Historic Appeal
Valerie Gordon is on a mission to resurrect some of Los Angeles’ sweetest memories—first up, the Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake
Lora
Zarubin
photo by Amy Neunsinger
After I asked her to re-create the Coffee Crunch Cake from my beloved Blum’s for a wedding-cake story we did in this magazine last year, Valerie Gordon—of Valerie Confections—was both overwhelmed and surprised by the response. After the article, she fielded more than 150 inquiries in the first week and sold 40 cakes—none, ironically, for a wedding.
That rousing success got Gordon to wondering what other treasured L.A. desserts are still etched in people’s hearts just waiting to be rediscovered. And so the Classic Cake Collection was born.
Kicking off her project is the exquisite Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake. As there are many online recipes purporting to be the original, Gordon worked hard to research the confection’s history. Eventually, she honed in on a recipe that both honors the spirit of the classic while adding new vitality with fresh ingredients.
Other pastries in the pipeline: the Bullock’s Wilshire Tea Room’s Coconut Cream Pie, Chasen’s Banana Shortcake and Blum’s Lemon Crunch Cake. And the retro list is sure to expand. “I’d be happy to take suggestions from fans of classic Los Angeles—and California—desserts,” Gordon says. Sweet.
You can reach her at 213-739-8149
Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake
by Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections
Serves: 12–15
Special Equipment: offset spatula, paring knife, cake stand, two 9–inch cake pans, parchment paper, wire rack
Cake
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Preheat oven to 325. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Separate eggs. Beat egg white and cream of tartar to a stiff peak and set aside. Beat yolks until fluffy and pale yellow. Combine water, oil, grapefruit juice and fruit zests. Slowly stream water mixture into egg yolks. Fold egg-yolk mix into egg-white mix. Incrementally add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Pour mixed batter into cake pans. Bake 20 minutes then rotate and bake an additional 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
Frosting
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cups cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1 3/4 teaspoon grapefruit juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
With paddle attachment, beat softened butter on medium setting until smooth. Add cream cheese and mix until thoroughly blended. Add powdered sugar in 1/4-cup increments, making sure it’s thoroughly incorporated after each addition. Add zest, juice and extract.
Candied-Grapefruit Garnish
2 pink grapefruit
5–6 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
Prepare one day in advance (or up to a week ahead). Cut ends off grapefruit to create flat surface on both sides. Cut peel off grapefruit in even strips from top to bottom, including only a small portion of pith. Blanch peel in 5–6 cups boiling water until peel softens, about 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Create simple syrup by boiling 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Add blanched peel to simple syrup and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover surface with parchment paper. Candying process takes about 30 minutes; peel is finished when translucent. Drain candied zest onto wire rack and cool. Dredge zest in sugar and let sit overnight. Store in airtight container. Makes more than is necessary for the recipe. Reserve balance for snacking.
Finishing the Cake
Using a sharp knife, segment two grapefruit. Place one cake on cake stand and using an offset spatula, evenly spread 1/3 cup of frosting across its surface. Arrange fruit segments from one grapefruit evenly on frosted surface. Spread 1/3 cup frosting on top of second cake. Carefully stack cakes by inverting frosted side of second cake on top of first. Gently press top so the two layers stack evenly. Frost exterior using remainder of frosting. Slice two pieces candied grapefruit into 1/3-inch strips, then cut strips in opposite direction to create small squares. Arrange remaining grapefruit segments along circumference of cake. Sprinkle candied grapefruit squares between segments. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Categories: Food / I'm Still Hungry
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I thought the recipe for this grapefruit cake would be listed. I would like a copy so I can try it out.
Posted by: Donna Malbon | 06/06/2010 at 10:12 AM
Where is the recipe?
Posted by: Tim | 06/06/2010 at 10:32 AM
The paper magazine says you can find the recipe on line here, but I don't see it. Am I looking in the wrong place?
Posted by: Sarah | 06/06/2010 at 11:46 AM
Where is the recipe???? In the article it says you can get the recipe by going to this site but after 10 minutes of searching everywhere on it I still cannot find it. HELP please!
Posted by: Christine Remo | 06/06/2010 at 12:10 PM
The print version of this article says to come here for the recipe, but I don't see it . Where may I find this recipe? Thanks.
Posted by: Lynne Hearring | 06/06/2010 at 12:15 PM
Where's the recipe???
Posted by: Erica LeBlanc | 06/06/2010 at 01:13 PM
So where is the recipe? The magazine said it would be online!
Posted by: Joy | 06/06/2010 at 01:24 PM
You said the recipe would be available online.... Did someone forget?
Posted by: Julie Kwan | 06/06/2010 at 02:05 PM
As a Los Angeles native, I love this fun exploration into the sweet delights of the past. I wonder whether there is a recipe out there for the darkly decadent CC Brown's hot fudge.
Posted by: Connie Flaherty | 06/06/2010 at 02:17 PM
OMG, that cake is gorgeous! I've saved that recipe, hopefully I can soon find a reason to make it.
