Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake…can’t you just taste it now? It’s packed to the gills with the essence of fresh grapefruit and positively loaded with poppy seeds.
That’s white grapefruit, by the way, the most under appreciated citrus fruit. Those sugary red and pink varieties are fine, but my heart belongs to the ever so slightly bitter, puckeringly sour white fruit.
Especially when you bake it up in a cake — the flavor is subtle and sophisticated. I’ve used white grapefruit in lots of recipes on the blog, from my unusual Grapefruit Blossom Pot de Creme, to my Homemade White Grapefruit Vinegar. One of the simplest is my Grapefruit Brûlée, which takes the world’s healthiest breakfast ~ a half grapefruit ~ and gives it just a touch of decadence!
It’s hard to keep track of all the layers of grapefruit in this cake…it starts with fresh juice and zest blended into the batter, then, after baking, the still warm cake gets drenched with yet more juice, and finally the whole thing is topped off with a grapefruit glaze… just in case there were any doubts!
That extra soaking with fresh grapefruit juice after it comes out of the oven gives this cake more citrus flavor than you could ever pack into it otherwise.
It seems to me that this technique has fallen out of popularity in recent years, we used to do it all the time with lemon and orange pound cakes…stabbing them with chopsticks and filling them to their limit with a thick syrup made by boiling down the fruit juice mixed with sugar. If you love citrus like I do, it’s one of the few ways to really infuse citrus flavor into anything baked. You could make a grapefruit syrup for this cake, but I think it’s easier, and fresher tasting, to use the plain juice. You can poke holes all over the top to encourage the juice to sink in, or just pour it right down that lovely crack that opens up along the equator of the cake as it bakes.
I know 3/4 of a cup sounds like an awful lot of poppy seeds, (and it is!) but they give flavor and crunch to the cake, and they create a unique texture as well. You can find inexpensive poppy seeds in bulk containers online at Amazon. But don’t try to do this with the teeny bottles the big name spice companies sell, it’ll put you in the poorhouse! Can you make this with fewer poppy seeds? Sure, it just won’t be as special.
And yes, in case you were wondering, poppy seeds can trigger a false-positive result on a drug test…but no, you can’t get ‘high’ by eating them…so just plan accordingly, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups (yes, you read that right) poppy seeds
- 1 cup buttermilk
- zest of 2 grapefruits
- 5 Tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- several Tbsp of fresh grapefruit juice
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Grease a standard bundt pan.
- Put the buttermilk in a small bowl and add the poppy seeds, grapefruit juice, and zest. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Add about 1/3 of the flour, then 1/3 of the buttermilk, and continue until everything is well combined.
- Spread the batter in the bundt pan. Smooth the top slightly to make sure it is even.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is risen and golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Let the cake cool for about 10 to 15 minutes and then loosen the cake all the way around the pan and invert it onto a plate. If you have trouble removing it, rap the bottom of the pan sharply on a firm surface and try again.
- Flip the cake back over so the risen side is up. Make little holes with a skewer all over the top and then spoon the fresh juice all over the top, letting the juice seep into the cake. Do this slowly so the juice has a chance to soak in.
- When the cake is completely cool. pour the glaze over it, and enjoy.
Notes
You are going to need about 2 grapefruits for this cake.
more grapefruit poppy seed love …
Glazed Grapefruit Poppy Seed Muffins from Girl Versus Dough
Grapefruit Poppy Seed Vinaigrette from Cooking Light
Grapefruit Poppy Seed Bread from The Year in Food
Grapefruit Poppy Seed Doughnuts from Baker by Nature
Grapefruit Poppy Seed Bars from Epicurious
41 Comments
Toesin
May 3, 2017 at 3:33 pmLooks heavenly but I’m wondering why you flip the cake back over so the risen side is up? That is unusual for Bundt cakes.
Sue
May 3, 2017 at 3:37 pmI did that because I think the glaze sinks in better, but you can do it either way, Toesin.
Eva
April 7, 2015 at 10:55 amI just made this over the weekend and it turned out lovely! It rose really well and was very moist. My glaze didn’t turn out as nice as yours in the photos, but the cake itself was delicious!
Sue
April 7, 2015 at 11:00 amGlaze is so tricky, I often need to make it much thicker than I think so that it doesn’t disappear right into the cake!
Kate
March 10, 2015 at 8:25 amOh my gosh, this looks so good! I remember stopping on I-5 on our way from San Francisco to LA one time and picking up a bag of white grapefruit on the side of the road–it was the best grapefruit I ever ate!!!
tina jeffers
March 5, 2015 at 1:07 pmI love grapefruit and it’s so nice to have something so bright and fresh in the dead of winter. Can’t wait to try it!
Jules @ WolfItDown
March 1, 2015 at 9:53 amAh! This sounds heavenly! I love grapefruit, and I have been wanting one of those cake tins SO bad! Cooks more evenly than the normal ones, no? :) x
PS I love the fresh recipes and the photos here :D
Betty
February 25, 2015 at 10:04 pmGorgeous! Hubby can’t do grapefruit, so I’d have this all to myself. :) Love all of the poppyseeds!
