French Yoghurt Cake

I’ve found myself overstocked with yoghurt after three weeks of freebies that the people from Yoplait gave out at the end of the Manawatu Striders 7km run/walk series.

I came across an interesting recipe for a French Yoghurt Cake on various blogs and websites and thought I would try it for myself. I was particularly attracted to the fact it was described as an excellent breakfast cake and that requires no frosting. Apparently it is one of the first things young French girls learn to bake. There’s no difficult measuring involved because you use your empty yoghurt pot for everything other than the baking powder. As I frequently do, I surfed for recipes and then created my own by picking out the most common measurement across the various recipes. In this case the widest variation was in the amount of oil. You can check the other recipes out yourself if you wish:
Chocolate and Zucchini
Orangette
Let’s Cook French
from the BBC
Happy Burp
My Treasure…My Pleasure



French Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients
1 pot (mine was 150g) yoghurt – any flavour
2 pots sugar
2 eggs
½ - 1 pot oil (use a mild one such as canola or grapeseed – I used Alfa One rice bran oil)
3 pots all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Flavouring as desired eg vanilla, cinnamon
Diced fruit, chocolate chips etc

Method
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl but do not overmix
Pour into a greased and lined cake pan and bake at 180 C/350 F til done.

My comments and observations:
The first time around I used 1 cup of oil and accidentally (I didn’t realise this til later) used a lite/diet yoghurt.
To enhance the raspberry yoghurt I added some chopped dried strawberries, a handful of fresh blueberries that were rolling about in the bottom of my fridge and a handful of frozen raspberries.
The cake browned quite quickly but there was a definite wet spot in the middle so I had to cover it with foil until it was done. I used an 8” x 8” pan and figure it took 20-30 minutes. I tend to test my cakes when I start to smell them baking and I always set my timer for about 10 minutes less than any recipe suggests.
The cake turned out moist and tender and the raspberries were a delightful tangy surprise. If anything I thought the cake could have been a little less sweet.
Second time around I used a rich, sweet, lemon yoghurt and because it was a creamier style I cut the oil back to ½ a pot
I cut the sugar back by 1 tablespoon per pot
To enhance the lemon flavour I added ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest
Lastly I added a couple of pots of frozen blueberries
I had the same sticky middle and unfortunately ended up overcooking the cake by the time the middle was done. Next time I’ll use a ring tin as I think the texture could stand it.
I don’t know if it was the reaction of the lemon juice with the baking powder but my second cake turned out much taller than the first one.

Overall I think the cake has vast potential and the mixture seems to be forgiving. I very much like the no brainer method of dumping everything in together and of course that I don't have to mess around with icing. I’ll give it a couple more tries before deciding whether it will be a permanent addition to my baking repertoire.

Imagine the variations....
Blueberry yoghurt with berries, almond extract and ground almonds
Plain yoghurt with chocolate chips and vanilla essence and perhaps a mashed banana or two
Apricot yoghurt with chopped dried apricots
Peach yoghurt with sliced peaches and cinnamon
Berry yoghurt with raspberries and white chocolate

Not my New Year's Resolution

I don’t set myself New Year’s resolutions because as you know I seldom finish what I start. However, I’ve set myself a few challenges this year and so far I’m doing well.

Challenge #1 was to go to an RPM or “spinning” class. If you watch Men in Trees you'll remember that Marin was horrified to find that Elmo didn't offer spinning class. For the uninitiated it’s an exercise class on stationery bicycles where the instructor tells you when to dial up the resistance on your bike, lean on your handlebars, or get up out of your seat to simulate a hill climb or a race. Supposedly it’s the equivalent of a 20km ride and can burn up to 900 calories. I’d done a class years ago and all I remembered was that it was very hard work. This time I went along with a positive attitude, knowing I was a little fitter and that whatever happened I could just go at my own pace. Unlike the stationary bikes in the gym with their large cushy seats, the RPM bikes are more along the lines of a road bike and have teeny weeny seats. Not only are they small but they are hard – very hard. You are provided with a gel pad to cover the seat but I still felt like I was sitting on a very very small brick. Did I mention the seats were hard? The phrase "Lorks a Lordy! My bottom's on fire" springs to mind and just thinking about it now makes me wince. They tell me it gets better the more you do it but I’m not convinced.

