I strongly believe that there are two types of people — those who eat grapefruit and those who don’t. I want to be a grapefruit person; it feels fancy to scrape the ruby flesh from the side of its skin. To be able to handle the tart, sourness without my face pinching. Grapefruits, to me, are the sophisticated oranges of the world.
I was flipping through old editions of Feast, The Guradian’s weekly food magazine, and found Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for grapefruit yoghurt loaf cake. It was perfect. I could use the grapefruits that I had sitting on my counter and create a delicious, tender cake. The loaf cake's tartness is balanced by a touch of sweetness, resulting in a moist crumb. Incorporating yogurt into the cake preparation imparts a delicate tanginess and an almost velvety texture. Top it off with a traditional icing sugar glaze (if you want), and you’ve got the ultimate treat to brighten up your afternoon.
Ingredients
200g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 grapefruit
3 large eggs
100ml neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable)
125g greek yogurt
175g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
For the syrup
Juice of ½ grapefruit
1 tbsp caster sugar
For the glaze
2-4 tbsp grapefruit juice
120g icing sugar
Method
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and grease and line a loaf tin.
Put the sugar and grapefruit zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the sugar looks a bit like wet sand and it’s smelling fragrant. Add the eggs and oil, mix to combine, then stir in the grapefruit juice and the yoghurt.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then add to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. It’s ready when a knife or metal skewer is inserted and comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the grapefruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer for three to four minutes, then take off the heat.
When the cake is out of the oven, prick the top all over with a skewer, then pour the syrup over the cake and leave to seep through and cool.
To make the glaze, add a tablespoon of grapefruit juice at a time to the icing sugar until it’s a thick but pourable consistency.
When the cake is completely cool, spoon the glaze on top, nudging it down the sides, top with some extra zest, then slice and serve.
Scrummy, Natalie! You've reminded me of how much I enjoy eating pink grapefruit like an orange... I must seek some out! 😊
It sounds really delicious. I can just taste the tang of grapefruit on my tongue! Do you think it would also work with other citrus fruit like lemons and oranges--or perhaps a combo.