👥8 people
⏲️25m
🕐45m
🍽️dessert
A bright and flavorful cake with a light, citrus taste.
Ingredients
- For The Cake:
- 1 ½ large fresh Florida grapefruit
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks (reserve whites at room temperature)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon grated grapefruit zest
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh Florida grapefruit juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- For The Filling:
- 2 eggs, separated (add whites to reserved whites in bowl)
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon grated grapefruit zest
- ⅓ cup fresh Florida grapefruit juice
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- For The Meringue:
- Reserved egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup sugar combined with 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
Method
- Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Preheat the Egg to 350 degrees F indirect heat.
- Grate rind of one grapefruit to measure 1 tablespoon zest. Squeeze the same grapefruit to yield ½ cup unstrained juice. Cut half grapefruit into segments. Reserve all separately.
- For The Cake: In a large bowl, cream butter on medium speed in a mixer, gradually beating in sugar until fluffy. Add 2 egg yolks and whole egg; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder, and zest, and add alternately with milk and juice to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating well after each addition; stir in vanilla. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 28 to 30 minutes until the pick inserted in center tests clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan to cool completely.
- For The Filling: Combine egg yolks and water. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and flour; add yolk mixture and zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat; stir in juice and butter. Cover loosely and cool. Place cooled cake on a baking sheet. Spoon filling evenly on cake to within ½ inch of edges.
- For The Meringue: Beat the four egg whites (at room temperature) with cream of tartar for 1 minute on high speed. Gradually add sugar/grapefruit zest mixture, beating until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Spread topping over cake filling, covering completely. Using the back of a tablespoon, form decorative swirls from center to edges.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes until peaks are lightly browned. Cool completely. Just before serving, decorate the center top with reserved, well-drained grapefruit segments and if desired a sprig of fresh mint.