Challenge #2 is still ongoing. The Manawatu Striders run a Super Seven Series each year which is a 7 week series of 7km (four mile) walks through the lovely gardens at Victoria Esplanade and around the streets of Palmerston North. The idea is to try to beat your own time each week. The first week my friend and I made it round in 1 hour 7 minutes (we forgot to count the seconds) and on week two we slashed an impressive 6 minutes off our time. Week 3 there was a bit of a head wind (well that’s my excuse anyway) and we only managed to cut our time by a minute and a half. I heard there was a record number of attendees that night – approximately 1,000 people. Week 4 we shaved yet more time off and completed the course in 58 minutes and on week 5 we warmed up with a walk for the first km and then walked and ran alternate kms. Sounds impressive but we only took 3 minutes off our time which means we don't really run very much faster than we can walk! People bring their kids (in strollers or on foot or sometimes in backpacks) and their dogs. There are downsides to both - call me miss whiney-pants if you must but I can really do without being downwind of a walker with warm and noisome dog doody in their pocket and recently I had to resist a strong urge to shove… er I mean…..nudge a young rollerblader who was travelling in the opposite direction from the walkers. Seriously though it's a fun, well organised event with the added bonus of spot prizes and a sausage sizzle afterwards. Between us my friend and I have won three spot prizes. The past few weeks there have been giveaways of packs of yoghurt by the kind people at Yoplait - I think I will have to search out some baking recipes to use it up. Perhaps something exciting for Muffin Monday.


Tonight was the penultimate event and because I'd donated blood earlier in the day and it was an extremely warm evening, we decided we'd take a nice leisurely stroll and enjoy the scenery.

Starting off...


The duck pond...


Pretty flowers - the light was kinda weird in the shadows and I don't remember the tree trunk looking purple...


A swan plant and monarch caterpillars - yes they're there - it isn't just a picture of a tangle of greenery...


More pretty flowers - I'd love to say that the misty look was on purpose but it was a lucky accident...


The river...


Hope you enjoyed my walk.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Lis of La Mia Cucina recently reviewed some Dorie Greenspan recipes and gave them glowing praise; I recommend you swing by to check out her baking efforts here. A friend at work recently celebrated a birthday and I knew I wouldn’t have time to bake her a cake unless I found one that could be baked in advance. When Lis told me about her brown sugar bundt cake my tastebuds were tantalised. That is, until I learned that it had pears and prunes in it also. I like both but somehow couldn’t imagine them together in a cake. I’m glad I decided to try the recipe because it was lip smackingly delicious and like the recipe said – it’s a good keeper. I baked it on a Tuesday evening and we didn’t eat it until Friday morning. It was still tender and moist. One person in my office who sampled the cake had 3 pieces. I guess she liked it.

In my typical style I didn’t follow the recipe as stated and here’s what happened. For some strange reason I thought it would be sensible to measure my bundt pan and I discovered that it certainly was not a 12 cup one. I decided that I still wanted to use it because the cakes turn out so pretty in a bundt pan and thought I could just halve the recipe. Well it’s not really that easy to half an egg is it! I used two eggs. I didn’t want to use nuts so followed the suggestion to use extra flour. My next hurdle was that I didn’t have any buttermilk so I substituted natural, unsweetened yoghurt (dairy is dairy in my recipe book) and finally, the lazy person in me couldn’t be bothered peeling and coring fresh pears so I used canned ones instead. Next time I make the full recipe I think I’ll try a 9”x13” pan and I’ll probably add some ginger to the mixture instead of the prunes. Perhaps I might try an apple and cinnamon version.


Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
Adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. ground hazelnuts or walnuts (or 1/4 c. more all-purpose flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. (packed) light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract (only if you're using the ground nuts)
1 c. buttermilk, at room temperature
2 medium pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice.
1/2 c. moist, plump prunes, snipped into 1/4-inch pieces, or 1/2 c. moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Getting Ready
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. If your pan is not nonstick, dust the interior of the pan with flour, then tap out the excess. (If you've got a silicone Bundt pan, there's no need to butter or flour it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.

