Last weekend went down in the most unexpected of ways leaving me a little flustered for the start of this workweek. Needless to say there was no weekly dinner inspiration to share, but that’s okay because now I have cake.
It’s been a long time since we’ve talked cake. Likely because I don’t make a lot of them over the summer months, but as soon as I feel fall creeping up around the corner, I whip out my pans and get back to baking for last minute visitors, after school snacks, and to go with my many cups of tea on long working afternoons.
Loaf cakes are pretty much the easiest kind of cake you can bake, and while banana bread or pound cake may be the most famous of the bunch, there are plenty of batters that bake up nicely into these anytime cakes that we all know and love.
I like to leave my versions mostly unadorned and serve them with fresh fruit, jams, whipped cream, or sauces. In fact, when it comes to hosting a dinner party, place the cake in the centre of the table with an assortment of accompaniments and let your guests customize their dessert plate.
You can, of course, swap in lemon for the orange if you prefer, and later in the season I’d be sure to make this with clementine oranges, studding the inside with fresh cranberries, but for now I’ve gone with a simple orange and vanilla bean flavouring that pairs well with pretty much any fruit in season right now.
Orange-Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake
- ¾ cups Greek yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan.
In a medium-mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, sugar, orange zest, vanilla and vanilla bean seeds. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir just until combined. Using a spatula, fold in the oil until you’re left with a batter that’s thick and shiny.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Serve as suggested above.
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