Recipe: simple and delicious yoghurt cake

Almond flour has been a pantry staple in Paris for as long as anyone can remember. It happens to be less expensive than it is here (USA) and, perhaps because of the turnover, usually quite fresh.

In the States, it’s still seen primarily as an alternative to flour for people with gluten sensitivity or for the health conscious, who like it for its protein content.

Almond flour provides texture and taste, and it keeps a cake moist, as almonds are naturally high in fat. It’s for this reason that I use less oil than in an all-flour yoghurt cake.

Read also: Tourteau fromagé: The French delicacy known as 'the cheesecake of Poitou'

The downside is that almond flour cakes don’t rise quite as high.

Made with equal portions of flour and almond flour, however, lets you capture the best of both worlds. This cake is light, tender and moist and lasts for days.

Like the classic yoghurt cake, it plays well with spices, extracts, liqueurs, syrups and floral waters. Here I’ve added sliced almonds to the top, for crunch.

Gâteau au Yaourt à la Farine d’Amande (yoghurt cake)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 245g whole yoghurt
• 200g granulated sugar
• 24cl vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 teaspoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
• Zest of a lemon or orange
• 210g almond flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 125g all-purpose flour
• 36g sliced almonds, optional

Read also: Recipe: vanilla, rum, and orange zest cannelés

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, or a longer French loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yoghurt, sugar, oil, almond extract, orange blossom water and zest until smooth. Add the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk thoroughly until completely smooth. Sprinkle the flour onto the batter and fold it in with a rubber spatula until no streaks of flour remain.
3. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, then sprinkle the top with the sliced almonds, scattering them over the entire surface.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. (If your oven runs hot, start checking after 35 minutes.)

This recipe is featured in 'Gâteau - The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes', by American food writer, Aleksandra Crapanzano.