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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Did you know the pound cake goes back to at least the 1700s? That’s an old recipe, and traditionally it only called only for flour, butter, eggs and sugar.
Things have changed since then, but some of the earliest recipes did call for citrus juice. A recipe from 1851 called for the juice of a few lemons and oranges!
That makes making grapefruit pound cake not as crazy as it sounds. In a way, it’s traditional!
So, let’s make a grapefruit pound cake and serve it with a pitcher of iced tea to enjoy with friends on the porch. That’s the right way to enjoy a quiet evening!
This recipe calls for butter, sugar, eggs and flour, of course, and a pinch of baking powder, salt and a splash of milk.
The vanilla extract gives the spongy cake a nice feel, but the stars of the show are grapefruit zest and juice.
The zest brings the aromatics and the most attractive bitterness, and the juice keeps the pound cake moist and gives it that unmistakable citrusy flavor.
I make my pound cakes in a loaf pan for a rustic look. It’s easier to slice that way as well. Of course, use a Bundt cake pan or any mold for yours.
For the topping, I dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar and serve it with homemade whipped cream but get creative and top yours with fresh fruit or something nice! Pound cakes are noble like that; you can customize them to match your table decor!
Let’s make a grapefruit pound cake and celebrate the bitter-sweet fruit.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9″ loaf pan with butter. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until fluffy; mix in the eggs one at a time. Once incorporated, add the vanilla extract, grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture slowly while beating.
Pour in the milk and incorporate it.
Pour the pound cake batter into the greased pan and cook for 50-55 minutes or until cooked through.
Cool down before unmolding. Slice and serve with whipped cream.