Posted by: Shilshole Girl | 06/07/2010 at 01:30 PM
This is a version of the Brown Derby's Grapefruit Cake, but the original recipe (as printed in Betty Goodwin's book "Hollywood Du Jour") calls for slightly different ingredients, one of them being canned grapefruit!
Posted by: Jason La Padura | 06/07/2010 at 05:54 PM
maybe I just need a new lens prescription as I just saw the grapefruit listed under "candied grapefruit section"
Posted by: angela | 06/07/2010 at 07:01 PM
What about the recipe for the coffee cake?
Posted by: michelle | 06/07/2010 at 07:37 PM
I make a cream cheese frosting for my prize-winning carrot cake in which I use a similar ratio of cream cheese to butter, but with a pound of powdered sugar.
I soften the butter to room temp but use the cream cheese right out of the fridge, and I like how it sets up better.
Posted by: Carrot Cake Man | 06/07/2010 at 08:08 PM
See: Goodwin, Betty. "Hollywood du Jour: Lost Recipes of Legendary Hollywood Haunts". Santa Monica: Angel City Press, 1993, ISBN 1-883318-22-X for these and other recipes.
Posted by: Susie Patricks | 06/08/2010 at 02:33 PM
I think the coconut cream pie from Robinson's was the best coconut cream pie ever. I would buy the entire pie. I don't know what the one from Bullocks-Wilshire was like, but I doubt it was better than that one. Bullocks-Wilshire did have a to die for warm duck salad, though, so if you ever do something besides desserts, that one would be great.
Posted by: Ann | 06/09/2010 at 08:24 AM
Essential Chocolate Desserts does a similar version called "Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake" to order. Soooo Yummy. Located in Culver City and at the West Side Pavilion.
Posted by: WestLA Dessert Lover | 06/17/2010 at 09:52 AM
Made this cake, delicious ! Used oranges in place of grapefruit. The cooking time is off. Too long for 9 inch layers. Try 20-25 min as the whole cooking time rotate after 12 min.
Posted by: joanne | 06/20/2010 at 11:22 PM
Why have you attached these inane comments to the recipe directly? To print a copy, I had to pay for each of 12 pages of comments and mostly blank pages since there is no separation. It's a waste of money and paper. For shame!
Posted by: Cheryl Hale | 06/22/2010 at 05:29 PM
the recipe for Coffee Crunch Cake is in an old cookbook I have - "The Los Angeles Times California Cookbook", as is the original recipe for Grapefruit Cake. I still love it because next to each recipe is a little paragraph describing where it came from - many, if not most, are from local restaurants. There's Clifton's cafeteria Zucchini Cake and Double Cheese Cheesecake from The Broadway dept store, and lots more. Long-time LA Times readers will remember the food editor, Betsy Balsley, who was in charge when this cookbook came out in 1981. Worth hunting for in used books stores.
Posted by: Katy | 06/25/2010 at 07:48 AM
I made this cake for a dinner party last Saturday and panicked when I poured the batter into the cake pans. It was very thick and didn't even cover the bottom of the pans. I had follwed the recipe to the letter. I phoned Valerie's and spoke to a sweet lass named Chelsea who informed me that the egg white ratio might be slightly off. That was too late for me to change, as my cake was already in the oven. I also agree with the poster who said that the cooking time is too long. My cake came out more like shortbread. I would add ALL the egg whites (not just one) and shorten the cooking time to 30 mintues.
Posted by: Mary | 07/28/2010 at 12:30 PM
My LAT's cookbook is a treasure. When it was first published, I was employed by The Times and bought numerous copies since employees received a 50% discount. Ah, Betsy Balsely. One of the great food editors, ever.
Posted by: OC Gal | 07/28/2010 at 04:58 PM
I never print straight from a computer screen article. I highlight the text I need, copy to a word file, save the file and make it conveniently compact before I print!
Posted by: Roberta | 07/28/2010 at 08:05 PM
I tried a recipe for the Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake in 1985. It was from the L. A. Times recipe section back then. Results were wonderful. I am anxious to try this recipe again..
Posted by: Dr. Barbara Sziraki | 08/09/2010 at 03:58 PM
does anyone remember Blum's coffee esta which was an ice-cream dish...and how to make it....
Posted by: Michael Collins | 02/17/2011 at 08:58 AM
ARE YOU PEOPLE BLIND, CRAZY, OR TAKING SOME KIND OF HEAVY-DUTY NARCOTICS?
CAN'T YOU SEE THE RECIPE FOR THE CAKE IS RIGHT HERE ON THIS PAGE, ALONG WITH THE FROSTING RECIPE??
WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT, THAT YOU CAN'T FIND OR SEE THE RECIPE? I DON'T GET HOW YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT IS CLEARLY POSTED RIGHT HERE, FOR GOD‘S SAKE!!
JEEZ, WHAT MORONS. YOU MUST BE A FRICKING “BOB” - (BRAINWASHED OBAMA BOT), OR AN “OLLI” - (OBAMA LOVING LIBERAL IDIOT)
Posted by: WER | 03/24/2012 at 05:13 PM