Recipe: Clotilde's Yogurt Cake

The best cake I have ever had is my grandmother's plain cake. We called it plain because that's what it was and how it tasted, with its simple off-white crumb and a top that was a tad sweeter, wetter, a thin layer of velvet that always stuck to the wax paper when it was lifted off. Its real name, I learned many years later, is 1-2-3-4 cake, so called because of its main ingredients: a cup of milk, 2 of sugar and 3 of flour, 4 eggs and a few other teapoons of this and tablespoons of that. There was, is, always plain cake at grandma's house, fresh ones and frozen ones on standby, waiting for a quick dusting of cinnamon, sugar and brown sugar for a quick morning coffee cake, or tart lemon icing, the kind that hardens into a crisp paper-thin crust; others ready for great swaths of rich chocolate frosting, the kind inevitably swiped by greedy fingers. But my favorite way to eat it is unadorned, unaccompanied by anything more than a glass of milk. Plain.

When I saw Clotilde's recipe for yogurt cake, I knew right away it was in the same vein. I was looking for something simple and comforting to take to a friend's house for dinner. When I read that this recipe comes from her boyfriend's grandmother, I knew I had to make it. And since that first cake on Saturday night (which I served with local Straus organic vanilla ice cream and orange blossom honey) I have made two more. One is in the freezer, wrapped in wax paper and aluminum foil, just like at my grandmother's house, and another sits on the counter, already cut into for breakfast. Of course, I ate it plain.

Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake) first pubished on Chocolate and Zucchini
Serves 12

A cake so simple it's the first one taught to les enfants francais, with a not-too-sweet crumb and a crunchy top. A cake that pairs well with raspberries and creme fraiche, with vanilla ice cream and honey, with a cup of tea and milk. 

1 cup of whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
2 eggs (or egg substitute)
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP light rum
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a round ten-inch cake pan. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, and flour. Add in the oil, baking powder, rum and vanilla and mix again. The batter may not quite absorb all the liquid, but that's okay -- don't overwork it. Pour the batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Comments

[lil bro]

This is good stuff. Something to grow up on and something that should be kept on stand by like a great bottle of wine.

[little sister]

ha-i always thought it was the 1-2-3-4 cake because there are basically only 4 steps to it! this one looks scrumptious, too.

[Catherine]

Little bro and little sis -- it's amazing. Really easy to make too, if you only have a few minutes.

[Mom]

This looks wonderful--also kind of like my Hot Milk Cake, which was a recipe from a friend's great great aunt. I'll certainly try this one soon--may have one in the freezer when you come for the holidays!

[LisaSD]

I have a friend who made this (Clotilde's recipe) recently and thought it was really good too. Sometimes, the simple things are best!

[Catherine]

Mom -- you won't be disappointed.

LisaSD -- I agree, I love simple foods.

[josh in pvd]

mmm.... tasty.. definitely trying this one.. looks delicious.. yum yum yum. look forward to reading more of your recipes. :)

[Mitchell]

this was superb; I needed, and quickly, a birthday cake which had forgotten to order, and I doubled this recipe, using the grated zest of 2 lemons and and their juice instead of rum. I filled the layers with store-bought lemon curd, and frosted with an orange flavored buttercream. Everone thought I slaved, and it was a breeze. Thank youi -- this is a keeper.