Grapefruit Cardamom Cake

Hey guys! I’m here today with a little mid-week simple cake for you! It’s citrus season right now so it’s the perfect time to bake with it. Today we’re going for grapefruit, but this cake would work perfectly with oranges or lemons as well!

This is actually my first time using cardamom, but it’s really kind of awesome, so if you’ve never tried it today should be the day! I went for a pretty subtle flavor all around for this cake, and it’s piled high with a mascarpone whipped cream. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Grapefruit Cardamom Cake

This cake comes together super quickly. First we’re just stirring together the sugar, melted butter, oil, and grapefruit zest until combined. Then, stir in the egg. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, almond flour, salt, ground cardamom, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in the flour mixture alternating with the milk and grapefruit juice, stirring well between each addition until you’ve got a smooth batter. I like to whisk this all by hand!

Pour the batter into your greased pan. I’m using a fluted pan, but if you don’t have one, you can definitely bake this in a standard 8 inch cake pan. And then it’s just off to the oven to bake!

For the whipped cream, we’re just beating the mascarpone cheese until fluffy, and then whipping it together with the powdered sugar, heavy cream, cardamom, and vanilla extract. Pile it high on top of your cooled cake, and optionally top the cake with sliced almonds and a little extra sprinkle of cardamom. Slice and enjoy!

This cake comes together so easily and fast, and it’s the perfect weeknight baking project! Sidenote, it’s seriously THE perfect breakfast cake if you’re into that kind of thing!

Tips & Tricks For High-Altitude Grapefruit Cake

This is one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make, you don’t even need a mixer! But I’ve got a few tips and tricks to help you along the way:

• Don’t over mix the cake. I actually only recommend mixing this cake by hand to really avoid over mixing it. You want it to stay tender and fluffy so only stir it until it’s well combined.
• If you want a stronger floral flavor, use more cardamom. I went for a subtle flavor in this cake, but you can increase the cardamom by 1/2 tsp if you want the flavor to come through stronger.
• Don’t worry if you don’t have a fluted pan You can use a standard 8-inch cake pan for this one and it will work perfectly!
• I’m at 5,000 feet above sea level and I find that most people who live within 3,000 ft- 7,000 ft above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes, including this simple cake!
• You can use cream cheese instead of mascarpone if you prefer, just make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature before beating it!

I hope you guys enjoy this one, it’s one of my favorite flavors for a simple cake ever!

Print

Grapefruit Cardamom Cake

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 tbs. canola oil
• 2 tbs. grapefruit zest
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease an 8 inch cake pan, either a decorative one, or a standard cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, canola oil, and grapefruit zest until combined. Stir in the egg until just combined. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, almond flour, salt, ground cardamom, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, stir together the whole milk and the grapefruit juice until combined.

3. Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the sugar mixture in alternating batches, stirring well between each addition, until all of the dry and wet ingredients have been stirred in. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

4. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar together for 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy and smooth. Add in the heavy cream, cardamom, and vanilla extract, and beat for 3-4 minutes, or until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture is very fluffy. Pile it on top of your cooled cake, and sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. Slice and enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!