French Yogurt Cake

Yesterday I was out watering my husband's puny poplar tree that he finally transplanted to our backyard after an 8 month stint in a re-purposed plastic cat litter container on our balcony. I couldn't believe that the angry thorn bushes I have been seeing all year had mysteriously transformed into something useful and desirable. Hundreds of juicy blackberries in various states of ripeness had appeared entangled in the thorns. This set into motion an unstoppable series of events which, naturally, culminated in us eating cake in bed at 11pm. I spent an hour harvesting a respectable mixing bowl full of only the ripest berries, I was only slightly bloody and very juicy afterwards. These berries were small and flavorful, not like the big mushy guys you get in the plastic tub.

But wait! The magical yardberries are only half of the story! I had read about this cake in several "nonfiction," if editorialized books written by non-French people, depicting highly romanticized versions French everyday life. In every book a chic French mother is teaching her chic, well-behaved French 6 year-old to make this cake on a Sunday afternoon in the South of France. If I hadn't actually been to France I would swear that it was a fictional place, like Narnia--the adorable made-up language, the fanciful delicacies, the charming/unpredictable inhabitants. I wanted to bake this cake but there are hundreds of different recipes for it and I was a little overwhelmed; different sizes, different pans, different proportions of ingredients, almonds/no almonds? nutmeg?  My quest to find the most authentic perfect, delicious recipe proved too much for me until the miracle of the berries gave me the push I needed to just f*cking pick a recipe already. I could have gone with Deb or Clotilde but something made me pick the bonappetit recipe for it. Don't judge me.

My favorite part of this recipe is making the lemon-scented sugar. You zest one lemon and then rub the zest into the sugar until it releases its oils and smells like...just...wonderful. We ate the cake warm with ice cream and berries but I feel that it tastes even better if it is allowed to cool completely.




by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
 May 2012
French Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:
 Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
 2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 special equipment 8 1/2 x 4 1/4-inch loaf pan

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°. Coat pan with vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.

 Using your fingers, rub sugar with lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist. Add yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; whisk to blend.

Fold in dry ingredients just to blend. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50–55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Unrelated Fanciness and Fancifulness:
On Saturday I made the most unnecessary, extravagant baking-related purchase of my entire life. In the name of silliness I bought rosewater, pepperment extract, butter flavoring, a ridiculously priced flask of vanilla, parchment paper, goat cheese, and petit fours. "That's right, my good man, and wrap them all up in this Grocery Outlet bag that I had the foresight to bring with me". Mostly I just wanted to show off this dessert even though I didn't make it. Though I bet that I could easily make a much uglier version.

Sugar Cookies

I haven't make sugar cookies in...ever? Not since I was little anyway. My guildmate was raving about this recipe and insisted that I try it. They came out very tender and buttery. I dipped them in a little chocolate and put some toasted chopped pecans on top. I was happy to have a chance to use my forest animal cookie cutters. I also did another batch of bears without pecans but dipped in chocolate with a teaspoon and a half of peppermint extract. Mintybears!

I did have some trouble with the dough being sticky but it just needed to go back into the refrigerator for a bit longer. This recipe came from ourbestbites.com. 

 
Sugar Cookies
1 cup real butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
3 C flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled (don’t scoop it!)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

 In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. A very important note: It’s important to correctly measure your flour or you will end up with a dry, crumbly dough. Never, ever use your measuring cup to scoop up the flour. Use a regular sized spoon and spoon the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined. Chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour, or use this great tip to make things easier: When your dough is made, instead of putting it in the fridge, immediately roll between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and then place on a flat surface in the fridge. Chill for about 20-30 minutes and then start cutting it out. This way it chills faster and the bonus is that you don’t need to add extra flour to roll it out.

 If you don’t use this tip, proceed as follows: When you’re ready to roll out dough lightly sprinkle flour onto your work surface and roll out dough with a rolling pin.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. The baking time really depends on how you like them. If you like them slightly chewy, about 8-9 minutes does it. If you like them slightly crisp and buttery, then go for 10-12.