EVO and Yogurt Loaf Cake
I don't know why, but whenever I'm in Paris, I end up buying way too much yogurt. Maybe it's the endless shelves of yogurt in every supermarket that makes me forget that I don't need quarts of it—or that I'd just bought a quart the day before. Maybe it's the fact that there are so many different kinds of yogurts to choose from—there's non-fat and full-fat, brasse and Greek and Bulgarian and let's not even mention the myriad flavor options. So, I've got a fridge full of the stuff—as always. And now I've got a yogurt cake—as always.
The cake, made with unflavored yogurt and olive oil, is good enough that it would be worth it to go out and buy yogurt for the express purpose of making it. (Of course, I've never had to.) It's a plain cake, rather like a pound cake, but with a somewhat coarser crumb, and it's made without fuss or fancy equipment.
This week's recipe is an olive-oil and lime variation on the cake I usually make with flavorless vegetable oil and lemon. It's great both ways, but I think the evo (extra-virgin olive oil) rendition has a richer flavor.
About the author: Dorie Greenspan is the author of several books on dessert, most recently Baking: From My Home to Yours. Dorie can also be found at DorieGreenspan.com and on the Bon Appétit website, where she is a special correspondent.
EVO and Yogurt Loaf Cake
- makes 8 servings -
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil)
Procedure
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, place the pan on a lined baking sheet and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep near by.
1. Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and rub the ingredients together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil. The batter will be thick and shiny. Scrape it into the pan and smooth the top.
2. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to come away from the sides of the pan; a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up.
Storing: You can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months
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12 Comments:
I love quickbreads like this.
My only qualm is where you say to make sure it's "well blended". Over-mixing can result in toughness due to angering the gluten. A few lumps will generally work themselves out in the oven.
jd7979 at 4:50PM on 01/10/08
Out of curiosity, why "place the pan on a lined baking sheet"?
eliah at 4:51PM on 01/10/08
jd -- You are absolutely right about "not angering the gluten," but in this recipe, what needs to be "well blended" is the yogurt, eggs and sugar, and since none of these ingredients develop gluten, you don't have to worry about over-blending them. It's when the flour goes in that the gentleness must start.
elijah - I put most of what I bake on a baking sheet -- it makes it easy to get things in and out of the oven and it helps even out the heat in ovens that might not be perfect -- and I line the sheet just to keep it clean, in case a batter drips.
dorie at 7:31PM on 01/10/08
I like your lime zest suggestion for a taste change. btw--what brand of EVO do you recommend? Seems like my quick breads actually taste better after they "age" tightly covered for a day or so---does this apply to the yogurt cake? Do you eat it plain...with tea or coffee?
JEP at 7:34PM on 01/10/08
Oh, your rite, I shuld learn how 2 reed gooder...
jd7979 at 8:52AM on 01/11/08
I have made this cake a few times: some with EVO and once with canola oil. The ones with the EVO tasted great, but the one with the canola oil tasted a lot like canola oil :(
I wonder if the oil taste stands out because I didn't mix the batter well enough or if it's because I didn't make the lemon-sugar frosting.
PattyCho at 9:45AM on 01/11/08
JEP, many quickbreads do taste better and have a slightly tighter texture after a day's "aging". As for this one, it's a good keeper, but I think it's just fine eaten the day it is made.
Patty Cho, I find that sometimes, if a seemingly neutral/flavorless oil ends up having too much flavor in a cake, it's because the oil isn't really fresh. Oils are fragile and can turn quickly, so I try to remember to smell them and taste them before I use them. Could this have been the case with your oil?
jd7979 -- :):)
dorie at 4:52PM on 01/11/08
You're right! That makes perfect sense! Thank you. I think the oil I used was a little over a year old.
PattyCho at 8:42PM on 01/11/08
Dorie, I've been searching for a recipe like this. I like a good coarse cake in the winter time. Just right with a nice piece of Wensleydale or Cotswold cheese and a neat whisky!
greenkitchen at 3:26PM on 01/15/08
Dorie,
I made your cake last night with my daughterand we love it! I can't believe how interesting the flavor is and it can go dessert or savory.
Here's my picture:
http://talkmorelater.blogspot.com/
We also made a french butter cookie....
hamahoney at 9:34AM on 01/16/08
Dorie,
Can this cake be sliced and put into a toaster as a base for sorbet or other toppings?
sansan at 11:16AM on 01/29/09
I, too, go crazy with all of the yogurts! My favorite are brasse style. DO you know what makes them special? Is there an equivalent in the US?
JannieH at 11:07PM on 05/25/09