Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake Recipe

Light and refreshing grapefruit greek yogurt cake is simple to prepare and drizzled with a grapefruit glaze. Made with creamy yogurt, fresh grapefruit juice, and sweet brown sugar, the flavor and texture are both incredible.

We’re having cake for breakfast and rearranging the way we eat grapefruit and yogurt every morning.

I don’t actually eat grapefruit and yogurt (or, sadly, cake) most mornings, but if you slapped a thick slice of this grapefruit greek yogurt cake on my plate, I wouldn’t fight it. Today’s citrus cake is a little different from my lemon berry yogurt cake. This one is softer and more cakey, while the latter is more buttery and creamy. I dare you to resist eating only 1 slice!

This Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake Is:

• Extra moist
• Light and refreshing
• Made with creamy greek yogurt
• Super flavorful
• A perfect balance of sweet and tart
• Delicious for breakfast, a snack, or dessert
• Prepared without a mixer
• Really easy to make—only 2 bowls needed
• Baked in a loaf pan (just like lemon pound cake)
• Topped with grapefruit glaze
• A quick recipe—from mixing bowl to oven in 10 minutes!

Ingredients in Grapefruit Greek Yogurt Cake

I love recipes that call for simple, flavorful ingredients. Let’s review what you’ll need for this grapefruit cake:

• Flour: Sturdy all-purpose flour is the base of this cake.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cake rise.
• Salt: Salt adds flavor.
• Eggs: 3 eggs add structure and richness.
• Yogurt: Greek yogurt helps create a rich and super moist crumb. I use plain nonfat greek yogurt. You can use low fat or full fat instead. Vanilla, honey, or any citrus flavors would work wonderfully, too!
• Brown Sugar: We use all brown sugar for sweetness and an added layer of flavor.
• Oil: Instead of butter, we use oil for moisture. It creates a cake that’s lighter in texture, not quite as dense or heavy. Use vegetable, canola, or even coconut oil. And since we’re not creaming butter, we can skip the mixer!
• Grapefruit Zest + Juice: You’ll use both grapefruit zest and fresh grapefruit juice in this cake. 1/2 of a grapefruit will give you around 1/4 cup of juice and 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of zest.
• Vanilla Extract + Vanilla Bean Seeds: Pure vanilla extract and seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean add mega flavor. When paired with grapefruit, it’s exquisite.

Helpful tip: When zesting your grapefruit, make sure you only grate the pretty rosy yellow part as the white pith is very bitter. Since we’re using both the juice and the zest, zest the grapefruit first, then cut the grapefruit in half and juice it. Expose that bright ruby red center!

Grapefruit Glaze

Without glaze, this would just be a moist bread. And cake sounds so much better—and looks prettier, too! While this sweet and tangy grapefruit cake doesn’t really need a glaze, we’ve never turned down a little something extra.

This simple grapefruit glaze adds even more grapefruit flavor. It comes together quickly and easily with 3 ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, pure vanilla extract, and fresh grapefruit juice (use the remaining grapefruit half). I just love the amplified flavor of a good fruit glaze.

The glaze hardens after several minutes—the bites with hardened glaze are my favorite!