Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake
Rearranging the way we eat grapefruit and yogurt every morning. Also eating cake for breakfast.
I don’t actually eat grapefruit and yogurt (or, sadly, cake) every morning, but if you slapped a fat slice of this grapefruit yogurt cake on my plate, I wouldn’t fight it.
Especially since my usual breakfast smoothie will have to sit on the back burner because my blender is no where to be found and I no longer have a normal working kitchen. We moved this week! Our kitchen is being renovated and while there are contractors in and out every day and a normal size oven is nonexistent, I can think of far worse situations. Because we’re IN OUR FREAKING HOME! It’s so damn surreal and I can’t wipe this smile off my face.
(For any concerned parties, don’t fret. I have a mini kitchenette in my basement that I can use in the interim. I’ve got an oven. I’ve got a (tiny) stove. And I’ve got a ton of recipes I made over the past few weeks to share! I just have no blender.)
Earlier in the week, I made a few of these grapefruit yogurt cakes. But that’s not how the recipe originally began. Sunkist asked me to test out a few recipes using their Star Ruby grapefruit and I had cake on the mind. I love citrus cakes so I gave a couple different versions a whirl before landing on the one. I’m going to be honest and say that I don’t normally eat grapefruit by itself. I love it brûléed, in a kale salad with salmon and sunflower seeds (really really good, I swear), or– if we’re being honest here– in an ice-cold margarita. But never in a cake. And oh my gosh. I know I get pretty passionate about most desserts but THIS? Grapefruit cake is ridiculously good. I can’t believe I waited this long and I dare you to resist eating only 1 slice.
I dare you!!
I started with a base of creamed butter and sugar and while the cake was tasty that way, I much preferred the 2nd cake I made. I used oil. I also reduced the amount of fat and increased the amount of yogurt. The crumb is just as rich, but it stays super moist for days and has a lighter texture; not quite as heavy and dense. And since we’re not creaming butter, we can skip the mixer! I love using yogurt as much as I can in my baking– especially Greek yogurt because it’s always in the fridge anyway. For some reason, I felt weird baking and serving this like a cake so I baked it in a loaf pan instead. Like, pound cake style!
Related: I feel weird 95% of the time, so don’t feel like you can’t bake this in another size pan. I’ll give you options in the notes!
From there, things got even better. I made a 3rd grapefruit cake using vanilla bean and all brown sugar– if you’re looking to add flavor to your cakes or pound cakes or quick breads, these are your friends. The two paired with the tart ‘n’ sweet Star Ruby grapefruits is just plain beautiful. You’ll use both the grapefruit zest and the fresh grapefruit juice in this cake and while too much grapefruit zest can be overkill, 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons seems to be the magic number.
Make sure you only grate the pretty rosy yellow part as the white pith is very bitter. Since we’re using both the juice and the zest, grate the zest first then cut the grapefruit in half and juice it. Expose that bright ruby red center! 1/2 of a grapefruit will give you around 1/4 cup of juice that you need. The other half is yours to eat. This way you’re not wasting a thing!
We’re using a grapefruit glaze too. You’ll need: confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and grapefruit juice. Use the rest from that grapefruit half! The glaze hardens after several minutes, so the cake is perfect for travel. But to be honest, it really doesn’t even need glaze. It’s plenty sweet and tangy as is, but without glaze this would just be a moist bread. And cake sounds so much better. Looks prettier, too.
And I WILL say that the bites with hardened glaze on top were my very favorite. ♥
Overall, this grapefruit yogurt cake is:
- Moist
- Refreshing
- Deeply vanilla
- Grapefruit glazed!
- Surprisingly good
What blows my mind is that Kevin loves it too. And that says a lot considering it’s not a chocolate something covered in peanut butter frosting. And it’s not steak, beer, or green bean casserole with extra crunchy onion things.
Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: 1 loaf
Category: Cake
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
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Unbelievably moist grapefruit loaf made with Greek yogurt and fresh grapefruit juice. The flavor and texture are both incredible!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180g) Greek yogurt*
- 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable or canola oil (melted + slightly cooled coconut oil works too)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons grapefruit zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
Grapefruit Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Once combined, whisk in the yogurt, brown sugar, oil, grapefruit juice, zest, vanilla extract, and seeds. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.
- For the glaze, simply whisk the ingredients together and drizzle over cake. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 5 days. I love it cold, so you can store it in the refrigerator too!
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Muffins/Cupcakes: prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Top with glaze. Makes about 12 muffins.
- Square or Round Cake: This batter will fit into a 9×9 inch square baking pan or a 9-inch springform pan (it will be too tall for a regular 9-inch round cake pan). Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool and top with glaze.
- Greek Yogurt: I use plain nonfat Greek yogurt. You can use low fat or full fat instead. Vanilla, honey, or any citrus flavors would work wonderfully here!
Keywords: grapefruit cake
And yes, this is breakfast food.
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