Cardamom Yogurt Cake

Happy Mothers’ Day!

I just felt an actual pang in my heart, speaking of the emotional roller coaster known as parenting. A pang looking at the picture below, of Alex’s hair braided.  Which is beyond absurd because I have spent the last 2 years begging her to allow me to cut her hair.  And now that she has (and it looks fantastic) I am ready to mourn the little girl braid trailing down her back.

All of this is just silly, of course, seeing as I am the one who reassured Alex a bazillion times that hair always grows back.  We took 8-9 inches off, donating the bottom 7-8 inches to Locks of Love.  Although a little freaked out at first, she has grown to love it as her morning routine has shrunk down to a few quick brushstrokes and nothing else in the hair department.

This cake is a lot like Alex’s new haircut.  Deceptively simple and quick, it packs an elegant punch.  John and I “fought” (don’t worry, no signs required) over the last piece, and when that happens I know I have struck gold because John and I do not have super similar taste in cakes.

The cake is basically Lauren Chattman’s Everyday Yogurt Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats-to which I added cardamom and subbed in some sour cream.  I baked it for John’s homecoming from Barcelona; the beauty of this cake is that you can bake it for no reason at all or dress it up with some whipped cream and maybe fresh berries and serve it at a dinner party. The cardamom especially gives it that added touch of sophistication.  If you don’t like cardamom, substitute in another spice, maybe cinnamon or nutmeg.  Or leave the spices out completely–but I hope you try the cardamom first!

Cardamom Yogurt Cake

 

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Adapted from Lauren Chattman

Author: TheSpicedLife

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups (152 g) AP flour
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• ¼ t baking soda
• 2 t ground cardamom
• ¼ t salt
• ½ cup low fat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup whole fat sour cream
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 t vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour (or use a grease/flour combo spray such as Baker's Joy) a 9 inch round cake pan. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture and gently mix until just evenly moistened.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached, about 40 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a plate. Flip the cake onto a cooling rack lined with wax paper so that the golden top of the cake is again the top. Let cool completely before slicing. Serve with confectioners' sugar or whipped cream.

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