Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake

 

A cake that calls out to the gleaming sun, the flower-scented air, and the birds lost in song in the forest next door. To spring.

As the days yellow with a happy change in weather, my mood lifts accordingly. Each day a smile. Each day a bit brighter, for longer. My bakes of choice are reflective of this as apparent in this Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake. It was born in lockdown of spring roughly one year ago; a desperate attempt to use up the remains of a then-current Greek yogurt family obsession. Too much left, not enough time to finish before its expiration. But, it did yield a delicious result. Fate, some might say.

 

 

This Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake is a nod to these lighter and brighter days. It is a sponge tinged with fresh lemon and orange, slightly golden from the eggs, with a lifted airy texture from the partial addition of almond flour. What is incredibly convenient about this cake is that it requires just one bowl — perfect for warmer days when you want minimal effort in the kitchen, and more time enjoying the wonders of the day.

A few tips and alterations: last year for this Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake, as required by the demands of a full tub of Greek yogurt near its end, I opted for a Bundt cake. It is, obviously, much bigger than the loaf pan version I am sharing today, but in the case you do require a larger cake, feel free to just double the ingredients and bake accordingly in a Bundt pan. Also, in this first version of the cake I added raspberries as we had them on hand, which lent even more seasonal delight to this dessert — perfect for nibbling on in the garden I’d say. So, add berries if you wish (see notes below), and enjoy this superbly simple and scrumptious Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake!

 

 

Yogurt Citrus Teatime Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 + 1/8 cup of white sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest of half a large lemon and half a large navel orange
• Juice of a quarter each of a large navel orange & large lemon
• 1/4 TSP vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream/plain regular yogurt
• 1/2 TSP baking powder
• 1/4 TSP baking soda
• 1/4 TSP salt
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• Sliced almonds, for sprinkling on top

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients apart from the all purpose flour, almond flour, and sliced almonds. Mix well.
• Gently fold in the flours, careful not to overmix.
• Transfer to cake tin and sprinkle with sliced almonds, and bake until golden & a toothpick comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.
• Serve sliced, with some afternoon tea! Even a dollop of whipped cream would be wonderful.

Notes:

• If needing a larger cake, all ingredients can be doubled and baked in a Bundt tin, with adjustments to bake time. Keep in mind that adding sliced almonds before baking in this method will result in them being at the bottom of the cake once inverted from tin.
• Berries make a delicious addition to this cake — use a 1/2 cup of berries (best method to prevent colour bleeding is to use frozen berries tossed in a spoon of flour), and add in after partially folding in the flours. Give a quick final mix before transferring to cake tin.
• I’ve used a combination of two different oils — olive, to lend some of its fragrance. Feel free to use just canola oil.