Light and refreshing grapefruit greek yogurt cake is simple to prepare and drizzled with a grapefruit glaze. Made with creamy yogurt, fresh grapefruit juice, and sweet brown sugar, the flavor and texture are both incredible.
We’re having cake for breakfast and rearranging the way we eat grapefruit and yogurt every morning.
I don’t actually eat grapefruit and yogurt (or, sadly, cake) most mornings, but if you slapped a thick slice of this grapefruit greek yogurt cake on my plate, I wouldn’t fight it. Today’s citrus cake is a little different from my lemon berry yogurt cake. This one is softer and more cakey, while the latter is more buttery and creamy. I dare you to resist eating only 1 slice!
This Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake Is:
- Extra moist
- Light and refreshing
- Made with creamy greek yogurt
- Super flavorful
- A perfect balance of sweet and tart
- Delicious for breakfast, a snack, or dessert
- Prepared without a mixer
- Really easy to make—only 2 bowls needed
- Baked in a loaf pan (just like lemon pound cake)
- Topped with grapefruit glaze
- A quick recipe—from mixing bowl to oven in 10 minutes!
Ingredients in Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake
I love recipes that call for simple, flavorful ingredients. Let’s review what you’ll need for this grapefruit cake:
- Flour: Sturdy all-purpose flour is the base of this cake.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cake rise.
- Salt: Salt adds flavor.
- Eggs: 3 eggs add structure and richness.
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt helps create a rich and super moist crumb. I use plain nonfat greek yogurt. You can use low fat or full fat instead. Vanilla, honey, or any citrus flavors would work wonderfully, too!
- Brown Sugar: We use all brown sugar for sweetness and an added layer of flavor.
- Oil: Instead of butter, we use oil for moisture. It creates a cake that’s lighter in texture, not quite as dense or heavy. Use vegetable, canola, or even coconut oil. And since we’re not creaming butter, we can skip the mixer!
- Grapefruit Zest + Juice: You’ll use both grapefruit zest and fresh grapefruit juice in this cake. 1/2 of a grapefruit will give you around 1/4 cup of juice and 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of zest.
- Vanilla Extract + Vanilla Bean Seeds: Pure vanilla extract and seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean add mega flavor. When paired with grapefruit, it’s exquisite.
Helpful tip: When zesting your grapefruit, make sure you only grate the pretty rosy yellow part as the white pith is very bitter. Since we’re using both the juice and the zest, zest the grapefruit first, then cut the grapefruit in half and juice it. Expose that bright ruby red center!
Grapefruit Glaze
Without glaze, this would just be a moist bread. And cake sounds so much better—and looks prettier, too! While this sweet and tangy grapefruit cake doesn’t really need a glaze, we’ve never turned down a little something extra.
This simple grapefruit glaze adds even more grapefruit flavor. It comes together quickly and easily with 3 ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, pure vanilla extract, and fresh grapefruit juice (use the remaining grapefruit half). I just love the amplified flavor of a good fruit glaze.
The glaze hardens after several minutes—the bites with hardened glaze are my favorite!
More Simple Cake Recipes
- Pound Cake
- Angel Food Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Mini Vanilla Pound Cakes
- Marble Loaf Cake
- Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Unbelievably moist grapefruit loaf made with Greek yogurt and fresh grapefruit juice. The flavor and texture are both incredible!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2Â teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180g) Greek yogurt*
- 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable or canola oil (melted +Â slightly cooled coconut oil works too)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons grapefruit zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
Grapefruit Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Once combined, whisk in the yogurt, brown sugar, oil, grapefruit juice, zest, vanilla extract, and seeds. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.
- For the glaze, simply whisk the ingredients together and drizzle over cake. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 5 days. I love it cold, so you can store it in the refrigerator too!
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):Â 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula | Cooling Rack | Zester | Citrus Juicer
- Muffins/Cupcakes: Prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Top with glaze. Makes about 12 muffins.
- Square or Round Cake: This batter will fit into a 9-inch square baking pan or a 9-inch springform pan (it will be too tall for a regular 9-inch round cake pan). Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool and top with glaze.
- Greek Yogurt: I use plain nonfat Greek yogurt. You can use low fat or full fat instead. Vanilla, honey, or any citrus flavors would work wonderfully here!