Kitchen Belleicious
February 25, 2015 at 7:32 pmusually its lemon with poppy seeds but I am loving that it is grapefruit and I can only imagine how wonderful this taste
Abbe+@+This+is+How+I+Cook
February 25, 2015 at 3:30 pmYou are on a citrus roll! Love the twist on this cake, Sue!
Susan
February 25, 2015 at 3:03 pmWell, HEY NOW! I haven’t popped in in a good while and look what I find when I do! I see you’ve been busy! This cake is such a clever spin on that old chestnut of a lemon poppyseed cake! Clever and lovely! That firstphoto makes drew me right in on this post, Sue! Gorgeous and luscious!
Sue
February 25, 2015 at 5:13 pmThanks Susan, I love that phrase ‘an old chestnut’ — sometimes they’re the best recipes!!
Nancy Buchanan
February 25, 2015 at 12:40 pmIt does my heart good to know I am not the only lover of yellow (as in flesh!) grapefruits – and in a poppy seed cake??? Sheer bliss! Seriously cannot wait to try this – love the tip about just using the juice to flavor the cake after it bakes – brilliant!!!
John@Kitchen+Riffs
February 25, 2015 at 10:19 amI love poppy seed cake. Never had it with grapefruit, though. Terrific idea — thanks.
Donna Elick
February 25, 2015 at 7:58 amOh wow Sue! What a delicious twist on poppyseed cake. I am ever intrigued by the use of white grapefruit. I am a pink lover (for eating fresh) but can’t wait to try white in baked goods.
grace
February 25, 2015 at 6:34 ami do get so tired of lemon poppy seed this and lemon poppy seed that. it’s time a different kind of citrus teamed up with poppy seeds! this looks fabulous. :)
Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine
February 24, 2015 at 6:17 pmThis one is calling my name, it looks beyond amazing Sue!
denise@magnoliaverandah
February 24, 2015 at 5:13 pmI love grapefruit but I would not have tried it in a cake like this for fear it would make it quite bitter (you see I love those white grapefruits from my garden too). I have made something like this with lemon. A good cup of tea is definitely in order with this little beauty.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
February 24, 2015 at 3:24 pmWhat a gorgeous cake! I love desserts with poppy seeds, so I will have to bake this soon!
Barbara
February 24, 2015 at 5:49 amLooks beautiful and tasty, Sue. Have been working my way through a cookbook my daughter gave me and one of the recipes is a kumquat poppy seed cake. Hoping I can still find some kumquats in the market, but doubt it…..might have to wait until next winter. :(
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
February 23, 2015 at 10:23 pmOh yes I can taste this cake! I love all the poppy seeds and that glaze is luscious!
Catherine
February 23, 2015 at 9:55 pmDear Susan, this cake looks beautiful and sounds like heaven to me! Pinned. xo, Catherine
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 10:00 pm<3
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
February 23, 2015 at 7:03 pmWhat a beautiful cake. Love the glaze.
Liz
February 23, 2015 at 5:58 pmWhoa, does your cake look terrific! Nice idea to use grapefruit juice instead of the typical lemon :)
Monique
February 23, 2015 at 1:54 pmI bet it is delicious!
I am so happy to have found a whole lot of poppy seeds somewhere..they are getting scarcer and scarcer here.
Sippitysup
February 23, 2015 at 1:41 pmI agree with your comment of having a preference for white grapefruit. Except I would end your sentence with “especially in cocktails”. GREG
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
February 23, 2015 at 12:15 pmSue, I’m all about citrus these days. . I LOVE this cake!!!! thanks for the tip on the poppy seeds!
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 12:43 pm:))
Angie@Angie's+Recipes
February 23, 2015 at 11:04 amThat’s lots of poppy seeds! The cake looks super, Sue.
Susan
February 23, 2015 at 10:18 amYou know, I have never tried grapefruit in a cake recipe! This sound so good and bring on the poppy seeds, in my opinion. We just returned from a week in California where citrus trees were loaded with fruit and we ate our fair share. Great recipe!
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 10:23 amThanks Susan, the trees are loaded here, and what’s even better, the blossoms for the next crop are coming out and the scent is unreal.
PurpleQueen
February 23, 2015 at 9:11 amWow! What a beautiful cake! I cant wait to make it. I made your cardamom crumb cake this past weekend. Absolute heaven on an plate! I so enjoy visiting here!
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 9:37 amThanks so much, I love good feedback ;) This cake is wonderful, but after my brownies earlier this week, I had to give most of this one away or I’d be in serious trouble…
Jessica | A Happy Food Dance
February 23, 2015 at 8:20 amLove the extra soaking with grapefruit juice, I bet that give the cake such an intense citrus flavor! Beautiful photos too!
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 9:37 amIt’s a nice change from lemon!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
February 23, 2015 at 8:11 amThis cake looks to die for! The more poppy seeds, the better, I think. :)
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
February 23, 2015 at 7:07 amWell that is one gorgeous cake! I adore grapefruit and have been devouring them lately. They are so juicy! Give me a cup of tea and a slice of this cake – yum!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
February 23, 2015 at 5:33 amSo lovely! I am so loving all the citrus goodies this time of year :)
Jennifer Farley
February 23, 2015 at 5:23 amI just love grapefruit in baked goods. This looks amazing.
Sue
February 23, 2015 at 7:47 amYour grapefruit curd ice cream is my hero…