Yoghurt cake (gâteau au yaourt)

This is the French equivalent of a sponge or pound cake, made using the humble yoghurt pot as the instrument of measurement. At its most simple, it can be as easy as one, two, three – one pot of yoghurt, two pots of sugar, three pots of flour, then add eggs and oil. Et voilà! The perfect French family cake.

Credit: Brett Stevens

• serves

  8

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour, plus extra, to dust
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 120 g (1 cup) almond meal
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 140 g (½ cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 2 lemons, zested
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
• icing sugar, to serve

You will need a 17.5 cm loaf tin for this recipe.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease with a little butter and lightly dust the sides of a 17.5 cm loaf tin with flour. Line base with baking paper.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl, then stir in almond meal. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, yoghurt, lemon zest, vanilla and oil and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour wet mixture into dry mixture, stirring until a smooth batter forms.

Pour batter into prepared pan, then bake for 1 hour or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cake in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Photography Brett Stevens. Food preparation Leanne Kitchen. Styling Vivien Walsh.

As seen in Feast magazine, November 2014, Issue 37.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.