French Yogurt Cake Revisited

These quick loaf cakes are very popular in France, and years ago Dori Greenspan posted a recipe for a French yogurt cake made w/ citrus zest, yogurt and olive oil and introduced American bakers to this simple cake.

I was hooked.

There is no other recipe you will need than this one, trust me.

I have tweaked the recipe to use only 2 eggs and only 1/3 cup of olive oil.
I make a syrup, instead of using a marmalade for the top (which is also good), and instead of grinding my own almonds, I buy almond meal at Trader Joe's.

I love this cake.
It is simple to make, and stays moist for days.

What kind of yogurt should you use?
Good question.

I say use what you have, but don't laugh, I use two 6 oz. little containers of Dannon yogurt.
I love the plain and vanilla, and that's it. But use whatever you like. Greek yogurt would be fine too. Full fat is probably a better choice, but if you are on a diet then by all means, use a lowfat yogurt......but then again, if you are on a diet (what the heck is that anyway?), then maybe you shouldn't be baking a cake.

This recipe is very forgiving, and you can make it your own by swapping in lemon or lime zest for the orange, or adding chopped rosemary, as I have been known to do!

Here's how:

2 eggs
1 cup yogurt (I use 12 oz./2 containers of Dannon)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil (I use Colavita, it's mild)
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup of sliced almonds

Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
juice of an orange

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan (I line mine with parchment paper for easy lift out).

Mix eggs w/ yogurt, sugar, oil, vanilla and zest.

Mix in dry ingredients to form a nice batter.
Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle w/ the top of with sliced almonds.

Bake in 350F oven for 50-55 minutes.

Make the syrup: Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved and mixture is becoming thick and syrupy.

When cake is done, let cool 10 minutes and poke 10 holes in the top of the cake w/ a toothpick.
Drizzle the syrup over the top of the cake, letting it pool and drip into the sides of the pan.

Let completely cool before serving.