In Praise of le gâteau de yaourt de citron

Most, including myself, often associate decadent cream filled pastries, apricot glazed tarts, and dark chocolate ganache covered confections with French desserts. Of course most patisserie windows are filled with colorful and rich looking desserts that make for a day's calories; however, there are more subtle desserts that are just as delectable.

Take the yogurt cake. This simple and light one layer cake or loaf cake is satisfying and a wonderful accompaniment for fresh berries. Clotilde DuSoulier includes a recipe for a basic yogurt cake in her Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook, and the version below is a slight variation.

Most French recipes are measured by weight and not volume, but this recipe is a rare exception and calls for measurements in the yogurt jar. The approximate equivalent is 1/2 cup equals one jar. When looking for yogurt for this recipe, choose one that has a high fat content or whole milk and unsweetened as to replicate the tastier French version. If you can't find a European style yogurt, a Mediterranean version is acceptable but has a tangier taste. I've been lucky enough to find a close second to European yogurts in Whole Foods. Trust me, once you wrap your mouth around a spoon of French yogurt, Dannon and Stony Farms hardly cut it. Aside from cheese, I can think of nothing more dizzily French than yogurt.

Cake
1/2 c yogurt
1 c granulated sugar (I like to use castor sugar)
3 eggs
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated lemon zest (often, I'll substitute orange zest)
1/2 c canola oil

Glaze
Juice from 2 lemons (or oranges if using orange zest in cake batter)
approximately 1/2 c powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients except oil with the sugar in a bowl. Add zest and dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add oil; the batter will appear quite oily but mix until incorporated and the result will be a silky consistency.

Pour batter into buttered cake pan (9 inches). Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes then turn out onto a rack. When cake is fully cooled, mix glaze and pour over the top.