Method
Whisk together the flour, nuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition
Beat in the vanilla and the almond extract, if you're using it
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately - add the flour in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients)
Mix only until the ingredients are incorporated and scrape down the bowl as needed
With a rubber spatula, stir in the pears and prunes. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. (If the cake looks as if it's browning too fast, cover the top loosely with a foil tent.)
Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack

When you are ready to serve, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar

*Dorie's Note 1: Dorie suggests, if you have the time, to wrap the cake well and leave it on the counter to ripen the flavors for a day before serving.
*Dorie's Note 2: This cake will keep well for about 5 days wrapped well and at room temperature and can be frozen for up to 2 months, defrost still wrapped.

*Playing Around: For a nuttier cake, use 2 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 c. ground nuts - hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds. Decrease the vanilla extract to 1 1/4 tsp., and use the almond extract. Omit the pears and prunes and stir in 1 cup of chopped toasted nuts - use the same nut as the one you ground.

*Lisa's Notes: I can't have nuts, so I omitted the ground and the almond extract, which gave me a very caramel tasting cake. I also substituted golden raisins in lieu of the prunes just because it's what I had on hand. I did eat this cake the day of baking as well as every freaking day after (5 days!) and it did get better with each passing day. *swoon*

Happy Valentine's Day

A day late and a dollar short but I just wanted to show off the fact that I was spoiled on Valentine's Day. It's easy to be pleasantly surprised when you have low expectations but it was just as well I'd bought him a card and a little something and had planned a nice dinner. I made oven baked salmon fillets with a squeeze of lemon juice, soy sauce and wasabi and served them with salad and fresh green beans. Unfortunately I was too hungry to wait for a photo opporunity.

From my sweetie I received a single red rose (the lilies were a little treat to myself I bought last weekend), a lovely gift set of vanilla bath gel and body lotion from The Body Shop AND a card - all completely unexpected. I was informed that the still wrapped gift was for his other girlfriend but when pushed he said it was my anniversary present and I wasn't allowed to shake it. Ok - so I haven't shaken it but let's just say that it's very light. I wonder what it could be. I'll have to wait til March to find out.

New Cookbooks

My parents gave me book vouchers for Christmas and what better thing to spend them on but cookbooks.

Sometimes I buy recipe books just because I am in love with the writer; Ruth Pretty is one such chef and she is one of my culinary idols. Her food is interesting yet uncomplicated and she is a very warm and down-to-earth person. Ruth has generously posted many of her recipes on her website and it's worth a look. I especially recommend her recipe for Tomato Chilli Jam particularly as now is a good time to buy some well flavoured summer tomatoes. Ruth serves her Tomato Chilli Jam with plain rice crackers and philly cream cheese with a little fresh coriander garnish. YUM

Apart from writing books, running a hugely successful catering company and a cooking school, Ruth has a column in The Dominion Post on a Saturday and she also writes for Cuisine magazine. Ruth was inducted into the Restaurant Association of New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2005. She has three other cookbooks and yes, of course I own them all. My particular favourite is Cooking at Springfield which provides a lovely glimpse into Ruth's life at Springfield. There are lots of photographs of her home and garden including several of Ruth's pets. I have a fond memory of Ruth's little pug dog sneaking into class one lunch time whereupon I coaxed her under the table with a wee morsel of fillet steak and duck liver pate which I wasn't particularly enjoying. It's OK - we didn't get caught!

I have had the privilege of attending three cooking classes at her school and would love to do more but they are so popular that spaces are snapped up within days of the class schedule being published. I see that the summer class list is out now but I have an overseas trip coming later next month so I'd rather have spending money this time round. Several of the recipes in Ruth's new book are from a Christmas class I did a while back (chicken & pistachio pies, rosemary & fennel seed roast leg of pork with apple shallot sauce, pancetta and venison sausage stuffing and marmalade baklava with orange syrup) and it's nice to have them all in one place. Those loose pieces of paper are so hard to keep track of when you're filing system is like mine - nonexistent!


Taste magazine brought out a cookbook just in time for the Christmas market. It is a collection of 70 popular recipes from their issues to date. I flicked through the book in the store and noted that it fulfilled one of my main cookbook criteria - coloured photographs and lots of them. A cookbook without pictures just wrong. There are several recipes that I have already tried (drunken pork chops, lemon curd and lamb & cashew curry) as well as many recipes that I had flagged in my magazines for my ever expanding "to make" list (louise cake made with fresh raspberries; and curry puff pies to name but two) so there was no doubt that this book was a must have.