Grapefruit cornmeal cake
A beautifully moist grapefruit cornmeal cake soaked in citrus syrup for a tender, fragrant finish. Naturally textured and bursting with zesty flavour - perfect with tea or as a refreshing dessert.
Updated : 05 December, 2025
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
For the cake
300 grams
Cornmeal
2 teaspoon
Baking powder
200 milliliters
Vegetable oil
175 grams
Sugar
2
Grapefruit
3
Eggs
pinch
Salt
For the syrup
125 grams
Powdered sugar
2
Grapefruit
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter a 23cm/9in round cake tin - preferably not loose-bottomed to avoid syrup leakage - and line it with baking paper.
Step 2
Combine the cornmeal, baking powder, and a generous pinch of salt in a bowl, mix, and set aside.
Step 3
In another large bowl, add the oil, sugar, and grapefruit zest. Beat together until soft and aerated. Add the eggs one at a time, along with 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal mixture each time, beating well between additions. Fold in the remaining cornmeal; the batter will be noticeably stiff.
Step 4
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the surface is springy, richly golden brown, and the cake has pulled slightly away from the sides of the tin.
Step 5
While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup by gently heating the sugar and grapefruit juice in a small pan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Keep warm until needed.
Step 6
When the cake is ready, leave it in the tin and pierce all over with a skewer or cocktail stick. Pour the warm syrup evenly over the warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before transferring carefully to a serving plate.
Step 7
Slice the cake and serve it. You can serve it with yogurt sauce ant nuts.
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