This light and delicious Pink Grapefruit Cake is simple to prepare and drizzled with a gorgeous grapefruit glaze. Made with cream cheese, fresh pink grapefruit juice, and of course some sugar, the flavor and texture are both divine! 

grapefruit cake on stand

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Grapefruit Bundt Cake

Grapefruit is not always the go to fruit for cakes, but it really should be! This glazed Pink Grapefruit Cake is moist, fresh and the perfect balance between tart and sweet!

How To Make This Pink Grapefruit Cake – Step By Step

You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!

FOR THE PINK GRAPEFRUIT CAKE:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Then, in a mixer bowl, cream together granulated sugar, butter and cream cheese. Beat on HIGH 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs, one at-a-time, beating on MEDIUM until incorporated after each addition, then add the oil, zest, grapefruit juice and vanilla; beat until incorporated.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 325°F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.While the cake bakes, prepare the Ginger Grapefruit Glaze.

FOR THE GINGER GRAPEFRUIT GLAZE:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together juice, zest, oil, ginger paste, and salt. Add powdered sugar and whisk until creamy and smooth.
  2. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, cool 10 minutes then invert cake onto the rack – turn cake upright. Cool completely.
  3. Drizzle with glaze and sprinkle evenly with the crystallized ginger.
side shot of grapefruit cake
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cake on stand

An Easy Cake Recipe

This Grapefruit Cake is perfect for any last minute cake emergencies! It’s delicious, looks great and is simple to make. If you’re a novice baker, it’s perfect.

A Delicious Glaze

This sweet and tangy grapefruit cake doesn’t really need a glaze, but it works so well and it’s so easy.

This simple grapefruit glaze adds even more grapefruit flavor. It comes together quickly and easily with a handful of ingredients. Just a few whisks and you’re done!

top down shot of grapefruit cake
cake with icing

Can You Freeze This Grapefruit Cake?

If you have frozen the cake with glaze on it, then let it defrost in the fridge to minimize the formation of condensation on the frosting.

grapefruit cake with slice taken out
cake with slice out

Tips!

  • Rub the zest and sugar together before adding to the rest of the ingredients.  You can just do this in a bowl with your fingers.  This releases the oils in the zest and makes the sugar fragrant and much more citrusy .
  • Grease your cake pan extremely well. Bundt cakes have a tendency of keeping hold of a cake if it’s not greased well!
  • When zesting your grapefruit, make sure you only grate the pretty rosy yellow part as the white pith is very bitter.
  • To check if the cake is done, you can stick a toothpick in it, if the toothpick comes out clean, you are good to go!
slice of bundt cake

Check Out These Other Delicious Cake Recipes

If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.

Recipe Card

Pink Grapefruit Cake with Ginger Grapefruit Glaze

4.64 from 22 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Author: Becky Hardin
grapefruit bundt cake on a cake stand
This light and delicious Pink Grapefruit Cake is simple to prepare and drizzled with a gorgeous grapefruit glaze. Made with cream cheese, fresh pink grapefruit juice, and of course some sugar, the flavor and texture are both divine! 
Save this recipe!
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Ingredients 

For the Pink Grapefruit Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 255 grams (9 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
  • 1⅔ cups granulated sugar 333 grams
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 85 grams, room temperature (¾ stick)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
  • 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
  • ¼ cup canola oil 50 grams
  • 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit zest 12 grams, from ⅔ grapefruit
  • ¼ cup fresh pink grapefruit juice 57 grams, from ¼ grapefruit
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
  • ¼ cup whole milk 57 grams, room temperature

For the Ginger Grapefruit Glaze

  • ½ cup fresh grapefruit juice 114 grams, from ½ grapefruit
  • 1 tablespoon pink grapefruit zest 6 grams, from ⅓ grapefruit
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil 25 grams
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste 6 grams
  • teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar 452 grams
  • ¼-½ cup candied ginger 46-92 grams

Instructions 

  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the granulated sugar, butter, and cream cheese together on HIGH until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    1⅔ cups granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on MEDIUM until incorporated after each addition.
    2 large eggs
  • Add the oil, zest, grapefruit juice and vanilla; beat until incorporated.
    ¼ cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit zest, ¼ cup fresh pink grapefruit juice, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Alternately, beginning and ending with the milk, add the flour mixture and the milk. Beat just until incorporated after each addition.
    ¼ cup whole milk
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake at 325°F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
  • Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, cool 10 minutes then invert cake onto the rack – turn cake upright. Cool completely.
  • While the cake cools, prepare the Ginger Grapefruit Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together juice, zest, oil, ginger paste, and salt. Add powdered sugar and whisk until creamy and smooth.
    ½ cup fresh grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon pink grapefruit zest, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 4 cups powdered sugar
  • Drizzle the cooled cake with glaze and sprinkle evenly with the crystallized ginger.
    ¼-½ cup candied ginger

Becky’s Tips

  • Rub the zest and sugar together before adding to the rest of the ingredients.  You can just do this in a bowl with your fingers.  This releases the oils in the zest and makes the sugar fragrant and much more citrusy .
  • Grease your cake pan extremely well. Bundt cakes have a tendency of keeping hold of a cake if it’s not greased well!
  • When zesting your grapefruit, make sure you only grate the pretty rosy yellow part as the white pith is very bitter.
  • To check if the cake is done, you can stick a toothpick in it, if the toothpick comes out clean, you are good to go!
Storage: Store pink grapefruit cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 363IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.64 from 22 votes (22 ratings without comment)
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Brittany
Brittany
May 4, 2021 11:14 am

This looks amazing! Do you think it would work with dairy free cream cheese and milk? My husband’s birthday is this week and he loves grapefruit. . but dairy doesn’t like him 😅

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
May 7, 2021 11:14 am
Reply to  Brittany

I haven’t tried it but you can give it a shot!