March 17, 2021

Grapefruit Pound Cake

This Grapefruit Pound Cake is dense, super moist, and delicious!! If you love grapefruit, you need to try this cake. It’s topped with a grapefruit glaze to add the perfect amount of sweetness to this citrusy treat.

grapefruit pound cake with glaze and zest on top
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If you enjoy cakes that are moist, dense, and full of flavor, this Grapefruit Pound Cake recipe is for you! All you need is one large grapefruit and a few simple ingredients to bake this cake and you will have a special citrusy treat.

I needed to use up some of the grapefruit in my fruit bowl before it went bad so I decided to try it in a cake! You only need one large grapefruit to make this pound cake. I used a pink grapefruit, but you could also use a ruby red or yellow grapefruit.

The pink grapefruit I used tinted the cake and the glaze ever so slightly to create a beautiful pink hue. As I mentioned, the cake is super dense and moist so don’t expect it to rise too much, but do expect it to be delicious!

Ingredients Needed to Make Grapefruit Pound Cake

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • baking powder
  • unsalted butter, room temp
  • sugar
  • eggs, room temp
  • fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
  • grapefruit zest
  • milk, room temp
  • confectioners powdered sugar
grapefruit pound cake with flowers on the side

How to Make This Super-Moist Pound Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray.
  2. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set it aside. Zest the grapefruit and then juice it. Strain the pulp and set the juice aside as well.
  3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) and beat together until creamy. Add the eggs, grapefruit juice, and zest and combine everything.
  4. Add half of the dry mixture and half of the milk to the batter and mix in with a silicone spatula or spoon. Once combined, add the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk and fully incorporate everything.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, tap lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and bake for 42-45 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a cooling rack.
sliced grapefruit pound cake

How to Make a Super Easy Grapefruit Glaze

Combine the powdered sugar and grapefruit juice in a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Immediately pour over the top of the cooled loaf and allow the glaze to set. Sprinkle with more fresh zest if desired and enjoy!

grapefruit pound cake with glaze and zest on top on a cooling rack

Tools for Making a Grapefruit Cake

sliced grapefruit pound cake on a plate

Grapefruit Pound Cake

This Grapefruit Pound Cake is a dense, super moist, and delicious cake topped with a grapefruit glaze for the perfect citrusy treat.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 297kcal
Author: EmilyFabulous

Equipment

Ingredients

Grapefruit Pound Cake

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • ½ cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
  • ½ cup milk, room temp

Grapefruit Glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray. TIP: I used the wrapper from my butter and it worked perfectly!
    bread loaf pan with a butter wrapper
  • In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set it aside. Zest the grapefruit and then juice it. Strain the pulp from the liquid, discard the pulp, and set the juice and zest aside as well.
    grapefruit juice being strained into a glass
  • Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) and beat together until creamy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, grapefruit juice, and zest and continue beating until everything is combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
    creamed sugar, butter, eggs, and grapefruit zest
  • Add half of the dry mixture and half of the milk to the batter and mix in with a silicone spatula or spoon. Once combined, add the rest of the dry ingredients and the rest of the milk and fully incorporate everything.
    grapefruit pound cake batter
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, tap lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and bake for 42-45 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a cooling rack.
    grapefruit pound cake batter in a pan before cooking
  • Once the loaf has cooled, combine the powdered sugar and grapefruit juice in a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Immediately pour over the top of the cooled loaf and allow the glaze to set. Sprinkle with more fresh zest if desired and enjoy!
    baked grapefruit pound cake in a pan

Notes

  • I’ve read that grapefruit juice and aluminum have a bad reaction together and create a bad taste in the bread so avoid aluminum tools when mixing the batter. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.2g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 10.1g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 32.8g | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

sliced grapefruit pound cake with glaze
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