Plain Cake (The Best Plain Cake, Better)

  Plain Cake 

(The Best Plain Cake, Better)

(French Yogurt/Almond Cake)

Adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan by Blue Heron Kitchen

“The Best Plain Cake” (July, 2010, Blue Heron Kitchen) got better this year.

The tweaks: coconut oil (you can buy it at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or Fairway). Coconut oil isn’t liquid (at least my ‘organic coconut oil” isn’t). It looks to me more like coconut fat or coconut grease. That's why they call it 'oil'. To bring it to liquid, place the small amount you're adding atop your stove when your oven is preheating or just warm it ever so slightly. Here's a coconut oil truc: a tiny bit of coconut oil will stand up to high heat and add a subtle flavor to your popcorn kernels .. huzza. Lemon oil: Boyajian oils are invaluable when it comes to infusing your pastry with flavor. You can buy them through King Arthur Flour or online through Amazon. Increased vanilla (I have used Baldwin's vanilla extract for about 30 years. Once you open a bottle and take a whiff, you'll be astonished. Once you start using it in your baking, you'll never use another vanilla extract. Then I hope you'll write to me and thank me.  Here's the link. Read about Baldwin's. Then order some) oh .. and I added a little more salt. If you restrict your salt intake, then decrease the amount. I love salt and sweet together.

Wrapped well, these cakes will keep for several days, out in a cool room, up to a week in the fridge, and for a month or two in the freezer. You can make a simple jam glaze by heating up marmalade (lemon or try ginger!) and a little sugar, until liquid, straining it and then glazing the loaves when they’re cooled. Adorn or n’adorn, this is the greatest plain cake; and you can make it by hand.

Berries are a natural complement.  Sorbet, sherbet, ice cream, frozen yogurt, crème fraiche, whipped cream. Toast it!

Bob’s Red Mill’s almond meal/flour is my brand of choice. French almond flour is gorgeous and much more refined, and it’s easy to find in the supermarkets in France, but not ici.  Another place to find almond flour is Patel Brothers (a great chain of Indian supermarkets in the New York metropolitan area).

Play around with this and use other nut flours/oils/extracts; and if you’re adverse to nuts, substitute flour (try some whole wheat flour instead of the nut flour.)

You’re going to love this cake and you'll bake it all year.

 peace, love and happy summer!

jane

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)

½ 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

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I use Baldwin’s)

1/8 tsp. lemon oil (Boyajian’s)

1Tbsp. coconut oil

¼ c. + 3 Tbsp. flavorless vegetable oil (If you omit coconut 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.

Begin with the whisk attachment of your Kitchen Aid, or by hand, a human whisk. Start with the sugar, add the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon oil and whisk vigorously until well blended.  If mixing by hand, still whisking, add the dry ingredients, making sure to whisk until the batter is no longer lumpy. If using a Kitchen Aid, switch to the flat beater of Beater Blade and add the dry ingredients, making sure to mix until 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.