Desserts & Drinks

Grapefruit Cupcakes with Chai Icing

Posted on March 11, 2008 ⋅ Email This Post ⋅ Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Bookmark Post
Grapefruit Cupcakes with Chai Icing

Image and Recipe Copyright © 2008 Jennifer Iserloh

Grapefruit and buttermilk are both high in nutrition, but create a tender texture in baked goods. When I bake these for friends’ birthdays, no one guesses that they are made with grapefruit. Regardless, they disappear fast! Watch Better TV clip featuring this recipe!

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 cup reduced fat margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar 
1 egg white
1/2 cup 1% buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup 100% pink grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon pink grapefruit zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Ingredients for Icing

1 8-ounce package of non-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl, beat margarine and sugar with an electric mixer.

Beat in egg. Combine lemon extract, juice, zest, and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add half the buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed. Add half the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Repeat with remaining buttermilk and flour mixture. Divide batter evenly into the prepared cups.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back when the tops are pressed or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.  Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan an cool completely on a wire rack. 

In a medium bowl, beat ingredients for icing until smooth. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a small spatula or butter knife to ice them. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Download Recipe

Make It A Meal

Serve with Healthy Buttermilk Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits or Citrus Almond Chicken.

Related Posts

  • Find out why grapefruit is good for you.
  • Did you know that grapefruit can also help to prevent you from catching a cold?
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Discussion

7 comments for “Grapefruit Cupcakes with Chai Icing”

  1. Posted by Anna Fidz
    March 13, 2008, 3:24 pm


    Yummy!! What a wonderfully innovative recipe!! I love it!!!

  2. Posted by shannon
    April 20, 2008, 11:21 am


    these were amazing- the icing was out of this world. this is my 5th recipe i have made from this site and i loved it. keep the recipes coming please

  3. Posted by Jennifer
    November 24, 2009, 3:16 pm


    I made this recipe as a single-layer 9-inch cake yesterday and it was delicious! The cake is lemony with a light, fluffy texture. I ended up only using 1/2 of the frosting because I didn’t want to lose the cake’s flavor in the cloves and cardamom. Overall, the cake is awesome! I’m adding it to my recipe box! Thank you!!

  4. Posted by Kelli
    June 10, 2010, 2:06 pm


    Is it possible to substitute applesauce for the butter in this recipe? Or do I need to keep it?

  5. Posted by Skinny Chef
    June 10, 2010, 2:44 pm


    Hi Kelli!

    The applesauce should work although I haven’t tested it with this particular recipe. Let me know how it works out!

  6. Posted by Alison
    June 21, 2010, 5:00 pm


    Do you have a suggestion for a non-gluten version of this?
    It just seems so original and special.. :)

  7. Posted by Skinny Chef
    June 23, 2010, 12:57 pm


    Hi Alison!

    I’m sorry I don’t have a gluten free version. I’m not a fan of the “gluten free” flour since it has a metallic taste but you might check out my friend’s website,
    livglutenfree.

    Her food is amazing, I’ve personally tasted it. She’s a CIA trained chef who has Celiac’s.

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