Gâteau au Yaourt à la Myrtille (Blueberry Yogurt Cake):

This afternoon I was craving something sweet and happened across this recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini (a real food blog, you should definitely read it if you haven't already). That blog's proprietress, Clotilde, had first made this cake plain, without blueberries, her take on a classicly simple French cake. Her addition of the blueberries makes it deliciously sweet-tart, really nice for breakfast or with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I find that the texture and flavor is like a fluffy blueberry muffin, and the next time I make it I may just experiement with muffin tins. It is moist and delicious.

Clotilde, like any good cook, calls for full fat yogurt in this recipe, but I only had fat-free and it is still delicious. I added in two tablespoons of melted butter to add a little of the dairy fat back in, but I don't know that it is necessary. This cake is almost too easy to believe, make it for brunch one weekend and impress your friends. Mine (pictured below) turned out a little fluffier and a lighter brown than Clotilde's, but I think that is attributed to the fat-free yogurt, as well as the use of a silicone cake pan, rather than a metal one.



Gâteau au Yaourt (yogurt cake)
by Clotilde Dusoulier

2 eggs
1 cup of whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla paste/extract
1 tablespoon light rum
8 oz. frozen organic blueberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°, line the bottom of a round ten-inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides (if you use a silicone cake pan, this is probably not necessary). In a large mixing-bowl, combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and rum. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Fold in the blueberries, if you are using them. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, run a knife around to loosen, and turn out on a rack to cool.

I think this could be very good with other fruits, and I'm looking forward to tinkering with it. Maybe mango next time?

Mrs. C.

Edited to add a picture of my creation--it looked so delicious that I immediately had another piece after taking the picture. Oops?