Orange Yogurt Cake

I'm trying something new here; I'm going to try to make this blog ever so slightly more like a normal blog where I discuss more than just food. Not that it won't remain food focused. Every post will still start and end with whatever I've baked and many will, I'm sure, never vier from my tied and true formula of discussing the recipe I've used or developed. But in at least a smattering of posts I will talk about me and what happens to be going on in my life.



I'm going to start slowly with an announcement that is big news for me but probably very silly to the rest of the world. I bought my first ebook today! Martha Stewart has a new cookbook out, Cakes, and it's not been released in the UK yet. I'm a bit of a compulsive collecter (especially when it comes to cookbooks) and I just had to have it! So I bought it as an ebook. It was less expensive than buying a hard copy cookbook and I could have it in my hand without getting off the sofa. I really don't like ebooks. I miss the tactile sensation of turning the page of a book. I miss the smell. I miss sticky note bookmarks that I can scribble comments on. On a cookbook specific front, I miss not worrying about battery running out while I'm in the middle of a recipe. Most of all I miss being able to keep the recipe next to me while I cook without having to worry about flour or egg or whatnot getting ruining the book.

But still I've succumed to the ease of ebooks and I don't think there's any going back! Actually I will probably continue buy cookbooks hard copy (I really don't like keeping having my iPad in the kitchen while I'm baking--even tucked inside a large freezer ziploc it's still an accident waiting to happen). But for other books, especially school books and fluff reading (like Dan Brown's new book) I can see ebooks being a major improvement over hard copy books--mainly in the price point category (let's face it school books are expensive and I don't really care to have a copy of Habermas' writings sitting on my bookshelf to puruse in 5 years time.)

Anyway, on to cake. As I had a new cookbook sitting on my iPad just waiting to be used, I had to bake something. After looking at every recipe, I decided on a simple orange and yogurt cake. Yogurt cakes are traditionally French and, because yogurt is main fat in the dish, they are positively healthy (right?)!
The cake was delicious. It was incredibly moist and the crumb was dense but not heavy (if that makes any sense). The flavor was light and sweet and a perfect base for the fresh orange salad--that said, I'd be fine eating the cake sans oranges if it came to that.

As I've mentioned before pops loves my baked good but does generally prefer non chocolate, non fancy desserts. So this was a home run for him. His only complaint was that it was too small! (It was only a thin, one-layer, 8 in cake so it was a bit on the small side, but then again I think a larger version would be a bit too much somehow--too decadent for such a simple dessert, I think.)