Yogurt Cake

Inspired by The Turkish Cookbook by Nevin Halici

The inclusion of yogurt as an ingredient in this cake, added hydration and flavor to the batter. This cake, or cookie, is easy to make, but I do recommend staying true to the recipe. I attempted to substitute the baking sheet pan with a bundt pan, in an attempt to be more fancy. That was a mistake because the cake came out dense, and it cooked for a lot longer than 20 minutes, which also dried out the moisture that yogurt brings to the cake/ cookie. As with many recipes, the simplicity of this cake is perfect, and, served alongside caramel sauce, makes a perfect sweet treat for friends and family to enjoy.

Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup self-raising flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter

• 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

Yields: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Method:

1. Line a 15 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven 400° F.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter and place it in a bowl. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla.

4. In a stand mixer, whisk the sugar and eggs until creamy. Add the yogurt mixture to the butter. Add the flour mixture and mix for about 5 minutes.

5. Pour into the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Remove and cut into diamond shades or into squares. Serve with caramel sauce (recipe below) and powdered sugar.

Carmel sauce:

Ingredients:

• 50 grams of butter or 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Yields: 1 cup

Prep Time: none

Cook Time: 20 minuites

Method:

1. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, place the butter with the sugar over a medium heat.

2. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and allow the sugar to caramelize.

4. It will start to turn into a brown, amber-colored liquid. Keep a close eye on this process because you don’t want your sugar to burn.

5. Once desired color is achieved, remove the saucepan from the heat.

6. Add the heavy cream, depending on how liquid you want the caramel to be.

7. Drizzle over the cake/ cookies and top with powdered sugar.