combustication

I remember reading about this recipe quite a while ago from Clothilde’s awesome blog Chocolate and Zucchini (she’s also just come out with a cookbook that looks fabulous) and never quite got it out of my head. Apparently, yogurt cake in France is to chocolate chip cookies over here - a simple childhood recipe. I tweaked the recipe a little bit and added some berries and fresh whipped cream (see below) for a quick and summery dessert. The cake was perfect. Super moist with a lovely crumb and a slightly crisp top makes for good nibbling. It’s pretty much a one bowl affair and takes less than 10 minutes to prep and only 35 minutes to bake. Perfect for summertime!

Yogurt Cake w/Blackberries and Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

For cake:

2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup of lowfat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup walnut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or just use a total of 2 cups AP flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder

For whipping cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp vanilla

blackberries

To Do:

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a large tart pan or 9-10″ cake pan. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a two cup measuring cup and set aside. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl and then throw in all of the other wet ingredients (vanilla, oil, rum and yogurt). Once combined, add the flour and baking powder mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring slowly until just incorporated. Do not overbeat. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 35 minutes. The top should become a golden brown (emphasis on golden). Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure the cake is set. Put the cake aside to cool.

In the meantime, if you want whipped cream, chill the bowl and beaters of a mixer for about 10 minutes. Place cream in the chilled bowl and mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until you get your desired whipped cream consistency.

Serve a slice of cake with a dollop of whipped cream and some berries. Summer on a plate.