Seasonal yoghurt fruit cake
When we were in France this summer we stopped over at our friend Emilie's summer house for a quick stay, which is something we like to do every other summer (she tries to visit us in our summer house the alternating year). Our time together is always primarily focused on cooking great food and eating it -- all the rest pretty much comes second.
When we turned up this year, we came with plums. We had picked them on the communal grounds of a campground we had stayed a few days earlier, and they were juicy and a little sour and ready too be made into something delicious. So plum cake we made!
Using Emilie's fail proof yoghurt cake recipe as a base we got started, but we had to make some adjustments because the flour was nearly finished. You know how you sometimes vaguely throw some things together and the result is just delicious? Well, that happened. This plum cake was the best I ever had!
Back home in Amsterdam I have tried to recreate the recipe, and I feel I have succeeded. I have made this cake a few times the past weeks, and since plum season sadly is behind us, used blackberries, rhubarb, pears, apples and even figs in this recipe. It always is SO GOOD! Not overly sweet, but definitely overly delicious.
Here's the recipe -- let me know what you think!
Seasonal yoghurt fruit cake
This seasonal yoghurt fruit cake is great to make with plums, berries, rhubarb, pears, apples or even figs. You can combine them, or use simply only one fruit. Whatever fruit is in season, or whatever fruit you have in the house.
Ingredients:
2 cups yoghurt
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 bags vanilla sugar (or 2 teaspoons of essence)
2 cups flour
1/4 cup semolina
1 1/2 bag baking powder (3 teaspoons)
3/4 cup melted butter (approx. 75 g butter)
fruit of the season (plums, apples, pears, rhubarb, figs, blueberries, blackberries -- you name it!)
Preheat the oven to 180.
Mix the yogurt with the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour, semolina and baking powder. Mix, but don't overmix. Incorporate the melted butter.
You can use all sorts of fruit for the cake. Try to use plums if they are in season which is so delicious. (Simply put in the entire plum, stone and all)! When using apples or pears for example, peel the fruit and cut some of it in smaller pieces. It's also nice to mix -- I have tried plums and blackberries, apples and blueberries, apples and rhubarb, raspberries -- it's all delicious!
Spoon part of the fruit (smaller pieces of pears and apples, rhubarb, berries, etc) through the batter and pour everything in a buttered dish. Divide the rest (bigger pieces) of the fruit over the top. You can also just use bigger pieces of fruit (or whole plums) on the top of the cake. It all works.
Bake for around 25 to 35 minutes or until the cake browns and a toothpick comes out clean.It's delicious when eaten warm. We love it as a (summer) desert! But cold will do just fine, too ;).
Enjoy!
xxx Esther
PS This gnocchi bake is scrumptious and embarrassingly easy to make!