Grapefruit Pound Cake — Trust Me

As a Cooking Light devotee, I’m always ecstatic to receive my monthly copy of the magazine and page through to look for new recipe ideas. Some wonderful Cooking Light recipes I’ve found in recent months include butternut squash and spinach lasagna, fresh tomato, sausage and pecorino pasta, and peach and Gorgonzola pizza. All wonderful, and ones I recommend.

This post, however, is devoted to a slightly sweeter offering: grapefruit pound cake:

In addition to this delectable recipe, I also learned the origin of the name “grapefruit” in my latest edition of Cooking Light. As it turns out, grapefruits grow in “grape-like clusters” on trees, hence their name. I was so excited to learn that fun fact!

(And, while we’re on the subject of grapefruits, I need to mention that Kevin bought me my first pomelo recently, which is a sweeter version of a grapefruit. Isn’t it lovely?):

But back to desserts. Here goes:

Ingredients

• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 5/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons grated grapefruit rind
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice (about one grapefruit’s worth)
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and coat a pound cake pan with baking spray.
• Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well.
• Place granulated sugar, butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in oil, rind, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and milk alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour, and spoon batter into pan.
• Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake. Cool on rack.
• Place juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Cool slightly. Stir in powdered sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Drizzle over cake.