Am I the only one who’s wondering whether warmer weather is ever going to come? I have this sinking feeling that we’re going to go from May showers to December freezes and skip that whole part in the middle completely. Be that as it may, I’m baking for warmer days regardless. When the sun is shining and those hot summer days finally come around, I always crave refreshing treats at the end of the day. I love traditional pound cake, but I crave a little citrus to counteract all that buttery richness. 

Normally, I would turn to the trusty and always pleasing lemon for this sort of thing, but I wanted to mix it up a little bit and give the lemon’s pink cousin, the grapefruit, a chance to shine. I eat a lot of grapefruit, it’s my go-to breakfast most days, so I already had what I needed on hand to make this cake happen. The grapefruit’s tart, almost bitter notes ended up working really well with the moist pound cake. And just to guild the lily a little more, I topped off the finished cake with grapefruit icing and a little whipped cream. And let me tell you, it was yummy. My fiancé, who loathes grapefruit, ate almost half the cake in one sitting. Seriously, I barely had a chance to sneak in some photos before it was gone! 
***On a side note, the recipe here is for a standard 9 1/2″ X 5″ loaf pan, but I halved that to accommodate a smaller pan I wanted to use. If you don’t halve the recipe, your cake will end up a traditional pound cake size and shape, perfect for slicing.***

Grapefruit Pound Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

240g cake flour

Zest of 2 grapefruit, scrubbed well

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

400g granulated sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

57g whole milk

57g grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed and strained

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the icing:

TT Powdered sugar

TT Grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed and strained 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Spray a 9 1/2″ X 5″ loaf pan with cooking spray. You can also line the pan with parchment and spray again for easier cake removal.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and grapefruit zest until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.

4. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as necessary to incorporate fully.

5. Add the flour mixture and beat just to combine.

6. Add the milk, grapefruit juice and vanilla and beat to combine. Do not overbeat.7. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.8. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.9. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 20 minutes, then unmold from the pan and allow to cool completely, about 2 hours.

10. While the cake is cooling, make your icing. Start with about 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and add the grapefruit juice a tablespoon at a time until you have a thin icing that can be poured over the cake.11. Once the cake is cool, top with the icing, allowing it to drip down the sides. Now slice and enjoy that puppy!To give this cake it’s crowning glory, whisk some heavy cream, sugar and vanilla together and top a slice with a big spoonful!

Anyone else a pound cake fanatic? It’s such a sneaky dessert! It’s texture is almost like a muffin, and I’ve been tricked more than once into having pound cake for breakfast! Not the healthiest way to start the day, but it’ll definitely start you off with a smile. By the way, if you like pound cake, but you aren’t a grapefruit fan (!), you can substitute lemon zest and juice at a ratio of 1:1. Either way, let’s all have a slice and pray for warmer days!

xo – Cassie