Strawberry Yoghurt Cake

During our usual Saturday morning coffee/breakfast/papers routine this past weekend I had the pleasure of checking out and discovering a new kitchenware store.  Filled with shelf after shelf of glasses, plates, napkins, spatulas, cupcake papers, forks, knives, wooden spoons, serving platters, mixing bowls, kitchen aids etc etc I was in heaven, well my idea of heaven anyway! 

I could easily have lost myself and spent hours just wandering through the store inspecting the latest cookware on offer but I had to exercise a degree of self control and focus my attention to just a couple of things I needed otherwise I would have been at great risk of purchasing everything in the store.  I don’t believe that anyone can have too many citrus juicers.

With my mind sharpened and quickly racking my thoughts to determine what, out of everything, I needed most, I reached the conclusion that I had to have a bundt cake tin.  Yes, a bundt cake tin.  Oh and a tiny pink spatula, just because. 

I decided I needed the cake tin because I had seen so many superb cake recipes using this wonderfully ornate type of tin and I didn’t have one, which left me constantly flicking past these amazing recipes and in turn missing out which is completely unjust and unfair therefore I must have the cake tin.  Yes, I must have the cake tin!  With the purchase rationalised in my obviously very logical and sound mind I made my purchase and almost skipped home in cheerful delight.

Once home I realised that a cake tin is pretty useless without a cake in it so I set about finding one of my longed for cake recipes to try.  I found a Donna Hay recipe for Lemon Yoghurt Cake and decided this would be it.  However, my fridge contained two punnets of slightly sad looking strawberries that needed to be used up so in a moment of thriftiness I decided I would hold bake just a wee bit on the lemon and add a whole lot of strawberry to the cake!  Yay!

This cake, honestly, smells of strawberries and cream.  It is absolutely lovely.  I thought I would be more interested in the bundt cake ‘fancy’ appearance but to be frank I was head over heels in love with the smell of this wonderful creation.  The strawberries and yoghurt marry beautifully in the batter creating the aromas of strawberries and cream that instantly transported me back to my childhood of eating strawberries and cream sitting on the front step during the summertime.  There is something almost nostalgic about the strawberries and cream combination and I am sure it is one loved by many.

In terms of simplicity, this cake is incredibly easy to prepare.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s as easy as adding wet ingredients to the dry.  NO heavy machinery required here, just a couple of minutes of serene patience and gentle stirring.  The finished product is well worth the mere moments of pleasurable effort and this cake is a wonderful idea for morning or afternoon tea, in fact this cake practically begs to be enjoyed with a hot cup of English breakfast.

Strawberry Yoghurt Cake

Adapted from Donna Hay’s ‘Fast, Fresh, Simple’

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup (180ml) vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1 cup thick natural yoghurt

1¾ cups caster sugar

2 cups self-raising flour

1 ½ punnets of strawberries, hulled and quartered

¼ cup icing sugar, for dusting

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).  Place the oil, eggs, rind, yoghurt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Sift over the flour and stir until smooth.  Add strawberries and gently fold to combine.  Pour the mixture into a greased 24cm fluted ring tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.  While the cake is still hot remove from the tin and place on a plate.  Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.