Greek Yogurt Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

This Greek yogurt grapefruit poppy seed cake is jam packed full of flavor and super simple to make. Even the delicious sweet glaze on top is made from Greek yogurt! Serve plain or toast and drizzle with a little bit of honey for an extra sweet treat.

I have received information and materials from AstraZeneca. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.

Doesn’t winter just seem unbearable after the holidays? At least during the holidays you have a pretty tree and the anticipation of presents. After the tree is down it’s just cold. Plus I’m super cheap and hate heating bills so my house is always freeeeezing. Luckily I own a lot of snuggly sweatshirts and a few pairs of fleece lined leggings. Seriously, how did I survive before I owned fleece-lined leggings? They are the best thing ever!

Of course, this little cake brings a big dose of sunshine to my kitchen. It features grapefruit, which is one of my favorite citrus fruits. It’s that perfect balance of sweet and tart and works beautifully in winter desserts. Stop hating on grapefruit people – it’s the bomb. Now, I know poppy seeds are normally thrown in muffins or salad dressing BUT I think they bring a much-desired crunch to this little cake. PLUS they make it look really pretty and you know I’m all about that. Actually, the thing I love most about this cake is not just that it’s delicious (duh!) but that it’s made with Greek yogurt – including the glaze! That means in this cake you get supreme moistness (ugh, that word) with TONS of grapefruit flavor and little crunchy bits of poppy seeds. <– This is the type of cake that gets me out of bed in the winter!

This is also the type of cake my grandmother would have made for me when I was a kid. My grandmother was the type of woman who would make you whatever you wanted if you asked. I made sure to not take advantage of this too often but every once in awhile I would ask and she would oblige. She was basically the best. Well, I think in general most grandmothers are the best. That is their job.

Sadly I no longer have any grandparents that are alive. And even more sadly all but one of them died of cancer. I don’t remember too much about my grandmother dying of cancer as she faded pretty quickly but I remember a lot about my grandfather. It started out just as a simple little cancer that they were sure they could cure. A few months later it started to spread and at that point, we knew it was no longer curable. I watched him fade from a gin drinking joke teller to someone frail and in a wheelchair. It’s a heartbreaking thing to witness. Especially when you’re young and don’t really know how to process all. the. emotions.

In the US, lung cancer is the second most common cancer. And even though there have been advances in the treatment of lung cancer, it’s still the leading cause of cancer death for Americans. More than 430,000 people alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point. Each case of lung cancer is different as there are sub-types of lung cancer that are treated differently. It is important for those diagnosed with lung cancer to be tested for specific biomarkers in order to understand what type of cancer they have. By understanding which type of lung cancer they have, they can get the best treatment options. This will hopefully mean less overall lung cancer deaths.

Even though November is technically Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM), I think that everyday we should be fighting to help people understand what living with lung cancer can be like. We should be talking about the stigma of living with lung cancer, talking about treatment and testing options and learning to be an advocate for our friends, our family members and ourselves. In my last post with AstraZeneca (check it out! I made banana bread crisp!) I talked to you about a great community called LVNG With. This community provides a safe place for lung cancer patients that is free of stigma and judgment. If you or a loved one are battling with lung cancer please check it out!

Even if you don’t have a loved one battling with lung cancer, you can always help out a friend in need. Help them clean, take them food, give them a friend to talk to and most importantly listen to their needs, but be free of judgment.

Also, maybe make them this Greek yogurt grapefruit poppy seed cake. Cake always helps.

Am I right?

P.S. My grandmother would also agree with me. We were big time cake eaters.

{Looking for more delicious cake recipes? Try my Cream Sherry Bundt Cake, Apple Pie Coffee Cake, Chocolate Zucchini Date Cake, Maple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, Blueberry Fritter Cake, or my Black Forest Cake.}

Greek Yogurt Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

This Greek yogurt grapefruit poppy seed cake is jam packed full of flavor and super simple to make. Even the delicious sweet glaze on top is made from Greek yogurt! Serve plain or toast and drizzle with a little bit of honey for an extra sweet treat.

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For cake: 

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 grapefruit, zested
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cups Greek yogurt
• 8 tablespoons grapefruit juice, divided
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For glaze: 

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons grapefruit juice, more may be needed

Directions:

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-1/2x4-1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer add sugar and grapefruit zest. Work together with your fingers until the sugar is fragrant. To the sugar add eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla bean paste. Mix for 4 minutes until thick and light in color.

With the mixer on low add half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add in Greek yogurt and mix until it comes together. Add remaining dry ingredients with 5 tablespoons grapefruit juice and poppy seeds. Mix just until the batter comes together and is fully incorporated.

Add batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Using a long toothpick poke holes into the cake and brush the remaining grapefruit juice over the cake. Let sit for 15 minutes, remove cake (by lifting up the parchment paper) out of the loaf pan and set on a cake rack. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the sides of the cake and let cool completely.

Once the cake has called drizzle the top with Greek yogurt glaze and a sprinkling of poppy seeds if desired.

For glaze:
Whisk together all ingredients until you reach your desired consistency. If it's too thick add more grapefruit juice if it's too thin add more powdered sugar.