Poppyseed Grapefruit Torte

Fresh flavours and an appealing look enliven this dessert. Dense Campari-infused cake is punctuated with golden raisins and jewel-like grapefruit segments; ribbons of white chocolate mousse topped with a confetti of poppy seeds add a celebratory note.

vegetable oil, cooking spray
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
2½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. Ruby Red grapefruit zest, finely grated
3 Ruby Red grapefruits (wider segments halved lengthwise).
1 Tbsp. Campari
½ tsp. sea salt
6 eggs, room temperature, separated
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
⅓ cups poppy seeds, + more for sprinkling
¼ cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped
1 recipe White Chocolate Mousse

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5). Coat a 9” springform pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper and coat parchment. Set aside.

Put butter, 1¼ cups sugar, and the zest into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in Campari and salt. Mix in egg yolks, 1 at a time, until creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Stir flour, poppy seeds, and raisins in a medium bowl. Stir into butter mixture.

Put egg whites and remaining 1¼ cups sugar into the clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until stiff but not dry peaks form. Fold into flour mixture. Spread batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula.

Bake until cake is deep golden brown and is pulling away from sides of pan, 35-40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan; invert to remove bottom of pan and parchment. Reinvert onto rack; let cool completely (cake will sink slightly in the middle).

Using a long, sharp knife, cut cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place bottom layer on a serving platter. Top with half of the zest-flavoured mousse. Arrange half of the grapefruit segments in a single layer on top. Top with another cake layer, and repeat layering with remaining zest-flavoured mousse and grapefruit segments. Top with final cake layer. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Spread a thin coat of plain mousse on top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Spread another coat of mousse on sides until smooth and opaque. Transfer remaining mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a large petal tip (such as Ateco #180); pipe waves in concentric circles on top of cake. If mousse becomes too soft, refrigerate about 30 minutes, then stir until smooth. Sprinkle cake top with poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

Makes 8-10 servings.