Have yourself a rich buttery slice of cake filled with the citrus flavor of grapefruit curd made from scratch!
This has been one hell of a week and sad to say for me, it’s only half way through. Much like the procrastinating I did with my cream cheese filled coffee cake, this one too, has been sitting on the back burner for some time now. But I have a legitimate reason as to why. Okay, maybe not but I’m going to blame it on my taxes… kapeesh? Good!
Related article: Cream Cheese Filled Coffee Cake
I spent the entire day on Monday running around Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan getting all sorts of errands done, followed by my tail sitting in a chair for more than 12 hours creating sheets and calculating an entire year’s worth of bookkeeping for 2014 so I can have my taxes done last night. LAST NIGHT! On tax day. This is a first for me but the kicker is, the preparation didn’t start till 9 PM! Talk about waiting till the last minute! Have you or do you know anyone who waits till the last minute like this? I am beyond exhausted from seeing numbers and receipts, and now that tax season is over with (thank god!), I am able to place my mind on other things.
Actually, all I really want to do is simply relax and reminisce on this buttery cake while watching TV. I miss my Bravo shows and I also miss this cake!
Grapefruit as you may know grows in season and although it’s peak is at its end, you may still find them at your local market year round. Since the holidays, I strangely developed an infatuation with citrus fruits, grapefruit being one of them. Why? I have no clue but I think it tastes amazing and till this day, I continue to consume a grapefruit about once or twice a week. And with many of them occupying much space in my fridge, I just knew, I had to create another recipe using this fruit.
Related article: Baked Grapefruit Donuts
Plus, this was my chance to make curd for the first time. Technically, my second. My first attempt failed leaving too many lumps but it was my error for rushing the cooking process. It truly is very easy to make and I plan to continue making my own for when a recipe calls for curd. Furthermore, although I’ve never purchased jarred curd, I imagine making it yourself is much cheaper and that’s always a plus in my book.
Nevertheless, this cake was perfect. From its buttery flavor to the curd’s soft creamy texture and moist crumb, this is one you just might feel less guilty about for having a slice as your morning breakfast with a cup of tea.
Now, I’ll have a seat for some much needed R&R.
Grapefruit Curd Filled Cake
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 9-inch cake 1x
Ingredients
CURD
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon grapefruit peel, grated
- 3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
CAKE
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons grapefruit peel, grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
TOPPING
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
- 1 medium grapefruit, peeled and sliced
Instructions
CURD
- In a 1-quart saucepan, whisk sugar and cornstarch together. Mix in water and egg yolks until no lumps remain. Bring mixture to a boil and continue to stir until it begins to thicken. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
- Whisk in grated peel and juice until curd become uniform in texture, about 2-3 minutes. No straining is necessary.
- Transfer curd to a dry bowl and refrigerate uncovered for 20 minutes. Once removed, stir one time before filling the cake.
CAKE
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a baking spray with flour, generously coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside over a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour, peel, baking powder and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Pour half the batter into the springform pan. Spoon curd evenly over the batter, spreading just up to 1/2 inch from the edge. Drop spoon the remaining cake batter starting from the edge of the curd working towards the center. Use an angled spatula to evenly spread batter towards the center of the cake to cover the curd.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until center is set, cake is golden brown. Center of cake may sink slightly. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before releasing the spring and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cake may be store in fridge.
TOPPING
- Dust powdered sugar over the top of cake and decorate with peeled grapefruit slices just before serving. ENJOY!
Notes
If grapefruit is unavailable, substitute using an alternate citrus fruit.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour`