A beautifully textured and delicious bundt cake flavoured with grapefruit and honey and covered in a honeyed grapefruit chocolate glaze. This delicious grapefruit and honey almond cake has a slight crunch from the freshly ground almonds for additional flavour and interest. Plus there’s a bonus recipe for candied peel.
Yes, another year goes by and I find I have been blogging about chocolate for six whole years now. It’s no secret that I’m rather fond of the dark stuff and as chocolate and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand, 14th February is a fitting date to have started this blog. To celebrate the occasion, I have a rather splendid grapefruit and honey almond cake with a chocolate glaze to entice you.
3pFruits
If you saw my Bosworth jumbles post, you will know I had the pleasure of a very large box of fresh juicy organic citrus delivered to me recently, courtesy of 3pFruits. 3pFruits is a Spanish company who grow fruit, nuts and olives on their farm in the Noguera Region and then ship their produce lovingly to our very doors. They grow what we cannot.
When they first contacted me, I’d envisaged a citrus cake of some kind using almonds and honey. So I asked if they’d include thos two items as well. But quite what sort of cake it would be, I wasn’t sure until the box arrived. The fragrant pink grapefruit decided me and baking with them was a totally new experience for me.
Grapefruit and Honey Almond Cake
There is nothing quite like freshly ground almonds for baking. They have flavour and texture that I’ve never found in a pre-pack. These Spanish Marcona almonds are not only fresh, but full flavoured too. I was sorely tempted to chomp my way through the lot, before ever they got to the mixing bowl. The honey has a full aromatic flavour which has that unmistakable sun-drenched quality.
For a really grapefruity cake, I thought I’d use both the zest and juice. I also added some grapefruit syrup to the chocolate topping and decorated it with candied grapefruit. Scroll down the post for the candied peel recipe. You’ll find the cake recipe at the bottom of the post.
CT reckoned this grapefruit and honey almond cake had the texture of a good Madeira cake. He said he could smell the grapefruit wafting up as soon as the cake was cut. The bitter grapefruit is distinctive and counteracts the sweetness of the sugar. It tastes like freshly squeezed grapefruit with a bracing citrus zing.
The freshly ground almonds give a good flavour and a bit of nutty crunch. The chocolate glaze is rather powerful, but complements the cake beneath nicely. It got a big thumbs up from CT and my mother and I was rather partial too.
Candied Peel
Although I’ve made candied grapefruit for this grapefruit and honey almond cake, the recipe I’ve given below can be used for both oranges and lemons too. In fact you can use any thick citrus peel. However, thin peeled citrus such as limes don’t work very well.
- Quarter 2 ruby grapefruits and peel them, trying to keep the skin and pith as intact as possible.
- Place into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer, then drain. Cover with cold water and repeat the process.
- Repeat 4-6 times depending on how bitter the grapefruit is and how you like it.
- Drain for a final time and turn out onto a rack to dry for a few minutes.
- Reserve any grapefruit juice for the cake.
- Dissolve 100g golden sugar (caster or granulated) in 200ml water over a low heat.
- Slice the grapefruit peel into thin strips.
- Place into the sugar water and simmer for 75-90 minutes until the strips have turned translucent.
- Drain and either spread out on a tray to dry for 24 hours or place in a jar and cover with the syrup.
Other Citrus Cakes You Might Like
- Blood orange chocolate cake
- Citrus drizzle cake (vegan)
- Coconut & lime cake
- Lemon almond cake
- Lemon & poppy seed traybake
- Mini orange sponge cakes with blood orange curd
- Orange mini cakes
- White chocolate lemon cakes
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this grapefruit and honey almond cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more bundt cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Grapefruit and Honey Almond Cake. PIN IT.
Grapefruit and Honey Almond Cake – The Recipe
Grapefruit and Honey Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 240 g unsalted butter softened
- 260 g golden caster sugar (I used cardamom flavoured sugar)
- 1½ ruby grapefruit zest and juice
- 4 large eggs (I use duck eggs)
- 100 g freshly ground almonds
- 230 g freekah flour or wholemeal spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 100 ml grapefruit syrup from making candied grapefruit. Or use sugar syrup made from 50g sugar and 50ml water.
- 3 tbsp well flavoured honey
- 70 g dark chocolate (85%)
- 15 g unsalted butter
- candied grapefruit to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Grate in the zest from one of the grapefruits and cream some more.240 g unsalted butter, 260 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding a little of the flour if necessary to prevent curdling.4 large eggs
- Stir in the ground almonds, then sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarb and stir until just combined.100 g freshly ground almonds, 230 g freekah flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Gently stir in the juice from the half grapefruit.
- Spoon the batter into an oiled bundt mould and smooth out the top.
- Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for about 45 minutes or until the cake is well risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Warm 2 tbsp honey with 100ml grapefruit juice in a pan until melted. Pour slowly over the hot cake, allowing it to soak up the juice rather than run off the edges.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Bring 100 ml grapefruit syrup to the boil with 1 tbsp honey and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, put 50 ml of water and 50g of sugar in a pan with the hone. Place on a low heat stirring until the sugar has dissolved.100 ml grapefruit syrup
- Take off the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Leave the chocolate to melt for a few minutes then stir in the butter until melted and smooth. Leave to cool until thick enough to pour without too much run off.70 g dark chocolate, 15 g unsalted butter
- Place the cooled cake onto a serving plate. Slowly pour the chocolate sauce over the top and decorate with the candied grapefruit, if wished.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
With love very much in the air, I’m sending this grapefruit and honey almond cake off to JibberJabberUK for Love Cake. For the theme this month is For the Love of Cake.
I’m also sending this fragrant bundle of citrus delight off to Helen at CasaCostello for Bake of the Week.
And likewise, this goes to Emily at A Mummy Too for #RecipeoftheWeek.
Many thanks to 3p Fruits for the citrus, honey and almonds. I was not required to write a positive review and as always, all opinions are my own.
Lisa from Lisas Life says
Delicious! Also congrats on 6 years of choccy blogging! 🙂
Jibber JabberUK says
A very fitting cake to celebrate six years of blogging. I love all the combinations of flavours and textures. Thanks for linking up.
Brogan says
This looks fantastic! I bet it tastes amazing too! The colours make it look so tempting! xx
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Brogan, it was a good one 🙂
Baking Addict says
Happy blogiversary! A very appropriate date to have started your blogging adventures. This cake looks absoutely amazing. I love the flavour combinations and the bundt cake makes it look so pretty.
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Ros and you’ve been with me for most of it 🙂
ManjiriK says
Fabulous cake recipe, Happy 6 years of blogging and chocolate eating!Lucky you!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Manjiri and strangely I’m not fed up with it yet 😉
Kate Glutenfreealchemist says
Wow…. This looks lush! I love the sound of grapefruit cake. I’ve made lots of citrus cakes in the past, but never a grapefruit one! Happy 6th! Six years of compulsory chocolate eating is definitely something to be proud of!
And thank you so much for featuring my thumb prints in your choice of chocolate recipes for Foodies 100….. very exciting x
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Kate, it was my pleasure. Your posts are always such a treat. Compulsory chocolate eating? Oh dear!
Heidi Roberts says
Happy Blog Birthday! That cake certainly has an impressive list of ingredients!
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Heidi 😉
Jen says
Congratulations on 6 years of blogging, it’s a real achievement. I’m not the biggest grapefruit fan but I think could be tempted with candied grapefruit especially as the cake looks so good 🙂
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Jen. You could always make it with oranges instead.
Camilla Hawkins says
What a beautiful and refreshing sounding cake. Happy Blogiversary too:-)
Choclette Blogger says
Thank Camillia 🙂
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Happy bloggiversary! The candied grapefruit on this sounds delicious!
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Becca. It’s very tasty. I left most of it to dry a little and now have it in the cupboard for ‘mixed peel’.
Vicki Montague says
Oh goodness me!! Another incredible looking cake that makes me drool on the keyboard. How do you make bundt cakes come out looking like that? What is the secret to them not sticking?
