The Joy of a Quick Dessert

I have become a big fan of the yogurt cake for two very simple reasons.  It tastes good, and it is super easy to make--no exotic ingredients or special tools required.  You do not even need an electric mixer!

Another positive aspect of this cake is that you can make it in a variety of ways, changing its flavor to whatever pleases you most.  The plain version is great by itself, or with a thin layer of raspberry jam.  I also love the blueberry lemon and the cranberry orange variations.  There are many other variations to try too.

The recipe I rely on is the Yogurt Cake by Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini.  I do tend to skip rum--just not the flavor I like in this particular cake.  If you are out of yogurt, the recipe also works with sour cream.  You can make it as a cake in a 9 inch cake pan, or in a 8 x 8 inch baking dish.  You can also bake the recipe as muffins, though the baking time will have be adjusted.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• a good pinch of salt 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste/extract

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F
2. Line the bottom of a round 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.  (When I bake this in the 8 x 8 square dish, I skip the parchment paper, and just butter the dish.)
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. 
4. In another (smaller) bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture and mix together just until everything is wet.  It is very important not to over-mix, or large pockets of air will form in your cake.  
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.  (In my oven, the baking time is usually longer (40-45 minutes), but I usually start checking after 30.)

For the cranberry orange variation, before the above step 5 do the following:

• add a cup of cranberries (I usually use frozen ones) to the flour mixture and mix (DO NOT use craisins here)
• add zest of 1 orange (or to taste) to the yogurt mixture and mix

For the blueberry lemon variation, before the above step 5 do the following:

• add a cup of blueberries (I usually use frozen ones) to the flour mixture and mix
• add zest of 1 lemon (or to taste) to the yogurt mixture and mix

Enjoy!