Lemon Yogurt Cake When you have a little fan

For my youngest fan, JK, I know that your dreams will come true!

I hear it every so often.  "I read your blog."  "I love your blog."  "I really love your stories."  Its not every day, but its often enough that I feel reasonably reassured that out there, in the wide, wide world, I have a few fans.  Its especially reassuring considering that no one in my home reads my blog or enjoys my food.  My daily cooking is often met with groans, words like "Not THAT again" and "Why dont we ever eat out?"  My fans out there in cyber space are what keep my kitchen running like an old engine in need of an oil change.

However, my official tune-up to becoming a well-oiled old engine, came in the form of a 7-year-old daughter of a friend.  This young lady dreams of being a TV chef.  Her days are filled with visions of becoming a Food Network star, and she daily practices her TV cooking show.  Shes organized, methodical and an expert baker.  The craziest thing of all is that she counts me as one of her cooking idols.  I have a series of 4 cooking videos on Grokker, and she watches them repeatedly, often imitating the way I say a line, or asking rhetorical questions to my face on the screen that she knows will be answered soon after.  She is, truly, my biggest fan.  She asks her mom to make the recipes that I make and she begs her mom to watch me on Grokker.  She pulls up recipes from my blog to study and when she comes over, I see her shyly glancing my way, almost like one would with a star in the house.  She repeatedly asks her mom HOW we met (high school over 20 years ago) and how we are still friends after all this time.

So for you, JK,  my young apprentice from afar, I give you this recipe of lemon cake.  You tasted it, loved it and I told you it was the perfect recipe for you to make this weekend.  Its easy - no mixer required and all you need to do is have two bowls at the ready so that you can mix a bowl of wet ingredients and a bowl of dry ingredients.  It just so happens that your mom also likes it, so soon you can be the expert at making this lemon cake as well.

Hugs to you my young chef.  I know your star will come!

Lemon Yogurt Cake
(adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa At Home)
Makes 1 loaf, enough for 8 people

Ingredients for Cake
1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½  teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
½  cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons, and you’ll use the juice later)
½  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk  together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients,  making sure its all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While cake is baking, make soaking syrup.

Ingredients for Syrup
? cup granulated sugar
? cup lemon juice (from the lemons zested)

Method
Cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

Printable recipe

Read More..

Chocolate Yogurt Cake On my bike

At the beginning of the summer, I began the hunt for the bike of my dreams.  After 6 years of chasing my slow-moving-bicycle-riding children, I began to realize that perhaps having a bike of my own would be advantageous.  I told Husband my desire, and after a brief pause, he suggested that I begin looking for the bike I might want on craigslist. (I think because he didnt think I would use it as often as I thought I would use it.)

I began my quest and knew that I wanted more of a "town bike" instead of a mountain or racing bike.  I envisioned myself riding to the gym, to the library, the grocery store, post office, and all these errands I would be able to do on my bike instead of getting in a car.  I wanted a comfortable seat, comfortable handles and an uncomplicated, non fussy gear system.

After about five weeks of daily searches on Craigslist, I ended up finding the bike of my dreams - barely used, blue, the right size and I discussed with husband my bid.  He suggested I offer a quick sale but reduce the price by a $50 or so dollars, which I did.  I got no response and sent repeated messages but to no avail. I told Husband that I had failed in my bid but it was okay and not to worry about it, as it would have been Husbands job to bring home the bike from San Francisco.  I didnt think much else about the bike as I was busy working and teaching and began planning my strategy for nexts weeks search for the bike.

Unbeknownst to me, Husband directly contacted the seller and convinced him to sell the bike so that I could have it.  Husband negotiated skillfully the purchase and walked over a hill in San Francisco (its all hills) to pick up the bike.  After paying for the bike and walking off, he decided to ride the bike back to his office so that he could load it in the car and bring it back to me.  He neatly climbed on my blue GIRLS bike (clearly, unmistakably a girls bike with the low bar) and rode it through North Beach, on a Friday, where all the restaurants had all their tables outside, during dinner, and got it back to the office.  He drove it home where he couldnt wait to surprise me with it, so that when I got home, there it was, waiting for me in the garage.  (nice job Honey.)

That bike has become my chosen mode of transportation for most of my days during the week.  Ill walk it to school with the kids, park it at school, hop on to it to ride to the gym, ride home, load Sons scooter on it to pick him up from school.  Hell scooter home and Ill ride home behind him, and so for most days, I dont even get into the car until well past 12:00.  Its been a fun experience, having my bike and riding around in it, as its just a way for me to experience my neighborhood in a new way.

Its also made me appreciate the advantages of the car.  Today I had to drop off lunches and a different bag to Daughters at school so that they could go to their abacus class after school and I found myself riding to school with four different bags to give them.  I returned home, with two huge backpacks slung on my back as I pedaled madly to be home in time to teach.  I also delivered this chocolate yogurt cake while precariously holding onto a bag of the hastily wrapped cake slices while making sharp turns on my bike that threatened to dump out my hard work.

But its been perfect biking weather here, and I cant complain about the fresh air, extra exercise, and the chance to park right in front of my destination.  Im beginning to dread the rain which will prevent my rides as well as super windy weather which sometimes threaten to knock me off my ride.  No matter.  For the now, Ill enjoy delivering my tender chocolate yogurt cake to places and reveling in my second childhood as a bike rider.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake
Makes 1 loaf, enough for 8 people

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup good quality cocoa powder (I use Guittard)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½  teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
½  cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk  together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, making sure its all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

After 10 minutes of cooling, turn cake out of pan and allow it to fully cool on a cooling rack.

Slice and serve.

Printable recipe

Read More..