Grapefruit Meringue Poke Cake
Moist and fluffy vanilla cake, deliciously tart grapefruit curd, and fluffy toasted meringue!
Ingredients
Grapefruit Curd:
- 1 ½ cup freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons grapefruit zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
- Pink food coloring (optional)
Cake:
- 1 box white cake mix (plus all the ingredients needed to make it)
Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Grapefruit Curd:
- Pour the grapefruit juice into a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half--it should be about 3/4 cup of juice. If it ends up being a little more or less, don't worry about it.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar together until just combined. Whisk in the grapefruit juice, zest, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 4-8 minutes minutes. Stir in a few drops of pink food coloring, if using.
- Immediately strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake that are about an inch apart (I did 60). Pour the lemon curd on top and spread into an even layer, ensuring that the grapefruit curd gets down into the holes. Use a skewer to push the curd into the holes, if necessary. Place the cake into the refrigerator to firm up the grapefruit curd layer, about 2 hours.
Make the Meringue:
- Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or large mixing bowl with a beater), and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it reaches 240ºF. This usually takes about 5 to 6 minutes from the time it begins to boil. Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the egg whites, with the mixer running on medium speed; try to avoid the whisk attachment.
- Once all the sugar syrup has been added, add the cream of tartar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Continue beating the meringue on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until it’s cooled to room temperature and glossy peaks form.
- Using a spatula, spread the meringue evenly on top of the chilled cake. Use a spoon to add decorative swirls to the meringue. If desired, use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue.*
Notes
*If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can also use your oven broiler to toast the meringue. Just be sure to watch it the whole time to avoid burning it.