The perfect grapefruit pound cake is a combination of zest bespeckled loaf cake a zippy grapefruit drizzle to soak in more flavor, and an easy, crisp glaze to finish.
1¼cupgranulated sugardivided, plus 2 Tbsp for coating pan
4large eggsroom temperature
1tspvanilla extract
1Tbspgrapefruit zest
2cupsall purpose floursifted
1½tspbaking powder
½tsppink himalayan salt
¾cupgrapefruit juicedivided, room temperature
Grapefruit Icing
1cuppowdered sugarsifted
2Tbspgrapefruit juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter your favorite loaf pan and coat with the extra 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar (see recipe notes). Set pan aside.
Cream together the beaten butter with 1 cup of sugar until it looks fluffy (5 minutes). Scrape down the bowl.
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl between each egg. Add in the vanilla and grapefruit zest.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift half the mixture into your grapefruit cake batter. Fold it in gently with a rubber spatula.
Pour in ¼ cup of the grapefruit juice. Stir until just combined.
Sift in the remaining dry ingredients, and fold until no dry spots are left. Make sure to scrape the batter away from the bottom to check that nothing sank.
Pour in another ¼ cup of grapefruit juice, and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 350ºF for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, combine ¼ cup of granulated sugar with ¼ cup of grapefruit juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes), and remove from heat to cool slightly.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, and then pour the syrup over the whole top of the cake. Let the syrup soak in, and cool the cake in the pan completely.
Use an offset spatula to go around the edges to help release the cake. Set on a wire cooling rack.
For the glaze, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp grapefruit juice, and pour this over the completely cooled cake. Allow the icing to set before serving.