sun feet and blue skies

“I don’t know, I can’t contain my heartbeat, I am dancing, shrouded by green trees. I am whirling, wearing my sun feet and humming children to sleep” -Eisley “Sunfeet”

This past week, blue skies finally appeared throughout Northern California. Windows were opened up, kids played out in their front yards, and the shops were bustling with people. After weeks of rain and cloud-filled days, I actually felt the sun on my skin and it was like a high. As corny as it sounds, I could feel the rays warming my skin and couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran to the kitchen and baked up my version of spring: a Riviera yogurt cake.

A Riviera yogurt cake is another take on the much acclaimed French Yogurt Cake. If you’ve never made one, you are missing out. I used Dorie Greenspan’s recipe after reading the brief description of the cake. “I don’t think there’s a home cook in France who doesn’t make this moist yogurt cake, a delightful cross between pound cake and sponge cake. Every time I mention it to a French friend, he or she says, ‘Oh, I make it all the time’ or ‘That’s the cake my mother used to make’. The primary reason the French make this cake is that it’s delicious but there are other reasons too, among them the indisputable fact that this cake is absolutely foolproof and shamelessly easy” (224).

With my favorite cd Combinations by Eisley blaring loudly, I went to work on the basic ingredients: grinding almonds in my processor to make almond flour. The cake uses Fage yogurt, an all-time favorite of mine and incorporates olive oil instead of vegetable oil. The olive oil gives the cake a nice fresh flavor with a hint of tang as well.

True to form, making this cake was ridiculously easy. After a quick hour in the oven, I sampled my light and fresh concoction and couldn’t help but smile. On that lovely sunny day as I nibbled on this tender cake with my favorite tunes in the background, life seemed perfect and simple. And I look forward to savoring this cake all throughout this week too.

Riviera Yogurt Cake
From Baking: from my home to yours
Makes 8 servings or 4 servings, (if you are like me who has to have at least two pieces)

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup ground almonds
2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of one lemon
½ cup 2% Total Greek yogurt like Fage
3 large eggs
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup olive oil

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan (I used an 8 inch round cake pan) and place the pan on a baking sheet.
Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, if you are using them, baking powder and salt.
Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very well blended. Still whisking, add the dry ingredients, then switch to a large spatula and fold in the oil. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter with a slight sheen. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan. It should be golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold, and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.