I love cake. It makes me happy. That said, I prefer plain cakes to fancy ones, snack cakes to French pastries, and icings or glazes to thick frosting. What can I say, if I’m going to eat cake, it should be the star. Now that we have Amaya, I have ample opportunity to indulge my taste for simple, not too sweet cakes that are easily stirred together and bake into moist bites of goodness that need little adornment. Yogurt cakes are a favorite of mine and this chocolate yogurt cake is pretty wonderful. I like it plain, perhaps with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a few fresh berries, but if you want to gild the lily, you can make some simple icing to pour over the top after the syrup has time to soak in. Amaya will tell you that sprinkles or pink sugar are never a bad thing on top of icing, and at that point, a little more sugar just makes everything that much more appealing. Though truthfully, I eat this cake straight from the pan without any extras more often than not. It’s the perfect pick me up for that mid-morning/mid-afternoon/midnight slump.
**Chocolate Yogurt Cake**
– 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
– ½ cup (65 g) Dutch process cocoa
– 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking powder
– ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
– 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) fine sea salt
– 1 cup (225 g) plain whole-milk yogurt
– 1 cup (200 g) sugar
– 3 large eggs
– 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
– 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) chocolate extract
– 1/2 cup (113 g) vegetable oil (I use rice bran or canola)
**Chocolate Syrup**
– ½ cup (100 g) sugar
– 1 tablespoon (8 g) Dutch process cocoa
– ½ cup water
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and chocolate extracts. Pour them into the dry ingredients and slowly whisk them together. With a rubber spatula, stir the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave at room temperature to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate syrup. Stir together the sugar and cocoa in a small saucepan. Add the water and set over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly until all of the sugar has dissolved and it is smooth and shiny. Remove from heat. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the top of the cake while it is still warm and in the cake pan. Spoon the sauce over the top of the cake and let it soak in. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes before serving.
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