A lovely, layered cake that is perfect for spring and summer. This would be a great dessert for Easter as well.
I’m definitely thinking and dreaming of spring over here in Montana. We are just coming out of a long, hard freeze with subzero temps. So, I am READY for warmer weather, budding flowers and blossoms, bright springtime flavors, walks outside in the sunshine, gardening, and more. Time to bring on spring!
So, that brings us to this layered cake. It’s a grapefruit cake. Citrus seems like a great flavor for spring and summer. And I bought a huge bag of grapefruits, so be on the lookout for more grapefruit recipes.
I’m not one to eat grapefruit plain, but when you add it to a cake it becomes pretty delicious. And the pinkish-orange color of the fruit and the juice is just beautiful.
The sponge for the cake is light and fluffy and flavored with real grapefruit juice. The frosting is a buttercream that also has grapefruit juice and zest in it. The pink drip around the edges is not flavored, but it looks pretty. haha.
The inside has a triple berry filling between each cake later. Not only does that filling give a new flavor element, but it also adds a pop of color and it just looks pretty- so there ya have it. A pretty cake is much more desirable than a plain one. That’s probably a scientific fact. Notice my layers of filling aren’t too thick. You want your cake to be stable, so only a couple of tablespoons are needed between layers.
If you want tips on how to do a drip, you can search for videos on Instagram or Youtube. It is made with white chocolate chips and heavy cream. I colored my cream BEFORE adding it to the chips. I heat the cream and food coloring and then pour some over top of the chips. Only add about 1/2 of the cream to start- you can add more as needed. Let is just sit and soften the chips for a minute before trying to stir. If the chips still aren’t melted enough you can wait another minute and stir again, if needed microwave the bowl for 5-10 seconds at a time, and then stir. Repeat as needed until the chips are all melted and the mixture is smooth. I use a squeeze bottle to apply the drip, but you could use a spoon if you need to. Go slow and don’t add too much drip. You can adjust as needed as you see how your drip is doing. You don’t want it to run all the way down the sides of the cake, just about halfway.
So give this cake a try. Lemon doesn’t own the citrus market. Let’s give other citrus fruits a chance in the spotlight!
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 7 eggs, yolks separated- at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup grapefruit juice, then filled with water to reach 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 Tbs grapefruit zest
- 2 tsp vanilla
- For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 3/4 cup shortening
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 6-8 Tbs grapefruit juice- as needed
- 2 Tbs grapefruit zest
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- For the drip:
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips- use a high quality brand
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- food coloring- I used a dusty rose color
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the whites in a large, glass mixing bowl, set the yolks aside in a separate bowl. Beat the whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form, then set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and give them a quick stir. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, water/ lemon juice, zest, oil and vanilla and stir. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Beat until combined, about 1 minute. Fold in 1/3 of the stiff egg whites with a rubber spatula, once mixed in fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Grease and line 3, 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease and flour the top of the paper. Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cakes are done. If the cake is jiggly it's not done, bake for another 5 minutes then check it again. You can lightly touch the top of the cakes, if your finger leaves a dent in the cake, then bake a few more minutes. Or you can use a toothpick inserted near the center to test for doneness.
- After baking, allow the cakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then slide a butter knife around the edges to separate the cake from the sides of the pan. Invert the pan onto a cooling rack and slide the pan off the cake. Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.
- When layering the cake, pipe a ring of frosting around the edges and then add the filling inside of that. Top with another cake layer and repeat with the frosting and filling. For the top layer, of course, do not add filling. Spread a thin coat of frosting over the whole cake and then chill the cake, 20-30 minutes is fine. Then put the final coat of frosting on the cake.
- Let the cake chill in the fridge again while you make the drip. Add the white chocolate chips to a medium/ small mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream and the food coloring. You only need a tiny bit of coloring- but use enough to achieve the color you want. (It will lighten a tiny bit when mixed with the chips.) Microwave the heavy cream and coloring for about 30 seconds. It should be hot, but not boiling. Pour about 1/2 of the cream over the chips. Let them sit for a minute and then stir. Add more cream as needed to get the right consistency. If the chips still aren't melted, you can microwave the mixture for about 5-10 seconds at a time. Stir again.
- Once the desired consistency is achieved- you can spoon the mixture over the edges of the cake, or use a squeeze bottle. Go light with the drip, you can always add more, but you can't really take it off you get too much.
- Pipe extra frosting on the top of the cake, if desired. Decorate as you desire.
- Serve fresh, or within a day or two.
Click here for the Triple Berry Filling recipe.
If you like cake check out these recipes, too.
