Grapefruit Olive Oil Cakes

As a college dorm baker, I’ve learned that each ingredient in everything I bake has some kind of back-story. Since I am in fact in a dorm kitchen, it’s not exactly the most well-stocked and high-tech of places. I buy a big bag of flour and sugar and 4 sticks of butter when I make the trek to Stop & Shop, but other than that, every other ingredient that’s in my recipes is something someone’s mom randomly dropped off or something bought blindly with excess meal money from the downstairs food place.

One of my roommates is Greek, and brought back the most incredible olive oil from Greece. Another one of my suitemates loves grapefruit, so we had these gorgeous Pomelos sitting on top of the fridge and staring at me. (Kudos to both for lending these/everything to me.) Additionally, every recipe is an adventure of convenience. For example: this very recipe began as a desire to meticulously follow a recipe for an orange olive oil cake. Maybe I’d incorporate some dried cranberries? Soon, disaster struck---the two oranges we had were completely dehydrated. And then, a revelation! Of grapefruit and the pistachios I’ve been hoarding, which I painstakingly shelled and smashed with a ladle for your benefit, Internet. You’re welcome.

And then, deliciousness ensued. These grapefruit olive oil cakes were moist, but not too dense---bright and citrusy, but brought down to Earth with rich olive oil and salty pistachios. Don’t worry about only having roasted & salted pistachios on hand. Any will work, but these added real depth when combined with the brown sugar. Happy adventure baking! (Credits to my suitemate An Uong for her incredible photography. Amen.)

Credits to my suitemate (as always) An Uong for her incredible photography. Amen.

  Adapted from Melissa D’Arabian’s Orange Olive Oil Cake--makes roughly a dozen standard muffins)

Cooking spray

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

 3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Juice, zest, and pulp of ½ a grapefruit (double for a more grapefruit-y taste---simply add more flour)

 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Brown sugar and pistachios for topping 

 Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a muffin pan. Mix together the sugar and eggs in a medium bowl until blended and light. Drizzle in the olive oil and vanilla and mix until light and smooth. Add the grapefruit juice, pulp, and zest and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt in another medium bowl. Add the flour mixture half at a time to the wet ingredients and mix on low just to incorporate. Pour into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and brown sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool and serve.