Start the year with a some color with this Living Coral Grapefruit Cake! A grapefruit scented cake holds grapefruit curd and wrapped in a silky buttercream exterior!
Do a number of things right, start with some levity. Living Coral Grapefruit Cake isn’t loud, it’s confident.
A scene of flamingos and bright sparkling beaches comes to mind with Pantone’s new Color of the Year.
Never moody, Living Coral translates into a citrus flavor that’s both awakening and therapeutic! Sweet but clean, grapefruit has a softer acidity than other citrus, making a great partner for this vanilla cake. The Living Coral Grapefruit Cake is zippy without being intense. It’s a take on classic vanilla and citrus done right through the use of optimal textures. Nothing is too sweet, too dense, or too crumbly.
Zest lightly perfumes the cake and the grapefruit curd. In the spirit of this no frills, no fuss color, none of the components of this Living Coral Grapefruit Cake are complicated. A reverse cream method cake is an easy toss-into-the-bowl-batter. Here the grapefruit curd is a combine-and-cook-all-at once filling. And the frosting is a simple beat-to-combine buttercream.
The most you’ll have to agonize over is tinting the frosting just the right shade of pink. There’s a great reference for tinting frosting. Americolor or Chefmaster brands ‘ food gel work to get that exact color of Living Coral. It’s a blend of Tulip Red and Deep Pink. Just tint sparingly and add gels gradually until you see the desired color.
You’ll find excuses to add this color, and this cake, into your 2019.
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- For the Yellow Grapefruit Scented Cake:
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup cake flour
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, room temperature
- 2 1/2 teaspoons tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
- For the Grapefruit Curd:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Pink food gel
- For the Buttercream:
- 2 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- deep pink and tulip red food gel
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (8 inch) cake pans with baking spray, set aside.
- Whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter and oil. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and beat mixture on low speed until it resembles a sandy texture.
- In another bowl whisk eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and zest.
- Add in half of wet-mixture. Raise speed to medium and beat for 6 minutes. Scrape bowl and paddle as needed. Add remaining wet-mixture, beating for 5 minutes.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth batter. Tap pans to remove air bubbles. Bake 28 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway. A toothpick inserted will come out with a few moist, not wet, crumbs. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small saucepan whisk together sugar, juices, cornstarch, and eggs. Set over medium heat and whisk constantly until thickened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Strain curd and add food gel. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter in medium speed until smooth and lump free, about 5 minutes, scraping bowl and paddle frequently.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and heavy cream, followed by vanilla bean paste and salt. Keep speed at medium to prevent air bubbles from getting into the frosting.
- Tint frosting to desired colors.
- Use a serrated knife to level off cake layers.
- Dollop a bit of frosting onto a cake board and secure first layer. Frost perimeter of cake with a border of frosting. Fill with curd. Pipe frosting on top of curd. Use an offset spatula to smooth out frosting. Repeat with second layer and top with final third layer.
- Chill cake for 20 minutes. Apply a crumb coat of frosting. Chill again for 20 minutes. Apply with a thicker frosting layer. Decorate cake with remaining frosting by using a star tip.