Swiss Roll Cake
Craving for a slice of the Good And Rich Cake Shop’s durian swiss roll? Rather than waiting in line at the store, why not bake one yourself with our easy durian swiss roll cake recipe! This soft and fluffy roll cake is piped with luscious durian cream for a delightful afternoon treat to go with your tea.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 3 egg yolks
- 45g sugar
- 5g cornstarch
- 25g wheat flour
- 1½ tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp oil
- 200g whipping cream
- 200g durian
How to make this durian cake:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Start by beating the egg whites at high speed until you get a layer of froth. Add 15g sugar to the egg whites gradually. Once the froth gets finer, reduce your mixing speed to medium speed and continue beating until you achieve soft peaks.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks at medium speed while adding 15g sugar a little at a time. Stop when the egg yolks turn pale yellow.
- Sift in wheat flour (available on Foodsterr Singapore Official Store) and cornstarch into the beaten egg yolks and mix well. Add milk and oil.
- Fold in ⅓ of the beaten egg whites into the beaten egg yolk mixture. Repeat this until all the egg whites and egg yolk mixture are combined.
- Pour the batter slowly into a rectangular cake pan lined with parchment paper. Remember to tap the cake pan on the countertop a few times to get rid of air bubbles.
- Bake the cake at 200°C for 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the cake from the oven and tap it on the countertop a few times again.
- Extract the cake from the pan immediately and roll it into a log using a clean kitchen towel and set it aside to cool.
- With a hand mixer, beat cold whipping cream with the remaining sugar until stiff. Mix the blended durian into the whipping cream and set it aside.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, unroll it slowly to spread the durian whipped cream. Carefully roll the cake back.
- Refrigerate the durian roll cake for at least two hours before slicing it to serve!
11. Durian Pandan Cake
Torn between making a durian cake or a pandan cake? Why not both! This durian pancake cake recipe is perfect for those looking for a dessert alternative that is not too sweet or greasy. The strong flavour of the durian mixed with the light natural pandan fragrance makes this a treat for your taste buds. Trust us, you won’t feel jelak even after multiple servings!
Prep time: 1 day
Cook time: 2 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Pandan extract
- 80g pandan leaves
- 200g water
Durian sponge cake
- 4 eggs
- 120g cake flour
- 50g durian flesh
- 30g corn oil
- Salt
- 90g caster sugar
- ½ tsp white vinegar
Pandan whipped cream
- 100g whipping cream
- 20g powdered sugar
- 15g pandan extract
- 2g gelatin powder
Durian whipped cream
- 250g whipping cream
- 50g durian flesh
- 40g powdered sugar
- 25g water
- 4g gelatin powder
How to make this durian cake:
Pandan extract
- The pandan extract is the star of this recipe (aside from the durians, of course) and needs to be prepared a day in advance. Blend fresh pandan leaves (available on Market Boy Official Store) with water and pour the mixture into a bowl through a cheesecloth. We only want the pandan juice and not the sediments collected in the cheesecloth.
- Store the pandan juice in the refrigerator for a day. The next day, you will find that the pandan juice has separated into two layers – juice and pandan extract. Discard the juice and keep the pandan extract for this recipe.
Durian sponge cake
- Moving on to the durian sponge cake, coat a cake tin with corn oil.
- Deseed the durian and mix the flesh with corn oil and a pinch of salt to form a durian mixture.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, caster sugar, lemon juice until medium peaks form.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Sift cake flour into the egg mixture in three parts and mix well.
- Add the durian mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until well combined.
- Pour the durian sponge cake batter into the cake tin. Tap the cake tin on the countertop to release any air bubbles before baking it for an hour at 150°C.
- Remove the sponge cake from the tin and let it cool at room temperature.
- Divide the sponge cake into separate layers.
Pandan whipping cream
- Make pandan whipping cream by mixing the pre-prepared pandan extract with gelatin powder.
- Melt the pandan gelatin mixture in a hot water bath until it forms a liquid consistency and allow it to cool to room temperature thereafter.
- Pop a bowl of whipping cream into a pot of ice to keep it cool while you whip it with a hand mixer. Add powdered sugar and the pandan gelatin mixture while whipping until stiff peaks form.
Durian whipping cream
- To prepare the durian whipping cream, start by mixing water with gelatin powder. Then, melt the gelatin mixture in a hot water bath until liquid. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, mix durian flesh and whipping cream together. Sift the mixture to extract the durian flesh. Keep the durian whipping cream and discard the flesh.
- Keep the durian whipping cream chilled by cooling it in a pot of ice while you whip it with a hand mixer. Add powdered sugar and gelatin liquid while whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Alternate between the pandan whipping cream and the durian whipping cream when coating each layer of durian sponge cake to complete this tasty treat!
How long can durians last?
Durians are best eaten fresh, but what if you bought too many and can’t finish them at one go? The sad truth is that the leftovers can’t be stored for long. Once out of the husk, fresh durians can only last up to two hours in room temperature and five days in the fridge. Don’t let your leftovers go to waste, use them for the durian cake recipes below to turn them into delicious desserts for your loved ones!
What type of durian is better for baking cake?
From D13 to Mao Shan Wang, there are numerous types of durians that are popular in Singapore. However, your favourite durians may not be the best choice when it comes to baking yummy durian cakes. Here’s why: durian cakes lean on the sweeter side and hence, works better with sweeter, yellowish fresh durians instead of bitter-sweet, pale durians.
As such, D13, D24 and red prawn durians are some of the best durians to use for your bakes thanks to their fruity sweet taste. If you like a strong durian taste for your dessert, Mao Shan Wang also makes for a good alternative.
Exciting baking adventures await with these durian cake recipes
Thrilled to test these out for yourself? Make sure to snag these ingredients and have them delivered straight to your doorstep with our collection of baking supplies! If you’re feeling ambitious and want to expand beyond learning how to make durian cakes, we have you covered. Build upon your newfound culinary prowess by giving these Biscoff recipes or Korean banchan recipes a try. Finally, if you can’t get enough of indulging in quality durians, do check out these online durian delivery services. Don’t forget to head over to Shopee’s Durian Big Sale to enjoy more savings on the King of Fruits!
This article was updated on 8 April 2024. Additional research done by Caryn Tan.
