Cook Club: Get a taste of Paris with French yogurt cake

Welcome to the launch of our third year of The Gazette KCRG-TV9 Cook Club. In our first year we worked our way through different cooking techniques. Last year we added a little variety by focusing not only on new skills but also new ingredients. This time around, we are going international, highlighting a new country every month and learning more about a recipe that is well known to its residents.

I am thrilled to be joining you again on this culinary journey. Since the recipes we print in Cook Club are all original, my goal is not to make a traditional international recipe exactly as it is known. Instead, I will put my own spin on it while allowing us to learn about food traditions in a particular country.

Last year we cycled through a 'meal' every four months — starting with an appetizer, then soup or salad, main dish, and ending up with dessert. This year we are starting with dessert. How could we not feature a dessert in February, the month known for all things sweet? It seemed like the only choice.

Another choice that seemed a no brainer was making France our first destination since it houses the 'City of Love,' i.e. Paris. In researching the dessert to make this month, I consulted baker and cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan. Although she is American, she calls herself a 'part-time Parisian' living half the year in Paris. Her many cookbooks reflect her love of French desserts and pastries.

In a recent article for The Washington Post, she spoke of the French yogurt cake as being akin to a boxed cake in America. While the cake isn't boxed, it's just as simple. This cake is also known as the first cake that French children, even ones as young as toddlers, learn to make. The key? Yogurt. In France, yogurt comes in small glass cylinders and these cylinders (which contain an equivalent of a half cup of yogurt) are used to measure out most of the ingredients (yogurt, flour, sugar, oil), hence making it an easy task, even for the very young. Another important factor for making it a kid-friendly recipe is that it can be done all in one bowl and mixed with only a whisk and a spatula.

I tested the kid-friendliness of this recipe a few years ago when I taught a summer cooking class to a dozen kindergarten students. Finding recipes that seemed feasible to make with a roomful of 5-year-olds took quite a bit of research and even some finger crossing for luck. When I learned the story behind the French yogurt cake, I knew it had to be in the rotation. The recipe did not disappoint.

Even with many hands all taking a turn, our cake turned out golden and beautiful and became for many (and myself) the favorite recipe of the class.

This cake is like the every man of French desserts. Want a sweet breakfast? Make a French yogurt cake. Surprised by out of town guests? Whip up a French yogurt cake. Whether the occasion is special or ordinary, the French turn to this cake. I can see why. Yes, it's super simple but that doesn't take away the specialness of it. It is buttery (although absent of butter), moist and much like a light pound cake. It also is easily adapted — add zest, extra vanilla or a glaze to your liking.

For our Cook Club recipe, I turned to the delicious winter orange for added flavor. I chose coconut oil to replace vegetable oil as its slight sweetness pairs well with citrus. Then because I wanted this cake to be a true dessert, I topped it with a chocolate glaze, pistachios and a dusting of powdered sugar. I baked this in an 8-inch cake pan although the French typically make it in a loaf pan. You can certainly make this alteration if you prefer but, again, for the sake of creating a dessert I think the cake pan gives it a bit more panache.

According to Greenspan, the French are not known as home bakers since they can run out and buy mouth-watering pastries on almost every corner. I am sure that if we had that luxury, our ovens may get less use, too. This showcases another reason why the yogurt cake is truly a big deal in French homes. Teaching a toddler how to make a French macaron is a disaster in the making. But a French yogurt cake? A totally doable goal and like a dream in comparison.

We will be continuing our short cooking videos in 2016 so look for those on Facebook and at Thegazette.com/living. While we are on the subject of video, don't forget to tune in to our Cook Club recipe collaborators, the Hy-Vee dieticians, on the KCRG-TV9 Midday News on the Tuesday after the feature is in the paper. They will continue to add to our theme for the month with their creative and healthy recipes.

Lastly, I'll be posting on social media and look forward to interact with you there. Share your French yogurt cake adventures and pictures on Facebook or Pinterest @GazetteKCRGCook, or tag us at #GazetteKCRGCookClub on Instagram. We would be thrilled to see your take on this recipe.

Orange French Yogurt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

To recreate the usefulness of measuring with one thing like the French do with their yogurt container, use a 1/2 cup measurement for the main ingredients.

Cake

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest of 1 orange

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons cream or Half & Half

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the paper, also, and dust with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk sugar and eggs together. Switch to a spatula and stir in the remaining wet ingredients (yogurt through orange juice). Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir well until flour is completely incorporated. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cool, remove cake from pan and place on a plate. Place chocolate chips, cream and coconut oil in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals (stirring after each one) until chocolate chips are completely melted. Spread glaze on top of cake, sprinkle with pistachios and powdered sugar. Cake will stay moist for three days wrapped tightly at room temperature.