Florida Grapefruit Cake With Blueberry Mousse and White Chocolate Whipped Cream

In the kitchen, the acidity of grapefruit helps cut through the heaviness of rich dishes, which is why it is also delicious in desserts! Food photographer and nutritionist Laurence Bergeron made us a creamy Florida Grapefruit cake.

For the Florida Grapefruit Cake:

1. Cake preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides with melted butter, then lightly flour them. Remove any excess flour. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Optional: Sift the dry ingredients before adding them to the bowl to avoid lumps and achieve a smoother texture. Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer, add the Florida Grapefruit zest, Florida Grapefruit, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and homogeneous.
4. Form a small well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix all ingredients with a fork until the batter is smooth and uniform (avoid overmixing).
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Smooth the surface with a spatula and gently tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and even out the batter.
6. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
7. Let cool completely before continuing with the other steps in the recipe.For the blueberry mousse:
8. In a small saucepan, cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat until the fruit softens slightly. Purée the blueberries in an electric blender or with a hand blender. Pass the purée through a sieve to remove the blueberry skins (optional).
9. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it swell for 5 minutes.
10. Add the gelatin to the warm blueberry purée and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
11. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold the blueberry purée into the whipped cream with a spatula.
12. Pour the mousse directly onto the cooled cake. If using a non-springform pan: first remove the cake from the pan and place a strip of rhodoid or parchment paper around the cake to contain the mousse.
13. Smooth the top and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight).

For the white chocolate whipped cream:

14. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave and let cool.
15. Meanwhile, whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and whip until well incorporated.
16. Add the melted white chocolate and whip until stiff peaks form.
17. Before applying the whipped cream: remove the cake from the pan by running a knife blade around the edge of the pan, then carefully open the springform pan.
18. Spread the white chocolate whipped cream over the set mousse. If desired, decorate with grapefruit segments or zest (pat the segments dry beforehand to avoid soggy whipped cream).

Enjoy!

Notes:

• Store in the refrigerator.
• This recipe is designed for a springform pan, which makes it much easier to remove the

cake with the mousse. However, you could use a regular pan and use a strip of Rhodoid or parchment paper to contain the mousse.

• If you don’t have a 10-inch pan, you can use an 8-inch springform pan, but it’s important not to pour all the cake batter into it. The recipe contains a generous amount of batter, which would rise too much in an 8-inch pan, leaving too little space to add the blueberry mousse afterwards. So, a possible alternative would be to divide the batter between two 8-inch pans, and you’ll end up with two shorter cakes rather than one thicker cake. You could also make half the recipe with a single 8-inch pan.

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