Fiona, when she was nine years old, came home from a day of activities at the local community center, her eyes shining. “Mom, we made a cake today, and I copied down the recipe for you,” she said. I looked at it, and déjà vu whooshed through me: it was the yogurt cake recipe I’d discovered in one of my son Joe’s classes when he was about her age. Fiona’s was different, but equally simple to make, and
delicious! Fiona has been instrumental in the creation of this book, as she has dutifully sampled, cheerfully offered suggestions (“What about a recipe for homemade Nutella, Mom? That would have nuts in it”), and keenly hoped that Iwould use one of her recipes as part of this collection. In
fact, I’ve included two, and this is one of them!
Makes about 8 servings
Instructions:
1/3 cup (50 g) almonds, lightly toasted
1½ cups (210 g) unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of ne sea salt
¼ cup (22 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar ½ cup (125 ml) whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick/125 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Note: This simple cake improves with age. If you make it the night before you plan to serve it, you’ll see that the flavors become richer, more mellow. Unsweetened coconut can be found at health food and specialty stores.
1. Place the almonds in a food processor and process until they are finely ground. Be careful not to overprocess so they don’t turn oily.
2. Heavily butter a 9½-inch (24-cm) round cake pan. Place the ground almonds in the pan and shake the pan so that the almonds evenly cover the bottom. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
3. Sift together the dry ingredients onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Add the coconut and mix together using your fingers.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they are light and pale yellow. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the eggs and sugar, whisking to incorporate them as you do. Fold in the yogurt and vanilla, then the melted butter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake the cake in the center of the oven until the cake is slightly mounded and your finger leaves a very slight impression when you touch the top of it, 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan. To serve, place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and flip the pan so that the cake emerges from it with the almonds on top. Serve immediately.
