Grapefruit Soda... or Cocktail?

Grapefruit was a "new food" discovery for me this year. It's truly a shame I've gone twenty-three years of my life without enjoying the tartness of a ripe grapefruit, but at least this matter has been remedied. Now I can't leave the grocery store without a few of these in tow. I can often be spotted in the kitchen with a small spoon in hand, digging into a grapefruit, and spraying juice on everything in a two foot vicinity.

No one warned me I'd need to shower after breakfast.

Invariably, when you eat enough grapefruits, the wheels begin spinning on what you can create with them (or maybe that's just me). When the idea to make grapefruit soda popped into my head, I actually thought it was an original idea. A true inspiration sent down from the grapefruit gods. After excitedly going on about it to my boyfriend, he casually pointed out that grapefruit soda has existed since the dawn of soda's time.

Apparently I'm not as well versed in soda as I thought.

Despite this disheartening news, I set out to make my own version of grapefruit soda regardless. Using the juice from a couple grapefruits and a lemon, I combined it with lemon-lime soda to add fizz and balance out the tartness of the citrus. Oh, is it dreamy. After a long day at work, I added a shot of vodka to the mix and it turned the simple grapefruit soda into a fun cocktail.

It's light, just tart, and lip-smackingly refreshing.

This grapefruit soda is simple to make, but produces a result that outshines anything from a can. The grapefruit flavor is lovely and pronounced, with the lemon to add just the right zing. It can be kept as a soda to share with children during sunny afternoons or made into a brilliant cocktail to enjoy as the sun begins to set. Garnish with lemon slices and ice for a drink that tastes of a cool breeze.

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Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit Buttercream

Lately I've had intense cravings for sour and tart foods. With my traditionally sweet and salty palate (with nary a deviation), this sudden change in taste took me (and my cupboards) by surprise. The cravings would hit me out of the blue. On long car rides, I suddenly found myself buying sour candy (a rarity for me) and finding myself disappointed at the lack of a face-scrunching flavor punch. "Sour" snacks were hardly sour enough to nix my cravings.

After hitting that particular dead end, I turned towards citrus fruits.

My grocery cart began filling up with lemons. I was buying six or seven at a time, determined to create a dessert with a sour taste so pungent even I could be satisfied. What I didn't account for was that baking usually includes sugar (and sugar often puts a stop to that sour hit I so desperately craved). I made lemon bars. Lemon cookies. Lemon cupcakes. Lemon poppy seed muffins, twice. Each time a new dessert was attempted, I used less and less sugar and added increasingly more lemon juice or zest.

Though they were all delicious in each individual form, they just weren't what I was looking for. They weren't sour.

I spent nearly $20 on lemons in a single month, with nothing to show for it. It was a rough period for me, as a baker. I felt defeated, defeated by such a simple craving. I assuaged my sorrows by eating lemon slices, but it was hardly the spectacular dessert I had imagined.

During my next foray to the supermarket, the grapefruit found me. I'm on sale, they shouted at me. Buy us! Eat us! We will be sour enough for you! The grapefruit was, in fact, right. If ever a food should scream out at you from the supermarket shelves, do take heed. Paired with a sour, plain Greek yogurt, I found my breakfast of champions. It was only a small step to turn these ingredients into a tart (and softly sweet) cake.

This cake is fresh, bright, with a flavor you can truly appreciate whether you simply love a good grapefruit or have spent a month and unaccountable dollars trying to replicate.

This Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit Buttercream has an original flavor, both clean and pure. After the warm cake emerges from the oven, it is brushed with grapefruit juice which soaks deep into the layers, making an unbelievably moist and tender cake (with just a hint of true tartness). The Grapefruit Buttercream lends a sweeter aspect to this cake. Made with a grapefruit juice reduction, the sourness of the juice balances out the sweetness of the powdered sugar. This cake itself, however, is the true star and is lovely when enjoyed in the afternoon, when the sun is bright and thoughts of spring are on your mind.

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