Yo! I have a cake for you today.
And if you bake this cake…you will have cake tomorrow.
It goes along the lines of the proverb … give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish…
Proverbs don’t just pop into everyone’s brains randomly?
It happens to me all day long…well, not proverbs, but thoughts that have no purpose for being there.
Such as, when you walk down a wide hallway (i.e a hospital hallway) and you pass someone going the opposite way, you both keep to the right, same is said for bike paths, and sidewalks. We go to the right. So, in England and other parts of Great Britain (all of Great Britain drives on the wrong side…err the left side of the road, no? I need to wikipedia this…), do they then keep to the left? I don’t remember encountering this situation when I was there years ago…but I was in a large group and we just took up the whole damn sidewalk. Suppose I go back … I need to figure this out…don’t want to look like a silly American or get run-over on a bike path.
And I wonder this in all seriousness.
Also, we are getting purple scrubs for the pharmacy department. They are considered lilac in color. Or Barney-esque. I am super pumped to wear scrubs when I roll out of bed 20 minutes late (or later…let’s be honest) and every pair of dress pants I own are scattered about the floor and wrinkled and the rest of my clothes are in the laundry room half in/half out of the dryer…and did I mention that I still need to jump in the shower? And they call me a grown adult! Ha! These mornings I will gladly darn my purple scrubs. However, this week I thought it great if the whole department could wear the purple scrubs, take a group photo, and title it ‘What a Grape Bunch’. Even right now, this makes me giggle uncontrollably. Do you get the pun?? Hilarious. Picture the fruit of the loom grape dude (minus the horse).
Seriously. Puns. Funny.
No one found it as funny as I.
And if they did laugh, they were probably just laughing at the mere sight of me doubled over in laughter.
The picture has to happen.
Randomness just pops in. And has a habit of staying awhile.
But this cake…not so random. This was 100% premeditated cake baking. My CSA two weeks ago provided me with fresh yogurt, peaches, and blueberries. The yogurt, while I am sure would have been excellent eaten alone, in a parfait, blended into a smoothie, etc…but when I get fresh yogurt I prefer to bake with it. Nothing adds moisture like yogurt. If a cake calls for sour-cream or buttermilk (anything with a bit of an acidic bite) – I substitute with yogurt, if available.
And the peaches and blueberries…well I refrained from just eating them, straight up. It was tough. I LOVE BLUEBERRIES. And there is nothing better than eating a peach while perched over the kitchen sink while juice runs down your chin and forearm, eventually finding its way to the tip of your elbow. That my friends, is summer.
The yogurt cake I have for you today is amazingly simple…and quick. I almost guarantee that you have all the ingredients. And the pan…well, I recommend using a springform pan because it does rise, but I think a regular round cake pan (with high sides) would do the trick. I think. But don’t shout if things go a-rye…I confessed that I truly had no clue. So if you are worried and are cursing me that you don’t have a springform pan, I am sure your neighbor does…or perhaps your sister or that weird aunt across town. Just ask. It is totally worth it.
And the compote. Seriously easy. Seriously delicious. And the leftovers (if you are lucky enough to have them) can totally be eaten by the spoonful or swirled into your morning oatmeal, morning parfait, or atop your waffles and pancakes. Oh! and don’t forget about ice cream or perhaps lemon sorbet…holy smokes. DO THIS. NOW! It is a total summer must.
Also another summer must…blowing a bicycle tire and walking the remaining 3-ish miles home…Total summer must. I think I am about to learn how to fix a bicycle tire…
- 1+1/2 Cups Full Fat Yogurt
- 2/3 Cup Olive Oil – use best quality you can get your hands on
- 1 +1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2+1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2+1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- Peach and Blueberry Compote
- 2 Peaches, peeled and diced (large)
- 1 Cups Blueberries
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (so there is no clumping)
- 1/4 Cup Water
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper ( or grease with butter).
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt – set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth and no bumps remain.
- Pour cake batter into prepared springform pan and place in preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Place tinfoil over cake towards the end of the baking time if the top begins to brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the pan.
- While cake is cooling, prepare compote.
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine all ingredients for compote and set over medium heat. Bring contents to a boil and then reduce heat and let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until mixture thickens. Stir occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let cool before spooning over cake.
- Store in refrigerator in a sealed container and use as you like. Can be reheated in microwave (about 30 seconds, stir).
Cake recipe is slightly adapted from The Kitchn
Note: This cake would be great with any kind of citrus zest. Lemon, lime, or orange zest, grated and rubbed into the sugar and then go on with baking as you would have otherwise. Oh! and no peaches? Try some plums. Or straight up berries. I’m not sure you could screw this up.
Fork Vs Spoon 
It’s funny, in France we have a recipe like this where you use the yogurt pot as a measure: 1 pot yogurt, 1 pot sugar, 2 pots flour, 1 pot oil and you just add 3 eggs and baking powder.(that’s how much I use, others might take more sugar or flour or oil or the three together) We must have smaller yogurt pots here but same basic principle and same result: everyone loves it! I like that you serve compote with it, it looks yummy!!!
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