By David Tisue
One of the most underrated citrus cakes out there must be the Double Glazed Ruby Red grapefruit poundcake. That’s right — grapefruit. This double-glazed citrus beauty is just the ticket for something refreshing and tangy. This flavor profile is perfectly refreshing for the summer heat!
It is important to use fresh juice in this recipe, as juice from a container is usually sweetened and doesn’t have the same fresh flavor. Besides, you will need to get the zest from one of the grapefruits. You could add some red food coloring to the cake batter to make it more of a rose color, but I preferred it a natural color. I used cake flour in this recipe as it makes cakes so very tender. You could substitute all-purpose flour and still have a very tasty cake, but it won’t be quite as light. The crumb would just not be quite so tender. The recipe only calls for one cup of sour cream, so you don’t have to buy a whole pint. Adding a tablespoon of sour cream to the recipe makes for a thick, wonderful glaze that envelops this addictive cake.
Double Glazed Ruby Red Pound Cake
Ingredients
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons grated ruby red grapefruit zest
1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon reserved
For the 1st glaze
1 cup fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
½ cup sugar
For the 2nd Glaze
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon sour cream from the 1 cup
Preheat the oven to 350°
Generously spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick spray, and dust with flour or spray with cooking oil and flour spray.
On a large piece of wax paper, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Or you can sift it into a bowl.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (about five minutes).
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl and beat briefly again.
Add the grated ruby red grapefruit zest and ruby red grapefruit juice, mixing on medium speed until combined.
Add ½ of the sifted flour mixture, mixing on medium speed until just barely incorporated.
Add the sour cream, reserving 1 tablespoon for the glaze, and stir just until mixed through.
Stir in the remaining flour, mixing until just thoroughly combined. Be careful not to overmix. But you want it to all be incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
Drop the pan from a couple of inches onto a countertop. To remove any large air pockets.
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Have a rack over a catch pan or a rimmed cookie sheet ready.
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes
While the cake is cooling, heat the ruby red grapefruit juice with the sugar over medium heat in a small saucepan, or heat it in the microwave in a measuring cup, until the sugar has dissolved. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute, stirring occasionally.
After 20 minutes, invert the cake onto a rack, brush the first glaze all over the cake. Let the cake absorb all the glaze, picking up any leftover glaze that has dripped onto the catch pan, and brush again to incorporate as much glaze as possible.
Let the cake cool completely.
When the cake has completely cooled, mix the second glaze ingredients and pour over the cake, letting the glaze drip down the sides.