Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

The hills surrounding our Valley have turned green, catching our eye as we go about our day. Brave daffodil bulbs cautiously poke out of the earth, reaching for the warm sunshine. Spring is here.

The first few years we lived in Yakima, we would set aside a spring weekend to drive around and look at the fruit trees blooming. It was so novel back then, absolutely awing us, with those pale pink blossoms. We would get out of the car and take photos, walking along the edge of an orchard, carefully plucking a blossom or two to take home.

The blossoming trees still delight but more in the way you would greet an old friend you’ve missed. There’s something special about this time of year, a refreshing change.

Grapefruit Olive Oil cake is a nod to these early spring days. Bright and subtly sweet and barely pink, this cake is the embodiment of spring in Yakima. While we obviously don’t grow grapefruit around here, the tart pink juice of the grapefruit is perfect in this cake. The grapefruit balances beautifully with the olive oil creating a lovely earthy sweet flavor without being too overly sweet.

This cake is perfect for an Easter celebration, baby showers or a graduation party. Easy to put together and so beautiful, this is a recipe you’ll want to make all year. But for me, this cake will always be spring in a bite and remind me of those beautiful delicate pink blossoms dotted around our Valley.

Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake:

• 2 large ruby grapefruit

• 3 large eggs

• 1/2 cup plain sour cream OR greek yogurt

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a large bowl, finely grate the zest of 1 1/2 grapefruits, you should have about 2 loosely packed tablespoons of zest. Add the granulated sugar and use a fork to mix and massage the zest into the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time followed by the olive oil and sour cream, mixing until very smooth and pale yellow.

Slice the grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice into measuring cup, making sure to catch the seeds. Whisk 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into the wet ingredients. Reserve an additional 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice for the glaze.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined; no fourth. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake on the middle rack for about 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before lifting it out of the pan with the parchment paper.

To make the glaze, zest the remaining half grapefruit into a small bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice to the bowl and whisk in the 3/4 cup powder sugar. Whisk until smooth and thick.

Pour the glaze evenly over the cake, once the cake has cooled. Slice into pieces to serve.