Pink Grapefruit Cake - Manna from Heaven!

Come with me, and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination

We'll begin with a spin
Traveling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy explanation.
-Willy Wonka


As a child one of my favorite board games was Candy Land.  Since our house was rather - shall we say "sugar restricted" - the images (and taste buds) this game sparked were more alluring than for most other kids in the sandbox.  Candy Land presented a world of infinite possibilities, and if I closed my eyes and concentrated my little blue plastic playing piece (always blue!) became a vessel through which I was transported into this sugar-topia.  

Then, one day in Jewish day school I encountered the idea of "manna," a miraculous substance that God sent down from heaven to canvas the food-barren desert for the Children of Israel.  Manna allowed me to step closer towards Candy Land through my heritage.  I immediately had an image of what life looked like for the Israelites.  The fine, flaky substance atop the barren mountains, dry valleys, and tents transformed the surroundings into Gumdrop Mountains, Lollypop Woods, and Peanut Brittle Houses.  I yearned to travel back in time and become one of those lucky Israelites! (little did I know...)

Manna Huh?

What exactly is this "fine, bare substance" God bestows on the Israelites in Parshat Beshalach?  When God first explains the plan to Moshe, manna is referred to as bread (Shemot, 16:4).  When the first batch falls, however, we read:

וַתַּעַל שִׁכְבַת הַטָּל וְהִנֵּה עַל פְּנֵי הַמִּדְבָּר דַּק מְחֻסְפָּס דַּק כַּכְּפֹר עַל הָאָרֶץ

The layer of dew went up, and behold, on the surface of the desert, a fine, bare [substance] as fine as frost on the ground. (Shemot, 16:14)

Using it's root - mon - our commentators offer several definitions: 1) "a portion of food" (Rashi) 2) an Egyptian expression for "what is it?" (Rashbam) 3) something of "status" or "importance" (Haketav Vehakabbalah).  Combining the wisdom leads us to understand that manna is a weird, yet important, type of food, and likely somewhat bread-like.

As I grew up I came to better appreciate manna for its more significant meaning.  Manna is yet another sign of the care and guidance God provides the wandering Israelites.  The miraculous sustenance is also symbolic of God's power.  Magically it appears in the morning and its remnants seem to evaporate by the end of the day.  Manna is a teaching tool for Jewish observance.  Its shelf life mystically doubles on Friday so that the Israelites have a double portion to last through Shabbat, teaching them (and future generations) how to observe Shabbat.  Finally, the story of manna is yet another reminder to be trusting of God.  Despite explicit instructions, the Israelites initially try to save their manna from day to day and go searching for it on Shabbat.  In each instance they hit dead ends, and a disappointed God asks his trusted prophet Moshe:

עַד אָנָה מֵאַנְתֶּם לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתַי וְתוֹרֹתָי

How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? (Shemot 16:28)  

Despite their regular complaining, lack of trust, and inability to fully follow directions, God yet again provides for the Israelites' needs.

Pink Grapefruit Cake

In considering a dish to match this parsha, a baked dessert seemed an obvious route to merge my young vision of manna as candy with my more adult understanding of it as a portion of bread-like food.  Furthermore, it seemed appropriate to select an item that had initial flavors that were more bitter than sweet as a reminder of the constant kvetching by the Israelites and their constant inclination to walk left when God commands right.  A Chasidic saying teaches that, "Because they -- the Children of Israel -- were bitter, everything they tasted was bitter to them."  Bitter at the start, but turned sweet ... enter the pink grapefruit.

Like most citrus fruits, grapefruits are encased in a rind that is quite bitter.  Yet, the same rind contains essential oils packed with flavor.  Inside the rind is a flesh of pulp that can range from tart to sweet depending on the variety and state of ripeness.  Nutritionally it is a great source of Vitamin C, pectin and antioxidants, which may lower cholesterol.  There are also some who believe that grapefruit can increase metabolism, and have embarked on a "grapefruit diet" - who knows!

The cake itself is delicious - moist, packed with citrus flavor and appealing to the eye.  Grapefruit is infused into each layer that composes this dessert - batter, syrup and icing.  Also, similar to manna, the cake has an expiration date.  It stays fresh for a couple of days, but must be fully consumed within 48-hours.  ...shouldn't be a problem I imagine.  Enjoy!

Pink Grapefruit Cake

slightly adapted for lazier cooks from Ad Hoc at Home

Serves: 10-12

Batter

3 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ c. milk (or soy milk)

1 c. canola oil

1 ½ Tbsp. grated pink grapefruit zes

1 ½ tsp. vanilla paste or extract

Syrup 

3/4 c. strained fresh pink grapefruit juice

1/2 c. sugar

Icing 

3/4 c powdered (or icing) sugar

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh pink grapefruit juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Grease a round cake pan (ex: bundt).
   
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
   
3. Using a mixer, beat sugar and eggs at medium speed for about 3 minutes, until you see a trail through thickened mixture. Beat in milk and add the oil. Reduce speed to low and add flour mix, mixing just until incorporated. Spread batter into pan, and run a lightly oiled knife around it to help the cake rise evenly. Bake on a small baking sheet for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
   
4. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by combining grapefruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes so that it thickens slightly. As soon as the cake is finished, and before turning it out, poke holes all over it with a long skewer and brush the syrup all over it. Keep going until you've used 2/3 of the syrup. Let the cake cool 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto a cooling rack, poke holes on the top and brush with remaining syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
   
5. Beat together the icing ingredients. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Slice and serve. Cake keeps well at room temperature, loosely covered, for two days.