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Vicki. My secret is a silicone mould, which I spray lightly with oil just to be on the safe side.
Vicki Montague says
Ah ha!! I need one of those then 😉
Choclette Blogger says
Mine came from Lékué.
Elizabeth says
Happy Blogaverary! Six years of awesome chocolate recipe, and here’s to many more! Lovely cake!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Elizabeth 🙂
Galina Varese says
Happy blogversary, and what a glorious cake to celebrate! Here’s to another 6 and 50+ years of blogging!
Choclette Blogger says
Another 56 years Galina? Now there’s a thought 😉
Bintu Hardy says
Fab cake for a fab birthday. Congrats for making it this far and here is to another 6 years (at the minimum)
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Bintu 🙂
Katie says
Happy 6th blog anniversary. The cake looks wonderful and I love the flavour combo. You’ve got the chocolate glaze to drizzle down the cake perfectly!
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Katie. I was a little hasty in spooning on the glaze, if I’d left it to set a little longer, I might have ended up with more on the cake and less on the plate.
belleau kitchen says
Well firstly, happy 6th year! That is an incredible achievement. Your blog is brilliant and it has been an honour to grow with you over the years. I love how you continue to be creative yet remain true to your theme… secondly, that cake. It looks so beautiful naked without the icing. I have no idea how you didn’t take a slice still warm from the oven. Love the combo of citrus and honey and almonds. A lovely recipe. Xx
Choclette Blogger says
Oh sometimes you say the nicest things Dom, thank you :). Not taking a slice warm from the oven is always the hardest part!
Kathy says
This is a beautiful looking cake! Love the combinations!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Kathy 🙂
Charlene F says
Another gorgeous cake from you. Happy Blog Anniversary to one of my fave blogs out there x
Choclette Blogger says
Ah thank you Charlene – what a lovely thing to say 🙂
Shaheen says
Wow! And congratulations on blogging on all things chocolate and may we have many more years of Choclette blogging to come. I love your blog, and I am sorry I don’t comment as much as I used to, but I do come by. Big Hug x
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you very much Shaheen. I think we are all guilty of that. I think it’s called being too busy 😉
Susan Lindquist says
What a wonderful six years you’ve had, too! Congrats! This is a splendid cake to celebrate the occasion! So lush and moist looking!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Susan and thanks very much for all your comments over the years.
Suelle says
Congratulations on 6 years of writing about chocolate; it’s amazing that you can always come up with something new. This cake sounds delicious; I’m sure that really good ingredients are vital when using such subtle flavours.
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Suelle. The amazing thing is, there is still so much I haven’t done and so much still to try – many of your fabulous bakes for starters. I’m not quite sure I’d call grapefruit a subtle flavour, but it is a very good one.
Johanna GGG says
Happy blogiversary! It’s fantastic how creative your recipes are – and no loss of enthusiasm for an interesting chocolate recipe after all you have posted! I saw grapefruit in a salad recently and felt it was a challenging flavour but I really like the sound of grapefruit with honey and chocolate!
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks you Johanna and thank you for reading my posts and for all the comments you’ve given over the years. They are so appreciated. This isn’t a cake for the fainthearted and I doubt children would like it, but everyone here who tried it were enamoured.
Angie Schneider says
Congratulations, Choclette!
The cake looks scrumptious and I love your bundt form too.
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Angie. It’s an amazing mould and transforms pretty much any cake into an absolute delight.
NoraNoraa says
This cake looks delicious, I will have to give it a try! Congratulations on six years, looks like a lot of hard work!
Nora | http://noranoraa.blogspot.co.uk/
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Nora, lots of hard work indeed, but lots of fun along the way too 🙂
En4tainment says
wow that looks great and really yummy I could never made a cake look that good . x
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you. That’s very kind, but I’m sure you could.
Christian Halfmann says
I’d take a piece of that cake any time. Congrats for the six years!
Choclette Blogger says
I would love you to have a slice or two of my cake Chris.