Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake)

In continuation of baking with Jude, I have chosen for us to bake a simple but absolutely tasty french yogurt cake. This is one of the first cakes that children in France make on their own. It's really simple to make because the containers from the yogurt are used to measure out almost all of the remaining ingredients. It is really easy to make. I just supervised Jude making it and told him how many times to fill up the container with which ingredient. I didn't have the right cake pan so we put half of the dough into cupcake liners and the rest into the 6 in x 9 in pan that I did have. We ate the cupcakes before the cake and it lasted for one week wrapped. This cake has a bit of a bread consistency to it. This may have been due to a little over-mixing. It has just enough sweetness to it that makes you come back for more. To top it off I made creme fraiche from scratch. It takes 12-24 hours to be done, so make it before you make the cake. This cake really asks for something less sweet and more tart as a topping and the creme friache complemented it perfectly. Creme fraiche has a similar taste to sour cream but it's more creamy and less tart. This was my first time trying it and I really liked it. The recipe for the yogurt cake was from Mint Design Blog. Have fun making this, it's delicious. xo,Yana.

"Yogurt Cake
lightly adapted from Bringing Up Bébé, yields one 9-inch cake

2 six-ounce containers of plain whole-milk yogurt (not greek)
2 large eggs
2 containers sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 container oil
4 containers all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
several dashes of sea salt

Garnish (optional)
crème fraîche, store bought or homemade, lightly sweetened
fruit, lightly sweetened with sugar to release juices (apricots pictured)
fresh mint
cacao nibs

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line bottom of 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil until evenly combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir together until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing will yield a tough cake.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until springy to the tough. The cake is naturally very white in color when baked.
6. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and continue cooling on a rack. Garnish just before serving."