Pound Cake With A Twist Recipe

You've had lemon cake. You've had orange cake. But have you ever had grapefruit cake? Well, recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished created this delightful recipe that's undeniably perfect for adding a touch of brightness to your table any time of year.

"I always look for ways to tweak/change up classic," she says. "Grapefruit seemed like a natural and fresh spin to put on a lemon pound cake."

To make this cake extra moist, Shelbert relies on Greek yogurt, which lends a pleasant balance and tang to the tender, sweet crumb. An easy citrus glaze made with both grapefruit and lime juice is liberally drizzled over the top for even more fresh flavor.

Once baked, this cake keeps for four days on the countertop, but Shelbert has another tip for lengthening the shelf life: keeping it in the fridge as a cold snacking cake, where it will last up to a week. Of course, once you've tasted it, we'd be surprised if it sticks around that long.

To make this grapefruit pound cake, you will, of course, need grapefruit: both juice and zest. You need only ¼ cup of juice and about 2 tablespoons of zest, which means 1 whole grapefruit should suffice, and may even be more than you need. (Save the rest of the juice for the glaze — we'll get to that in a minute.)

In addition to the grapefruit, you'll need the usual pound cake suspects: sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. You'll also need butter, eggs, and Greek yogurt, all of which should be at room temperature before beginning. This will help all of these ingredients combine into the batter more evenly.

To make this grapefruit pound cake, first preheat the oven to 350 F. While it heats up, prep your loaf pan — 8x5-inch — by either greasing it with butter or lining it with parchment paper. Set the pan to the side while you make the batter.

This pound cake batter comes together fairly quickly, especially if you have a stand mixer or electric beater. Begin by beating the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Next, beat in the eggs one by one. Finish off the wet ingredients with the vanilla, grapefruit juice and zest, and Greek yogurt. Mix until well combined, then set aside.

With the wet ingredients combined, it's time to move on to the dry. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt to remove any clumps. Then, gently fold this mix of dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

As with any cake batter, once the flour has joined the party, less is more when it comes to mixing. Overworking flour encourages the development of gluten, which creates the structure and elasticity you love in bread. In cake, though? It can become dense or tough. Be sure to stop stirring the second all of the flour is combined with the wet ingredients, and you'll be rewarded with a tender, delicate cake.

With the batter made, it's time to bake your pound cake! Pour it into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center emerges clean or with just a few crumbs attached.

Now comes the hard part: the waiting. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before gently turning it out onto a serving plate. Waiting for the cake to cool before manipulating it will help ensure it remains whole without breaking, cracking, or sticking.

When the cake is nearly cooled, assemble the ingredients to make that glorious glaze. To make it, you'll need 1 tablespoon of lime juice and 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice, along with 1 cup of powdered sugar (aka confectionary sugar). You may also want to grab some fresh mint to garnish.

It's always nice to use both the zest and the juice of your citrus in any recipe. Not only does the zest add even more aroma, but this also cuts down on waste. If you're making a recipe that only calls for one or the other, however, Shelbert has a yummy tip. "I like to use leftover zest/juice in citrus herb ice cubes, or I throw them in sparkling water to make a mocktail," she says. "Otherwise, I place the citrus fruit in a storage bag for up to a week for a later recipe."

When the cake is completely cooled, it's time to decorate it. First, whisk together the glaze, combining the juices and sugars, and stirring until shiny and smooth. Then, just drizzle the glaze all over the cooled cake. Finish the cake by topping it with the garnishes of your choice: Shelbert suggests fresh grapefruit zest, lime zest, fresh mint, or chopped pistachios, which will lend a lovely crunch to the top of the finished cake.

Allow the glaze to set slightly before slicing for even prettier pieces. Enjoy the cake on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to really gild the lily.