Friday, March 23, 2012

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce

I would like you to know that as I sit here typing this my salivary glands have gone in to overdrive, and it's all I can do to maintain composure and avoid drooling on my keyboard in anticipation of when I might be able to make this cake again.  By nature I'm a very calculated and prepared person, but when it comes to cooking sometimes an idea pops in to my head and I just run with it even if it means making something for the first time for company.  Such was the case with this Lemon Yogurt Cake and Blueberry Sauce.  The source of my inspiration this time was Foodbuzz's flavor of the month:  yogurt.  Somehow I read that and thought "I wonder if there's a cake I can make where I can substitute fat free or low-fat yogurt for some or all of the milk and butter".  Next stop, Google. I typed "yogurt cake" and clicked enter.  Google returned a wide variety of results.  After reading numerous recipes I noticed a lime yogurt cake with blackberry sauce recipe by Smitten Kitchen.  I didn't have limes or blackberries, but I had a bunch of fresh lemons and frozen blueberries from last season's harvest. Sounded like a good combination to me.  I printed out the recipe and quickly began scribbling down my adaptations.  About an hour later the cake was ready for serving, and, conveniently, Ryan's parents had arrived for brunch.  It made for a delightful dessert with a glass of Prosecco, shown below.





For the Cake:

Ingredients 
1 cup plain unsweetened Greek yogurt (1% fat is ideal, but non fat will work too)
1/3 cup corn or vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2.  Using an electric mixer whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Add each egg, and whisk well after each addition.
3.  In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  Add this mixture 1 tablespoon full at a time to the mixture in #2 and combine thoroughly.
4.  Pour the batter in to the cake pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5.  Allow the pan to cool for about 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the pan to loosen, flip the cake on to a serving plate/stand and remove the parchment paper.  Serve  with the blueberry sauce (see below) warm or at room temperature.



For the Blueberry Sauce:

Ingredients 
12 ounces frozen blueberries (if using fresh, double the water
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions
1.  Combine blueberries, water, sugar and lime juice with a blender, immersion blender or food processor. Purée until very smooth and sauce-like.
2.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.
3.  Spoon over slice of yogurt cake (see recipe above) and serve.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce.

10 comments:

  1. I think that's the hardest part about being a food blogger - it becomes increasingly hard to edit pictures because you start thinking about when you last made it and how you long for a little slice of that cake but you don't have any left!

    I'm sure it was quite hard to edit these pictures because the cake looks great. And I love the addition of yogurt - makes it a bit healthier and perfect as a breakfast treat.

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  2. Oh wow. I'm in love with blueberries. I must try this out sometime, it looks delicious! I am also practically drooling!

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  3. Oh I wish that I can whip up this gorgeous cake so easily! I'm usually intimidated to bake a cake... I wish I'm naturally a baker, but unfortunately cooking seems a lot easier than baking. I love your lemon yogurt cake. Very refreshing flavor with my favorite - blueberry sauce. Totally delicious!!!

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    1. Thanks for the compliment Nami! Baking can sometimes be a struggle for me too, but this was really easy. Give it a shot!

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  4. Wow! Stumbled across your site while looking for a lemon bread recipe with blueberry sauce I made a long time ago. Yours is much better! It was delicious. Sweet but not too sweet with the perfect lemon flavor. I used fresh blueberries that I picked. My only change was after blending the sauce, I simmered it for 15 mins or so to make it more smooth and thick since it was too grainy as is. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lisa! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I love your suggestion to smooth out the sauce :)

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