Easy Yogurt Cake

yogurtcake

We had some yogurt that was nearing its expiration date in the fridge and I remembered the amazing Gâteau au yaourt from Chocolate & Zucchini.  An oldie, but a goodie, this cake is easy, delicious and extremely adaptable.  I used nonfat plain yogurt, used bourbon instead of rum and glazed the top with some apple cider and sprinkled toasted coconut flakes on the top of it for the last 10 minutes of baking.  You could throw some jam in between the layers, top with whipped cream, glaze with chocolate and sprinkle with hazelnuts….the possibilities are endless for this moist and tangy base.  You could also eat it plain, with a cup of coffee, for breakfast.  Cake for breakfast may help dieters.  Seriously!


Mmmmm DONUTS!

donuts

Happy new year’s everyone!  We’re still trying to decide which way we want the site to skew and are working on the new layout, so bear with us as we try and sort it all out.  I know a lot of people who have vowed to eat better in the new year, and while donuts might not exactly be on their plate – these donuts could be!  Made from whole wheat pastry flour, ground flax-seeds and a minimum of amount of sugar, these are a great treat and probably not too bad for breakfast either.  It also helps that they’re baked, not fried.  I got a doughnut tin for Christmas and CANNOT wait to start concocting some ideas.  The six doughnut option allows for a lot of mini experimentation.  I topped the basic dough recipe with a mixture of apple cider syrup (graciously given by Phil, who found it in his stocking) that I blended with some confectioners sugar to make it thicker.  Two other donuts were filled with peach preserves and then topped with some of the preserves and toasted almonds.

Basic Doughnut Dough

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light buttermilk or milk mixed with vinegar to sour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

    To Do:

  1. Preheat oven to 325F and grease your doughnut tin.
  2. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. Mix all of the other ingredients in a large measuring cup or a smaller bowl.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet and stir until combined.
  5. Pour into a big ziplock baggie, snip the end off and pipe into your donut tins – about 2/3 full.
  6. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, until the tops of the donuts are golden and spring back when you touch them.
  7. Top with whatever you want while they’re warm – turbinado sugar and cinnamon, powder sugar, preserves, a sugar/water glaze with sprinkles – fool around, the options are endless!
  8. Let cool and then store in an airtight container and eat.