Gateau au Yaourt

I actually really like yoghurt, but I rarely buy it because it never gets eaten up. I see so many recipes that I like the look of, but then end up passing by because they contain Greek yoghurt and there is never, ever, any in the house.

But I was shopping for ingredients for my FIRST EVER ROAST (post to follow soon) with my Nan, and she bought some posh Rachel's Farm yoghurt... and it was 2 for £3. "Do you want to choose one to have?" She asked?

Darn right I did! I got the fat free strawberry and rhubarb one and it's delicious. But I couldn't imagine managing to eat 3 or 4 portions before going away for the weekend... so I made a French Yoghurt cake and proceeded to mangle the name horribly every time I tried to pronounce it. Cover your ears... "Gat-oh ah yay-oh-urt..."

It's a cinch to whip up, not even requiring my food mixer, just a wooden spoon (which will make it perfect for when I next get a crazy desire to bake at 3am) and only 2 bowls. It was also an excuse to break out my beloved Matroyshkas, which my lovely boyfriend bought me for valentines. Space saving cute usefulness ftw!

But then, disaster. Best described through the medium of mime. I'd imagine people are sick of my mime now. I have a tendency to use big hand gestures and sound effects when I'm hyper, and I'm super hyper today because I've been baking, hoovering, mopping, tidying, and being generally housedaughter-y because I figure, while I'm home from uni and can't get any work, I might as well make life easier for my Mum (although admittedly most of the washing up is dishes I've made dirty with my baking exploits). Anyway, the mime...

"I went to take it out after 30 minutes and it sprang back fine but still seemed a bit wobbly... so I gave it another 4 minutes, did some more hoovering, came back, took is out, and... and... PRRRRFFFFFTTTTTT." *Accompanied by wavy hand movements in a downwards direction*

It sank. It bloody sank. It was lovely and perfectly springy in the middle and not wobbly any more but the moment I took it out IT SANK. My cakes don't seem to sink that often anymore so please forgive the fact I yelled "Oh FUCK!" and went back to hoovering the doormat extra vehemently to vent my frustration.

But I can forgive it. As long as no-one sees it whole. Because when you eat it you get a gorgeous strawberry flavour (I couldn't really detect the rhubarb but, then again, I couldn't when I was eating the yoghurt) and then you realise that the texture is so incredibly moist and just... wow. It's light as air and soft as a pillow. An airy pillow doesn't actually sound that appetising, now I think about it but... just make it. Buy some yoghurt so you can make this because it will become a staple in your kitchen.

Now if I can just work out how to stop the damn middle sinking in the future...

Gateau au Yaourt (Yoghurt cake for those whose French pronunciation seriously endangers the health of all those involved)
I originally came across this recipe on The Goddess Kitchen when going the whole way through her archive. However, when googling to see if I could use fat free yoghurt, I came across what I believe to be the original, on Chocolate and Zucchini. The former is identical to the latter. I didn't alter anything much, so 99.9% of the recipe below is Chocolate and Zucchini's. However, I used a different sized pan and a fan oven (reducing the temperature accordingly). I also substituted the rum for a tablespoon of apple juice as the only spirit we have is Jack Daniel's (bourbon) and I somehow didn't think that would work...


2 eggs
250ml (1 cup) yoghurt (I used this one - a fat free strawberry and rhubarb one)
200g (1 cup) sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A good pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple juice (or rum if you have it - if you have neither just use water!)

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C/ 160° C fan/350° F

2. Line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. (I used a 24cm pan and it was okay)

3. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and rum. 

4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

5. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. (The original recipe says 30 to 35... in a fan oven, mine needed slightly longer than the 35 mins, I think, or maybe just a slightly higher temp. The outside was perfect but the very centre was just slightly underdone).

7. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.