Pink desserts make a lot of people happy, mostly me. Unfortunately, most times they contain lots of artificial food color.
I got lucky when I spotted these luscious pink grapefruits at the market. It turned out, not only were they extra sweet and their beautiful deep hue, one of my favorites, just made me happy,
I immediately tossed them into my cart, inspired by a pink grapefruit cake I had earmarked in one of my German cooking magazines. On my list for some time was to create a version of that recipe to share with all of you.
For my take, I swapped out chocolate for white chocolate. You are free to use milk or dark chocolate varieties if you wish for your own version.
The cake is unusual and simple at the same time. It is basically a syrup-soaked affair. The white chocolate is melted into the syrup and incorporated into the batter.
If you like, finish the cake off by garnishing it with additional shaved or grated white chocolate which I may or may not have meant to do but forgot.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 pink grapefruits
- 3 oz white chocolate
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup demerara or muscovado or brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line the bottom of an 8X8 inch square pan with baking paper so that the paper overlaps on all side. Grease the paper inside the pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt together and set aside.
- Wash one of the grapefruits, pat dry and zest the rind.
- Cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze out 3 tablespoons of juice.
- Cut the white chocolate into pieces and place it with the butter in a double boiler.
- When the chocolate has melted together with the butter, mix in the white granulated sugar.
- Whisk in the grapefruit zest and juice.
- Beat the eggs together in a separate bowl. Slowly pour 1/4 cup of the hot mixture into the eggs to temper them, whisking constantly.
- Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
- Fold in the flour-salt mixture and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and use the overlapping baking paper to transfer the cake to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- In the meantime, juice two of the grapefruits.
- Fillet the remaining grapefruits.
- Heat the grapefruit juice with the vanilla extract and the brown sugar. Boil for 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool.
- Arrange the pink grapefruit fillets over the top of the cake. Pour the syrup over the top, transfer to a serving plate, cut and serve.
