Red Grapefruit Upside-down Cake with Lemony Crème Fraîche
By OcadoLife
Published on 06 March 2026
This zesty Red Grapefruit Upside-down Cake with Lemony Crème Fraîche is from Patrick Williams – South African-born chef and founder of London restaurant Kudu. The semolina gives it a lovely crumb, while the grapefruit zing and hit of lemon in the crème fraîche are deliciously bright and uplifting. Allow a little extra time for cooling.Time and servings
1 hr 5 minsTotal time
10Servings
20 minsPrep time
45 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 2.5 cm piece of ginger
- 270g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 3 red grapefruits, 1 zested and juiced to give 100ml, 2 peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 star anise
- 250g unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 240ml buttermilk
- 160g fine semolina
- 120g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 200ml whipping cream (optional)
- 1 lemon, zested
Method
Step 1
Lightly bash the lemongrass and ginger and place in a saucepan with 100g sugar, 100ml grapefruit juice, 150ml water and the star anise. Simmer gently for 5 mins until the sugar has dissolved. Add the grapefruit rounds, then continue to simmer until the pith is translucent and the liquid is syrupy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cooled, drain the syrup through a fine sieve set over a jug and reserve for glazing. Set the grapefruit slices aside for baking.Step 2
For the cake, preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3. Line a 20 cm round cake tin with baking paper and arrange the grapefruit rounds in a spiral or fanned pattern over the base.Step 3
Cream the butter and 170g sugar with an electric mixer until light and airy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition, until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the buttermilk, semolina, flour, baking powder, grapefruit zest and a pinch of salt, taking care to retain as much air in the mixture as possible. Carefully pour the batter over the grapefruit rounds in the tin; bake for 30-45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs.Step 4
Cool the cake in the tin for 10 mins before carefully inverting it (so the fruit is on top) onto a wire rack set over a dinner plate. Prick a few holes in the surface then pour over half the syrup. Allow the syrup to soak in for 5 mins or so.Step 5
Meanwhile, combine the crème fraîche, cream, lemon zest and remaining 2 tbsp sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.Step 6
Serve the cake warm with a generous dollop of crème fraîche and the remaining syrup for drizzling over.