Sponge: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans (24 cm).

Separate the whites from the yolks. Add the egg whites to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it begins to foam. Add 1 cup of sugar by spoonfuls. Beat until fluffy and white.

With the mixer on, add the yolks, one at a time. Pour milk of a little bit at a time and vanilla, until well mixed.

In a small bowl, mix 2 cups of flour and baking powder. Add flour to the egg mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix with a wooden ladle with enveloping movements, from bottom to top, so as not to deflate the eggs. Continue until all the flour is mixed.

Divide the dough into the two round cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and the center of the cakes feels firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and turn the cakes over to a cooling rack (this helps it to have a flat top). Leave the cakes there for 5 minutes. Turn over and with a knife release the edges (make sure the cake can come out of the cake pan).

While the cake is hot, make holes. Immediately pour half of the milk mixture to each cake. (do this in 2 steps, it doesn't absorb everything at once)

Milk mixture: In a large measuring cup, mix all the ingredients. If you are doing this with fresh fruit and you do not want the seeds, you can heat everything in a saucepan, on low heat. Then strain it through a colander. The milk left is infused with the delicious passion fruit flavor but without seeds. Once you pour all the milk on the cakes, leave them in the refrigerator overnight, or about 4 hours.

Meringue: In a medium bowl, add egg whites and the sugar, mix well. Set the bowl over a small pan with simmering water (it should not touch the water). Stir constantly the sugar is dissolved. You can touch the egg whites with the tips of your fingers to check. It takes between 2 to 5 minutes (mine took 3 minutes).

Add the whites to a clean bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until the bowl doesn't feel hot to the touch (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and beat 1 more minute. If desired, add more passion fruit pulp and mix it with a ladle.

How to assemble the cake: Put a plate on top of the cake pan and turn it over, the cake should come out without much help.

Spread half the meringue with the help of a knife. Making sure there is meringue on the entire surface.

Remove the other cake from the cake pan with the help of a plate. The cake should be cold, and a little firm. Slide the cake from the plate on top of the other cake. Add the rest of the meringue and finish decorating the cake.