clementine yogurt cake

You know how it's almost harder to start things back up after you've been away from them for awhile? It just feels daunting. Like, how to recap and regroup on the past month? Maybe it's easier not to. Eager to get back to it I figured it was better if I didn't try and review the days of my absence, at least not yet, and that it was better to just start with today, specifically with the cake I made this morning. I was really in the mood for a breakfast cake, something to break the Kellogg's Red Berry cereal kick that I've been on for the last week. I searched for coffee cakes and morning cakes and buttermilk cakes, but finally settled on a plain and simple yogurt cake that I spiced up with a bit of clementine zest and juice. This cake references back to one of the first recipes I posted here, almost a year ago (happy almost birthday blog). Today's cake is a bit lighter, more cake-like and less poundcake-like. It is in good company with a mug of coffee and the morning paper. It's also in good company with the photos I took from our weekend in Grindelwald.

I haven't even been back a week, but we ready to get out of town for the weekend. Zürich in the winter can be a bit grey and chilly and although we love to nestle inside, we also love getting to the mountains. We planned our weekend on Friday over dinner and we were off Saturday morning shortly after breakfast. I should also mention that this cake is very simple, one of those pour-in-a-bowl-and-mix type of recipes. There's no creaming, or melting or whipping egg whites.

Clementine Yogurt Cake

adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/3 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)

- 1 tsp vanilla (extract or powder)

- zest from 2 clementines

- juice from 1 clementine

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- good pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC and butter a 9" springform pan.

Mix the top ingredients (eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, vanilla, zest, juice) lightly in a bowl until incorporated.

All at once add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until blended together, without over-mixing.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire wrack.

So there we go, over the hurdle of the first-post-back. Phew! It's good to be back in Zürich and on the blog. It's also nice to have a cake sitting in the kitchen again, it's been far too long. I'm already looking forward to breakfast tomorrow....and to dessert tonight!