Tuesday, March 17, 2009

TWD - French Yogurt Cake

The first time I tasted Yogurt Cake was at a friend's house. I was amazed at how moist and delicious it was. She was almost apologetic when she told me what kind of cake it was. "C'est juste un gâteau au yaourt"... It's just a yogurt cake...

The beauty of this cake is in its simplicity. You could do so many flavor variations. I made the lemon version, but used Ground Cherry and Vanilla Compote for the glaze. It was fantastic! I also made an orange version, using half the oil called for in the recipe and substituting unsweetened apple sauce for the rest. I made a simple syrup using orange juice and a little sugar in place of the glaze. It was just as moist and tender as the lemon version. We were almost fighting over the last slices! You could also add fresh or dried fruit, nuts, different jams or preserves for the glaze, endless possibilities!

The real secret to the wonderful citrus scent of the cake is in Dorie's special technique. The lemon (or orange) zest is rubbed into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. The oil from the zest permeates the sugar and its essence is then diffused throughout the cake, giving it a truly fantastic aroma.

So if you're looking for a last minute dessert or a sweet little afternoon snack to accompany your coffee or tea, I highly recommend that you visit Liliana over at My Cookbook Addiction for the recipe. Might I also suggest that you check out the rest of the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers? A little something tells me there might be a few interesting variations of Yogurt Cake floating about the web today.



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44 comments:

Steph said...

Wow! Subbing in half the oil and still as tender and moist, that's great! Your loaf looks amazing with the beautifully browned top and glaze.

chocolatechic said...

Brilliant!

"Just a yogurt cake"....yogurt cakes are amazing.

Anonymous said...

Oh my. What wonderful sounding flavors.

Isabelle Lambert said...

c'est l'avantage de les faire en mini portions..personne ne se battra pour savoir qui mangera la dernière tranche..on s'en tient à son gâteau et on ne discute pas ! lol !
ta présentation est superbe comme d'habitude Lyb !

Anonymous said...

Ground cherry and vanilla compote?!! Really?! That sounds amazing!! Your cake is gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Very lovely photos of your very lovely cake...I just loved doing that sugar and zest squishing...a very nice recipe, I agree.

Jennifer said...

Your cake looks like something straight out of a professional bakery. BEAUTIFUL!

Anonymous said...

The flavors you mention.... yum. The photos were amazing as well. Love the last one.

farah said...

Yum, cherry and vanilla compote. I wish they stocked that at my local supermarket :)
I really enjoyed this cake and you're right, you could try so many variations with this cake and not get bored.

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

Just gorgeous! I love that first picture!

-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com

Aimée said...

Gorgeous, you know how I love citrus.
That's one of my favorite techniques-rubbing the zest and sugar together- It's like a mini spa for the hands, they smell so good afterward!

Julie said...

Encore des photos tellement belles! Ton gâteau est appétissant et avec sa couche de compote luisante... miam!
Et oui, c'est dans How to be a Domestic Goddess que je trouve que la recette est imbattable. Si je ne me trompe pas, c'est la première recette du livre et c'est aussi la première recette que j'ai essayé dans ce livre! Un gâteau si simple, qui semble même banal et pourtant, il est un de mes préférés. Ça m'est arrivé déjà à plusieurs occasions de le faire à la dernière minute, pour des invités surprises et y'a pas plus rapide et meilleur que ce gâteau (dans cette catégorie et à mon humble avis!)!

Kimberly Johnson said...

Thanks for sharing some great ideas for variations! Your cake looks fantastic.

vibi said...

Superbe, LyB!

Et c'est plus fort que moi, je suis jalouse de cette WOW de planche à découper en bois! Me dis pas par contre que c'est ton comptoir de cuisine qu'est comme ça... sinon, j'emménage tout de suite! LOL

Peggy said...

beautiful cake, beautiful photos. I loved this cake! Happy St. patty's day!!

Stephanie said...

I agree! This cake is perfect for playing around. Delicious!

Megan said...

I agree, this recipe is a keeper. Who would have guessed something so simple could be so wonderful?

grace said...

breaking out the paint brush. nice. :)
lovely photos of a lovely cake, lyb.

Ivette said...

Your cake looks amazing and I bet it tasted great. I really enjoyed this recipe because its super tasty and easy to make.

TeaLady said...

Oh! That loaf does look good. I like that you spread it with the marmalade instead of glazing it. It was fun with the zest and sugar and it did smell amazing.

Jules Someone said...

I loved how simple this was. Yours looks lovely!

Anonymous said...

Ground cherry and vanilla compote sounds delicious. your cake looks gorgeous.

Heather B said...

totally delicious! Great job, your cake looks so good!

Heather said...

yummmmm. i love lemon in desserts. sounds amazing!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Beautiful photos!! I am going to have to try that cherry compote. Didn't you love rubbing the zest into the sugar. It was so soft!

Joy said...

Beautiful photos - I love the ones of the zest and sugar.

Linda said...

Wow, beautiful photos, great commentary! I {heart} this cake...I'm definitely going to experiment going low-fat the next time I made this.

Liliana said...

Your cake looks delicious! I will have to try using half oil and half applesauce next time (which should be today) - what a great idea!

Great photos! Thanks for stopping by!

ChichaJo said...

Love baking with yogurt :) Your cake looks so lovely and sunny!

PheMom said...

Beautiful job LyB! I love it!

Di said...

Mmm, your cake looks yummy. I love the pictures of the zest and sugar.

Unknown said...

Your cake looks marvelous! You're right - this is such a nice recipe that can be adapted in so many ways!

Annette said...

Can I lick that spoon?! Your photos make me want to reach through my screen and take a bite. Your cake looks great! This was a winner at my house too.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Les deux combinaisons vont bien ensemble. Ca doit être tellement succulent.

Juls said...

OH MY GOSH!
I've just discovered your blog and I've fallen in love with every single little detail!
I love yougurh desserts: they remind me of my mum's cake!

Engineer Baker said...

Wow, I absolutely love the second pic. Just perfect. And the ground cherry and vanilla compote sounds stellar with it.

Maris said...

This is gorgeous - I love yogurt cakes - they're always perfectly moist!

Cookie baker Lynn said...

This looks splendid. I love how moist a yogurt cake is. The zest and sugar technique is great - your fingers smell wonderful for hours afterwards.

Shari@Whisk: a food blog said...

Love your idea of using applesauce for some of the oil. And your glaze looks so pretty! Sounds and looks delicious.

Manggy said...

The correct response to a statement like that is, "Whaddya mean, JUST a yogurt cake?" Because it is divine. I love the moist crumb and that glazing picture is beautiful!

security fence said...

Your the perfect adviser when it comes to good food! Id eat everyday in your restaurant (if you had one near my town).

game ads said...

Yuuum. This looks really good!

online schools said...

I love yogurt!!! Thanks for posting...

russellville arkansas real estate said...

your cake looks delicious. will try to make this one of these days.