NEW RECIPE: Grapefruit and Ginger Pound Cake

The area of culinary arts that I have the largest struggle with is definitely the baking part. Mainly because I like to play around with recipes, and baking is more of an exact chemistry. However, I do like to bake when I can, and usually I don't mess things up too horribly.

This recipe was definitely one of those kinds. I got the inspiration from a drink someone I met recently made. The drink consisted of grapefruit, ginger, and agave. To me, it was enticing because of the combination of grapefruit and ginger. In my mind, it made sense. Citrus and ginger are common pairings in Thai/Southeast Asian cooking, and both also go well in desserts or sweet drinks. I wanted to try putting in a cake, and this is the result I came up with!

The cake is a pound cake recipe derived from a sponge cake recipe by Gordon Ramsay. (I went for the pound cake because I prefer the denser crumb to that of the light sponge). I also chose to use an unsweetened whipped cream because of the amount of sugar in the cake and wanting to get a good balance. It turned out pretty well!

Recipe serves 12 people.

Ingredients:

175 g butter (about 3/4 stick)

175 g sugar

175 g flour

3 eggs

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

Zest and Juice of 1/2 Grapefruit, Segments of the other half

1 bar of chocolate (you won't use the whole thing)

1 tbsp grated ginger with juice

150 mL heavy whipping cream

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Preheat your oven to 355 degrees F. 

2) Place your chocolate bar in the freezer to firm up. 

3) Cream together the butter and sugar until light and aerated. It should double in volume and take about 5-10 minutes in an electric mixer. 

4) Add in the Grapefruit juice, vanilla extract, and grapefruit zest, and mix in. Slowly mix in the eggs one at a time before beating in the flour slowly. 

5) Transfer the cake batter to a greased cake tin, and bake for 35 minutes.

6) As the cake bakes, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks with a mixer or by hand. Add in the grated ginger with juice, then finish whipping into stiff peaks. Place in the fridge to chill until serving.

7) Let the cake cool before adding the whipped cream on top. Garnish with grapefruit segments and grate the chocolate bar over the top of the cake. 

For me, this cake is amazing because it has a great balance. The grapefruit on top adds a refreshing citrus zing to help offset the richness of the cake. The ginger whipped cream gives an additional aromatic note, and actually keeps the cake from tasting too sweet. The cake itself is filled with awesome flavors of grapefruit and vanilla that bring together the whole dessert. Overall, it has great balance and is a great way to turn a drink into dessert form!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)