Ingredient Spotlight: Citrus!

Welcome!  I am so glad you joined us today for the Ingredient Spotlight.  My blogging friend, Tiffany from Eat At Home started Ingredient Spotlight as a way to share & swap recipes around a featured ingredient.  This year, I am delighted to co-host with Tiffany!

This week, we are spotlighting Citrus Fruits. 

Right now is prime eating season for lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit.  Somehow a little hint of citrus during the winter makes the cold days seem warmer. 

Here are some of my favorite ways to cook and bake with citrus fruits:

• Broiled Grapefruit {pictured above}
• Orange Cranberry Muffins
• Tuscan Lemon Chicken
• Key Lime Bars
• Frozen Lemon Tart
• Pink Grapefruit Cake
• Sweet Citrus Punch

What are your favorite ways to cook or bake with citrus fruits?  Link up your recipes using citrus fruit below.  And, don’t forget to join Tiffany next week where the ingredient is… BACON! 

Pink Grapefruit Cake

Are you looking for a light, spring cake?  A cake for a wedding shower, baby shower, or spring potluck?



Then look no further.  This delicious cake is light and tasty with a hint of grapefruit.



Even those who are not "big grapefruit fans" enjoyed this cake.

At least that's what they told me :)

The cake is quite healthy to begin with, but I of course couldn't leave well enough alone.  I tampered adapted the recipe... using white whole wheat flour, reduced the sugar and used applesauce.

Pink Grapefruit Cake - Adapted from Two Peas

Cake
3/4 C Greek Yogurt (or buttermilk)
3/4 C sugar
Zest of 2 grapefruits
2 eggs
1 1/2 C white wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C applesauce

Syrup
1/4 C grapefruit juice
2 T sugar


Glaze
1/3 C powdered sugar
2-3 T grapefruit juice

Begin by mixing together the white wheat flour, baking powder and salt.



Zest two grapefruits and place the zest in a bowl with the sugar.



Then, rub the zest along with the sugar between your fingers to really bring out the grapefruit scent.





Then add the yogurt or the buttermilk to the sugar/zest mixture.



Mix in the eggs and applesauce.



Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones and mix until just moist.



Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan.

Then, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.



Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.

While it cools, prepare the syrup and glaze.

First, for the syrup, combine sugar and grapefruit juice in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved, lightly boiling for about 1 minute.



For the glaze, combine the grapefruit juice with powdered sugar. If it's too runny, add more sugar to achieve the desired consistency.



Then, remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool just a little more.



When cooled, use a toothpick to poke holes in the top of the cake.



Then, carefully spoon the syrup over the top of the cake so that it soaks down into the holes.



Let the cake cool completely.



Finally, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake before serving.



You can't see the glaze one mine because I added it when the cake was to warm... so it melted. Lesson learned: wait until the cake is cooled. Do not be impatient.



This recipe is linked to:

• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Broiled Grapefruit

I love grapefruit.  Fresh from the fridge, just plain as day. A great way to start my morning.

But, sometimes I like a little switch-up on my grapefruit.

Simply slice that grapefruit open... and sprinkle with nothing more than a little cinnamon.  If you'd like, you can add a sprinkle of sugar too -- although, I prefer it without.

Place under a broiler and broil for about 5 minutes, until the sugars in the fruit begin to crystalize a bit (that is, the grapefruit gets warm and smells delcious).

Then, enjoy this yummy grapefruit for breakfast, a snack, or for dessert.

If you make or enjoy eating grapefruit frequently... I recommend to you the grapefruit spoon. Your life (at least the grapefruit eating part of your life) will never be the same.

This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday