Yogurt Cake with Currant-Raspberry Sauce

August 2, 2009 at 7:27 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, simple cakes, sweet things | 15 Comments

I’ve racked up a pretty extensive collection of layer cakes here, and while I love the challenge of prepping multiple components and the decorating practice, every now and again I just want a no-brainer. I need to simply plop on the couch and eat a giant slab of sheet cake straight from the pan. Okay, so I probably wouldn’t ever actually do that, but I do enjoy the mental image, and the fact that I could if I wanted to.

When I saw a picture of this yogurt cake in the August issue of Gourmet, I knew I had to make it right away. Soft cake, sweet icing and bright red sauce on mismatched vintage plates– how pretty! Never mind that I don’t have any mismatched vintage plates…I knew this would taste just as good on plain white ones.

I eat yogurt pretty much everyday. Usually it’s mixed into my granola or whizzed into a smoothie, but I love to bake with it, too–just feels like it healthies-up the butter! This cake has a really light, moist crumb that is seriously fluffy. I think adding a little citrus zest would work nicely in it, but I’ll save that for next time. And there will be a next time, too, because it came together in a snap– just the no-brainer I wanted! The sauce is gorgeous, and the red currants make it a wee bit tart. I was pleased to have both berries already in the fridge (leftover from my adventures in blanc-manger), but you could easily use all raspberries (and frozen ones, at that) if you can’t find the currants.

Just a couple notes from my kitchen…I used 2% yogurt instead of whole-milk, and I made half a recipe of the cake in an 8-inch square pan, checking it about ten minutes early just to be safe. I also thought that the original amount of icing was a bit of a sugar bomb, so I only made a sixth (using 1/2 cup of powdered sugar), and I used honey in place of the corn syrup. But you do as wish, even if you wish to eat it straight from the pan!

Yogurt Cake with Currant-Raspberry Sauce– makes a 13×9-inch cake
from a recipe in Gourmet (August 2009)

Notes: If you can’t find red currants, you can substitute 2 more cups raspberries.
Sauce keeps, chilled, two days. Cake can be baked and iced one day ahead and kept in a cake keeper (or covered with an inverted roasting pan; do not touch icing) at cool room temperature.

for the cake:
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, warmed in shell in warm water 10 minutes
2 cups plain whole-milk plain yogurt (not Greek-style) at room temp

for the sauce:
2 cups fresh red currants (1/2 pound), stemmed
4 cups fresh raspberries (16 ounces), divided
2/3 cup granulated sugar

for the icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
scant 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cake:
-Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter cake pan, then line bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper and butter parchment. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.

-Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

-Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, at medium speed. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until just combined. Spread batter evenly in pan and rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

-Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge. Invert onto a rack and discard parchment. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make sauce while cake bakes:
-Stir together currants, 2 cups raspberries, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and let stand until juicy, about 15 minutes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until fruit breaks down, about 8 minutes. Force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Cool sauce.

Make icing and assemble cake:
-Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, cream, and vanilla until smooth.

-Put cake on a platter and spread icing on top in a thick layer, letting it run down sides. Let icing set at least 15 minutes. Serve with sauce and remaining 2 cups raspberries on the side.

15 Comments »

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I’m the same way – sometimes I just feel like baking a “no brainer” cake, so thank goodness for stellar recipes for just that!! 🙂

Comment by VeggieGirl— August 2, 2009 #

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This looks beautiful and so refreshing!

Comment by Valerie Catrice— August 2, 2009 #

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That cake looks like it has the perfect crumb! And I love raspberries, i have a raspberry bush and am despirately hoping it fruits in the summer 🙂

Rose

Comment by Roses R Red— August 2, 2009 #

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This looks soooo good. I like that you cut the frosting to make a thin layer. Yum!!!

Comment by foodlibrarian— August 2, 2009 #

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Lovely moist cake made even better with that sauce…..a treat for sure!!

Comment by nina— August 3, 2009 #

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Beautiful. I have to bookmark this recipe. I am like you. I do enjoy a more challenging cake from time to time, but I love having some standbys in my back pocket that I can whip up anytime. On a whim. Just because I feel like it. Lovely!

Comment by Julia @ Mélanger— August 3, 2009 #

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What a lovely delicate cake! The sauce must be delicious too.

Comment by Heather Peskin— August 3, 2009 #

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What a beautiful cake! I agree with you – layer cakes are gorgeous but sometimes you want cake without all of that effort and this is a perfect solution 🙂

Comment by Tracey— August 3, 2009 #

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You can tell from the photo how moist this cake was! It looks amazing 🙂

Comment by Sues— August 3, 2009 #

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Your yogurt cake looks perfect!

Comment by Wendy— August 3, 2009 #

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wow that just looks SUPER moist!

Comment by Jaime— August 4, 2009 #

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this might be easy but looks so yummy and beautiful !!! CIAO !

Comment by natalia— August 4, 2009 #

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This cake looks fantastic and I love the sauce!

Comment by Michele— August 4, 2009 #

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I do love layer cakes, but sometimes the simplicity of a sheet cake is just so alluring. This one looks amazing!

Comment by Caitlin— August 4, 2009 #

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I just posted about this cake. IT IS SO DELICIOUS!! I think I might have to make this again for my birthday….maybe 5 of them. Buahaha.

Comment by Beth— September 8, 2009 #

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