Elderflower Grapefruit Cake

“The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.”
– Robert Frost

After a string of blustery, gray, flurry-filled days, I was in the mood for bright flavors and created this elderflower grapefruit cake. With a floral sweetness from St. Germain and a vibrant touch from ruby red grapefruit, this cake disappeared from my counter so quickly that I regard it with a rather magical quality. I love it warm, but the flavors intensify as it cools.

From cider poached pears to citrus desserts, crisp fruitiness is the perfect match to classic winter days. A decadent hot chocolate is warming, but bright flavors are a true mid-winter treat. Whip up this recipe when the weather is brisk, and your kitchen will be scented with sweet elderflower, invigorating grapefruit, and freshly baked cake.

Ingredients

Cake

12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks), plus some for pan
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus some for pan
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest of one ruby red grapefruit
½ cup fresh ruby red grapefruit juice

Syrup

½ cup fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
¼ cup St. Germain
¼ cup sugar

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing a 9-inch cake pan with butter and flour. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Next add the flour mixture and the grapefruit juice incrementally, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.

In the meantime, make the syrup by combining the juice, St. Germain, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Once the cake is done, run a knife around the edges, and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Turn the cake out of the pan then invert it right side up, and allow it to cool for 5 additional minutes. Place a plate under the rack, use a toothpick to poke holes throughout the cake from the top down, and brush about half of the elderflower syrup onto the cake in stages so that it is absorbed. Some may drip onto the plate below. Once the cake has soaked up a sufficient amount of the syrup, return the remainder to the small saucepan, cook until it becomes thickened. Drizzle cake with syrup or top with powdered sugar if desired.