Grapefruit and Vanilla Pound Cake

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Spring is here! I am ready for all the bright, light, and delicious desserts! Elara’s birthday is coming up next month and she’s been begging me for a tea party. And of course, I said yes. She also asked if I’d make little tea cakes for it, which is where these mini Grapefruit and Vanilla pound cakes come into play. I added grapefruit zest to a moist soft pound cake and then glazed it with a pink grapefruit glaze and topped it all off with vanilla whipped cream. Vanilla and citrus together, in general, is such a lovely combination and this grapefruit and vanilla pound cake is absolutely the epitome of spring!

I made mini pound cakes so they’re more like tea cakes using a rectangular silicone mold. Each cake is about 1×3 inches. If you want to make a large 9×5 loaf, double the recipe and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

The grapefruit and vanilla pound cakes themselves aren’t that sweet so the glaze goes perfectly with them. Feel free to omit the glaze if you want if you’re not a fan or if you want to keep the sweetness low.

I love how moist and dense the grapefruit and vanilla pound cakes came out! to lighten the cake up slightly, I made homemade vanilla whipped cream. I used vanilla bean paste because I really wanted to have the little specks of vanilla bean in the whipped cream, but if you don’t have it, good quality vanilla extract works too!

These would be so cute on a dessert table for a tea party or bridal/baby shower! If you give them a try make sure to tag me on social @milkandcardamom!

Grapefruit and Vanilla Pound Cake

Author: Milk and Cardamom
Yield: 16 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

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Instructions

Tea Cakes

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease the mini cake pans ( I used a rectangular silicone mold that made 1’x3′ cakes) with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup (125 g) granulated sugar, 1 tbsp grapefruit zest, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Use your hands to rub the zest into the sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar turns pale yellow and fragrant. Add 7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter and mix with a hand mixer for 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down often. Add 1/4 cup (60 g) cream cheese and mix on high for 3 minutes. Add 1 egg and mix for 30 seconds, add 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp vanilla bean paste and mix on high for 1 minute. Sift in 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour and gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients until the flour is just incorporated.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag or large freezer bag. Cut a 1/2 inch opening and pipe the batter into each cavity of the pan so that it’s 3/4 of the way filled. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are golden brown.
Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before turning them out and cool completely on a rack.

Grapefruit Glaze

Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp of grapefruit juice and a small amount of pink food coloring and mix until smooth. If the glaze is thick add more grapefruit juice 1 tsp at a time.
Dip the top of each cakes into the glaze and let the excess drip off before flipping over and placing onto a rack. Let the glaze set for 15-30 minutes or until it’s dry to the touch.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Add 1/2 cup whipping cream, 3 tbsp of powdered sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla bean paste to a mixing bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes. Make sure not to overmix it as it’ll turn into butter. I stop right when the trails of my whisk start showing in the whipped cream.
Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe the whipped cream onto each cake. Decorate with grapefruit zest and sprinkles.

Notes

To make this cake eggless, substitute the egg and 1 yolk with 1/3 cup of sour cream and add an use an additional 1/2 tsp baking powder.
To make one large 9×5 loaf, double the recipe and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American