Grapefruit Cake - gluten free & dairy free

This is the second recipe in a row that is legitimate dessert AND breakfast food. You are welcome. 

I made this cake for my mom on Mother's Day, and it was a big hit with both her and my dad. Mr Official Taster? not so much. But, awesome wife that I am, I anticipated that and there were cookies for him. (Impressed? Don't be. I had dough stored in the freezer, so all I had to do was slice and bake.) I liked it, but I thought it needed just a touch more sweetness. A glaze on top or a sweeter variety of grapefruit to begin with would solve that issue.

But it was fun (the using-the-whole-fruit-thing) and I'm glad I tried it, since it's been on my to-do list for, um, over six months. Another repeating theme, and, again, I apologize. But, now you know! This is a worthwhile recipe to have in your back pocket. It's casual enough for a weeknight (or morning), but elegant and interesting enough for company. I think it would be an excellent addition to a weekend brunch.

Flourless Grapefruit Cake - gluten free & dairy free

adapted from The view from Great Island

Next time I make this, I would love to try it with a Ruby Red Grapefruit so it's a little sweeter. I think the color would be fabulous. That being said, you, of course, can use any citrus fruit in place of the grapefruit. Think: tangerine, Meyer lemon, or maybe even lime? Because you're using the entire fruit, I would encourage you to use organic fruit so you don't have to worry about chemicals lingering on the skin.

1 grapefruit (to make about a cup of puree)

3 eggs
1 C sugar
3 C almond meal or flour
1 tsp baking powder
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Step one is the only time consuming part of this cake. Wash your grapefruit and put it in a saucepan covered with cold water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain the pan, refill with cold water, and boil again for 15 minutes. This boiling removes the bitterness in the citrus skin.

Rough chop the grapefruit and remove any seeds. Do this on a plate so you don't lose any juice. Put it all in a food processor and process until completely smooth. You'll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. The color and smell will be amazing. My finished puree equaled about a cup and a half. I saved the extra to add to smoothies.

Set aside, or refrigerate until the next day if you're doing this in 2 stages.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9" spring form pan and set aside.

The rest is a one bowl deal: Beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. You'll know when they're ready because the color will have actually lightened and the texture will have subtly altered as well. Fold in the almond meal, orange pulp, and baking powder. Mix until combined.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Decorate with some citrus zest if you like. A simple glaze (confectioners' sugar+liquid) would be another good choice. Like this, minus the cocoa.