Orange Yoghurt Cake

There are simple pleasures in life that I dare not take for granted. There are the obvious ones like enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon at home or swimming in the ocean on a blistering hot summer’s day or sleeping in past nine when you know everyone else has gone to work.

And perhaps there are certainly other pleasures that one comes to discover for themselves. Like getting a series of green lights when you are running late for an imporatant meeting, or maybe its running around the house in your underwear because you know that you have it all to yourself, or possibly it's when you crane your neck all the way back just to slurp the last drops of melted gelato that have trickled to the bottom of the cone. These, I think are the stuff of life.

So if we are speaking of life's simple pleasures, then I must include this recipe for Orange Yoghurt Cake, because the pleasure one derrives from eating this cake far exceeds any guilt brought on by consuming more calories than one can expend. Ever since that palatal epiphany I experienced with these creations, I have been fanatically swift to add zests into my batters. I'm like a mad woman, opportunistic and relentless, continually seeking ways in which I can sneak in, I mean incorporate, any type of zest into a recipe.

It certainly has been for the better, as that I find zests actually impart more robust flavours as opposed to juice which, for the most part adds a slight sharpness to batter rather than a delicate tang. What's more, zests provide baked goods with intense hints of aromatic flavour that cannot be achieved by juice alone. I also like to add that using a high quality, full-fat yoghurt adds to the depth of flavour to this cake, none of that cheap artificially sweetened stuff will do. So of course I used my favourite youghurt, as I always have a tub ready in my fridge.

So, as far as culinary delights go, this cake is hard to overlook. Paired with some fresh slices of fruit or with a dollop of your favourite yoghurt, it's rapturous. Admitedly, I do gush quite a fair bit about many a dessert but this one in particular I, ashamedly admit, have daydreams about. Yes, it's quite embarrasing and I am blushing as we speak, but what better pleasure is there than to dream about cake? Anyway, before I lose you all, here is the recipe.

Orange Yoghurt Cake



2 cups plain all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter
1 cup caster sugar
zest from 2 oranges
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
juice from 1 orange
¾ cup full fat yoghurt

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Line a round baking tin with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the orange zest and mix until combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Then add the orange juice and yoghurt and mix until smooth.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until incorporated, be careful not to overwork the batter.
Pour mixture into lined baking tin and spread batter to the edges. Bake for about 50-60 minutes.
Pierce cake with a toothpick and if it comes away clean then the cake is done.
Rest in its tin for 5 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
Serve with slices of oranges and a dollop of yoghurt or whipped cream.

irresistible!