The Best Plain Cake

The Best Plain Cake

or

French Yogurt/Almond Cake

Adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan by Blue Heron Kitchen

Baking shortcakes for the Fourth of July is always on the a-list, but I don’t have heavy cream in my fridge these days.  I always have Total Fage Greek Yogurt. Don’t let anyone convince you that Trader Joe’s own brand is ‘just as good’.  It doesn’t come close.

This is one of those cakes that ‘every’ French homemaker/baker has in their arsenal, and thanks to Dorie Greenspan’s brilliant recipe, it’s now in mine and I’m sharing it with you. 

When wrapped well, these cakes will keep for (in a cool room) for several days, up to a week in the fridge, and for a month or two in the freezer.  Dorie's recipe calls for a marmalade glaze, but I’m keeping this simple.  If you want to get fancy, you can make a simple jam glaze by heating up marmalade (lemon) and a little sugar, until liquid, straining it and then glazing the loaves when they’re cooled. Adorn or n’adorn.  

This is the best goddamn plain cake in the world, and you can make it by hand.

Berries are a natural complement.  Sorbet, sherbet, ice cream, crème fraiche, whipped cream. Bosco.  You name it.  Instead of all ‘flavorless oil’, I opted for ¼ toasted almond oil.  La Tourangelle, a French sounding company, but actually based in California, makes a reasonably priced product that has a round, warm flavor.  (The picture and link is on the left, but I found a can of it at Home Goods for eight bucks.) You can use this in other baked products. Or, try it in pesto!  Bob’s Red Mill’s almond meal/flour is my brand of choice. You can buy it at Fairway or online at their website. French almond flour is gorgeous and much more refined, and it’s easy to find in the supermarkets in France, but not ici.  You can play around with this and use other nut flours/oils/extracts; and if you’re adverse to nuts, just substitute flour (try some whole wheat flour instead of the nut flour.)

Happy 4th, 14th, whatev. You’re going to love this recipe and make it all year round.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup ground almonds (or, whole wheat flour or just more all-purpose flour)

2 tsp. baking powder (I use Rumford – no aluminum)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Grated zest of a lemon (use organic if you can)

½ cup 2% Total Fage Greek Yogurt

3 eggs, size large, room temperature

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. toasted almond oil

¼ c. + 2 Tbsp. flavorless vegetable oil (If you omit almond oil: ½ cup flavorless oil)

Procedure:

Center rack in oven and preheat to 350º F.  Butter and flour, or spray release and flour medium sized loaf pan (8 ½-x-4 ½ inch) or smaller loaf molds. (If using paper molds, which are great for ‘giving’, freezing, and looking like you know what you’re doing, you don’t have to grease them.) You can also bake this in a round cake pan and then turn it into a filled layer cake!

In a medium bowl measure the sugar.  Using your Microplane Zester, being careful to not include the bitter pith (the white stuff) of the lemon, zest the rind and with your fingers or a fork or a small whisk, incorporate the rind into the sugar.  Set aside and the oils of the zest will get into the sugar and make it smell really great.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour/almond meal, baking powder and salt.

You can use the whisk attachment of your Kitchen Aid, or by hand, a human whisk. Start with the sugar, add the yogurt, eggs and extract and whisk vigorously until well blended.  Still whisking, add the dry ingredients, making sure to whisk until the batter is no longer lumpy.  Stop the machine and remove the bowl, or if doing this manually, switch to a rubber spatula.  Fold in the oil.  The batter should be smooth, shiny and thick.

Fill prepared pan(s) and bake, depending upon size of pan, anywhere from 30-50 minutes.  Cake is done when top is golden, it springs to the touch and a tester (or sharp knife) inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Transfer to a rack and cool for 5-10 minutes.  If the cake doesn’t easily release, run a knife between the cake and sides of pan.  Unmold and cool to room temperature before wrapping.

peace, love, and get out of Afghanistan

jane