Recipe: Emelia Jackson’s French Yoghurt Cake Is a Piece of Cake

Emelia Jackson’s third cookbook, You Had Me at Cake, sees the Masterchef winner going back to basics with one-bowl wonders and foolproof recipes for the whole family. While she dedicates an entire chapter to global classics – from Danish drommekage to Chinese ma lai go – it’s her simple gateau au yaourt that really takes the cake.

The gateau au yaourt, or French yoghurt cake, is famously the first cake French children master. Because the empty yoghurt pot acts as the measuring cup, there is no need for scales or precision. Even though the traditional method is quite literally child’s play, Jackson has converted the typical ratios into metric measurements for this version.

The result is a foolproof, oil-enriched crumb that’s ready in less than an hour. As Jackson puts it: “If you’re looking for an easy cake, a no-machinery cake, a don’t-have-to-think cake, then look no further.”

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French yoghurt cake by Emelia Jackson

Serves 8–10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

125g natural or Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve
65ml neutral-flavoured oil, such as grapeseed or rice bran oil
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
375g plain flour
250g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder

Sour cherry compote

400g frozen sour cherries
65g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean or ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Line a 25cm x 10cm loaf tin with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt, oil, eggs and vanilla and whisk together to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently mix them together. Be careful not to overmix here, as you don’t want a tough cake. Transfer the batter to the loaf tin and smooth out the top.

Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the sour cherry compote, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water and bring to the boil over medium heat. Continue to boil until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency, then set aside and allow to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

To serve the cake, cut a slice and serve with a dollop of yoghurt and some sour cherry compote.

This is a lightly edited extract from You Had Me at Cake by Emelia Jackson. Published by Murdoch Books (RRP $39.99)