FAST AND WHOLESOME FROM SCRATCH
THOUGH CONVENIENCE BAKING MIXES ARE EXCELLENT TIME-SAVERS, HOME COOKS ARE EMBRACING SCRATCH BAKING—EVEN ON THE BUSIEST OF DAYS
FRENCH YOGURT CAKE WITH APRICOT-CHERRY COMPOTE
Ingredients
- HANDS ON 20 minutes
- BAKE 40 minutes at 350°F
- COOL 2 hours
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 5- oz. jar French-style vanilla yogurt such as Oui or ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup neutral oil such as canola Powdered sugar
- 1 recipe Apricot-Cherry Compote Crème fraîche optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of an 8-inch round baking pan.* Line bottom with waxed paper; grease pan. In a medium bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt.
- 2. In a large bowl combine granulated sugar and zest. Using fingers, rub zest into sugar until sugar is moist and aromatic. Add yogurt, eggs, and vanilla; whisk until well blended. Gently whisk in flour mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in oil until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- 3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until top of cake feels springy and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen edges of cake from pan. Remove cake from pan; peel off waxed paper. Cool on wire rack.
- 4. Dust cake with powdered sugar. Serve with Apricot-Cherry Compote and, if you like, crème fraîche. Makes 8 servings (1 slice cake + about ⅓ cup compote each).
- APRICOT-CHERRY COMPOTE In a large saucepan combine ¼ cup each sugar, water, and dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc) or water, and 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional). Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir in 12 oz. (3 to 4) fresh apricots, peaches, or pluots, pitted and sliced, and 8 oz. (1½ cups) fresh sweet cherries, pitted. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until fruit softens and syrup thickens. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Transfer to a container; cover and chill before serving.
- *NOTE You can bake this cake in a 1½- or 2-inch-deep pan. With a 1½-inch-deep pan, it will be more full, and the cake will bake up to the edge of the pan. Bake at least 45 minutes in this pan.
- PER SERVING 461 cal., 21 g fat (4 g sat. fat), 77 mg chol., 231 mg sodium, 59 g carb., 2 g fiber, 43 g sugars, 8 g pro.
Notes
THEN: YOGURT DEBUT In April 1951 editors introduced home cooks to yogurt—”the new edition of nature’s most perfect food: … milk transformed to ‘yogurt’ by adding a special culture. It’s smooth as custard, mildly tart, [and] fresh tasting. You eat it with a spoon.”
NOW: BUSY-DAY CAKE Though the basic formula for our updated one-bowl cake is close to its original 1930 predecessor, we added more sugar and two more eggs, swapped in some almond flour for texture, and stirred in yogurt instead of milk. It’s richer and more tender but still no-fuss and done in 60.
