2 | 52 Grapefruit Pound Cake

After the holidays is before the celebration.

That's what it always feels like when my grandma's birthday is coming up on January 4th, so shortly after Christmas and New Year's.

This year I wanted to bake something that could easily be offered to visitors (no cutting, no plates, no mess) so I looked for a cake that could be baked in those cute little paper mini loaf pans.

When I ask my grandma what kind of cake she likes, she always says that she doesn't care as long as it involves a fruity flavor and is not dry.

Browsing Pinterest, this is what I decided on:

2 | 52 Grapefruit Pound Cake

From Cooking Light Magazine (Jan 2012) via Taking On Magazines

250 g (2 cups) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

335 g sugar (1 2/3 cups) sugar

85 g (6 tablespoons) butter, softened

170 g (6 ounces) cream cheese (reduced fat)

2 large eggs

60 ml (1/4 cup) canola oil

2 tablespoons grapefruit peel, grated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

180 ml (1/2 cup) milk

180 ml (1/2 cup) fresh grapefruit juice

160 g (1 1/4 cups) powdered sugar

• Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F).
• Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
• Mix sugar, butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in oil, grapefruit peel, and vanilla.
• Alternatingly, add flour mixture and milk to batter. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Let cool.
• Bring grapefruit juice to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Cool slightly and stir in powdered sugar. Drizzle over cake.

My modifications:

I don't have canola oil at home so I used olive oil instead. I've done it before in other cake recipes and it has never been problematic flavor-wise.

I didn't cook the frosting but mixed it as always: powdered sugar in cold liquid. Worked well and still had a good flavor.

The taste:

I really loved how moist this cake was! And the flavor in general was very good. BUT.

The problem - I think - was the grapefruit peel. It tasted so unbelievably bitter that the cake had a sharp taste that almost burned my mouth. I kid you not. And it definitely wasn't in the frosting with just the juice but in the batter.

Additionally, while it tasted nice and citrusy, you couldn't taste that it was grapefruit. So next time I will just make it with orange, lemon or lime. I've never had these peel problems with those citrus fruit.

What's your grandma's favorite cake?