Allow me this space to keep it real.
Part of growing up (and oh how I want to wrestle that concept) is figuring out how to comfort myself. Man alive… that’s a hard one.
We all have our shaky moments, when life flips itself upside down and reminds you that you’re not exactly the boss of everything around you. In those moments, believe me when I say, I just want to hurl myself on the floor and throw a bona fide tantrum. The only problem with tantrums, is that people don’t really cares much as they did when I was three, and it just ruins my mascara.
Then there’s french fries. French fries are far better than tantrums.
Even better than french fries I’ve found, is a good, loud sing. When I needed comfort yesterday, when I was feeling a little shaky, I literally stood in my living room and sang whatever songs came to mind. Loud. With my eyes closed. Like I really meant it. From the inside. It felt so so good.
And then there’s cake.
This Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake is a little bit of sophisticated comfort. There’s a lovely tang and moist crumb from the whole-fat yogurt. The trick to getting the most out of the grapefruit, is to rub the zest into the granulated sugar. Really get in there, creating a super fragrant grapefruit sugar.
Comfort. A cake or a song… what works for you?
Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
makes one 10-inch cake, about 12 servings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Juice and zest of 1 pink grapefruit. This ends up being about 1/2 cup of juice and 1 Tablespoon of zest.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan and line the pan bottom with a parchment paper round and set aside. I used a Bundt type springform pan, greased and floured well and skipped the parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt to blend.
On a clean surface, or in a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and zest. With the back of a spoon or a flexible bench knife, rub the grapefruit zest into the sugar. The essential oils will release into the sugar creating a beautifully fragrant sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and grapefruit sugar until the eggs are thick and pale yellow. Add the yogurt, oil, 1 Tablespoon of grapefruit juice and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted near the center. Place the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake Release and remove the pan sides. Coo completely on the wire rack.
In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and the remaining grapefruit juice and bring to a boil Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the glaze is slightly thickened. My glaze didn’t thicken significantly, but still seemed to do a great job on the cake. Remove from heat.
To finish the cake, invert the cooled cake and remove the pan bottom. Carefully peel away the parchment paper if you used it. Reinvert the cake onto a serving plate. Pierce the cake all over the top with a skewer and pour the warm grapefruit slowly over the cake. I did this with the help of a pastry brush.
Store at room temperature, wrapped well for 2 days.
Jessica
The thought of you standing in the middle of your living room singing your heart out to chase the shakes away made me smile. :)
mike
Enough about the food (it’s always incredibly delicious-looking, creative and wonderful). But your photography, especially your grapefruit cake “hero shot” is what I appreciate about your blog. I love how you blend modern day baking with vintage serving dishes and flatware. Magazine-quality, truly!
Jennifer
I dont know why I had never thought of such a thing… we use other citrus in cakes, why not grapefruit? :) lovely!!!
Sugar Duchess
Amen to the singing. Instant gratification right there. Although, by the time I’m finished making a cake, I’ve forgotten about whatever was making me upset. And grapefruit! Lucky I bought me some yesterday…
snooky doodle
this cake looks delicious! I wwould like a piece for breakfast, lunch , dinner and snacking :) when I feel down I just watch one of my favourite movies usually a an animated movie :)
Jennifer
Hi Joy,
You know what I love best about that cake? You could SO justify eating it for breakfast. Who’s gonna argue with grapefruit?! And yogurt?
I hope the sing and the cake helped flip life back right-side up!
carsen
I remember this! :) Yum.
Ricki
No contest: cake (and this looks fabulous). Besides, I need to spare those around me from hearing what comes out of my mouth when I try to sing!
chanina
Sounds lovely!
I love citrus cakes, will probably make this later this week, we have tons of grapefruits!
Nirvana
Yay to comfort food! :) This looks delicious!!!!
Amy
I am definitely in the cake-for-happiness category. In fact, over the last week I’ve baked five cakes because I’ve really needed this extra bit of comfort. And so far, it’s working (although my freezer is absolutely bursting with all this excess baking!). I’ll bookmark this recipe and keep it in mind for the next time!
kokomama
This is perfect, because pink grapefruit is in season right now (I live in FL), and I have some whole milk yogurt leftover in my fridge. Thanks for posting!
rachellake
I do the singing thing too, only works when the roommates aren’t home though. This cake sounds lovely, hope it brought you the comfort you need.
I made a second batch of lemon souffle puddings last night – I think they are going to be my new go-to comfort food.
jean
I’m going to make that cake today. As far as comfort goes, nothing does it for me like reading a favorite book or watching a favorite movie. It helps me get a sense of how big the world is, how much is going on (all within the safety of my living room). After a few hours I’m usually ready to join back in again. I hope you feel better.
ingrid
Sounds & looks wonderful. I don’t have grapefruits but I’m going to try it with two blood oranges I have in the fridge. Thanks!
~ingrid