Karen Gottlieb 

1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk)

1 cup sugar

Large pinch sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 2/3 c flour (I like to use 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour & 1/3 cup cornmeal)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Zest of 1 lemon (& zest of 1 orange-optional)

1 16-oz can apricots, drained and quartered or see variations below**

Cinnamon sugar to sprinkle ontop.

 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan or spring form mold. Line it with parchment paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, salt and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Add the oil in a stead stream, whisking to combine. Add the eggs one by one, whisking to incorporate after each addition.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; add to the yogurt mixture; whisky lightly to combine. Stir in the lemon (& orange) zest.

4. Transfer the batter to your cake pan; top with the chopped apricots or fruit. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over all. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown and slightly risen. A toothpick in the center should come out clean.

5. Lift the cake by the parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. This cake actually gets moister with age, so it tastes great the next day. Simply cover the fully cooled cake with aluminum foil; an airtight container or plastic will make it soggy.

 

Tip: Feel free to experiment with with raspberries, chopped pears** and brown sugar, rhubarb or a streusel topping of your choice.

Variations:

**Chop 2 firm pears.  toss w 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. 

1-2 cups berries -blackberries, blueberries and raspberries

1-1.5 cups rhurbard, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and tossed with 1 Tbsp. sugar.