Born and raised in France, former Great British Bake Off star Manon learned to bake with her mother and grandmother, who made everything from scratch.
Her repertoire of recipes draws inspiration from her French heritage and this yoghurt cake is one of the easiest to follow.
Sharing the sweet bake from her cookbook “Et Voila!: A Simple French Baking Love Story”, the mother of two claimed that it’s “the simplest and quickest French cake she knows”.
Known as “gâteau au yaourt”, the light sponge pairs perfectly with fruity flavours for a refreshing afternoon treat and takes just 45 minutes to make.
Manon said: “The cake is so moist and versatile, you can make it with many flavours and shapes – I use my simple Bundt tin.”
Ingredients
- 125g pot of Greek yoghurt
- Two pots of white sugar (250g)
- Three eggs
- One pot of olive oil
- Three pots of plain flour
- One teaspoon of baking powder
- One pinch of salt
- One teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Fresh raspberries or blueberries
Unlike most recipes which require specific measurements, Manon’s formula uses the empty yoghurt pot to measure out the same quantities worth of ingredients.
Simply measure out two pots worth of sugar, three pots of flour and one of oil to ensure they match the quantity of the yoghurt used in the cake.
Manon’s French yoghurt cake recipe
Gather all of the ingredients as well as a large mixing bowl and a Bundt cake tin or standard-sized loaf tin.
Grease the tin with a little butter or cooking spray then dust a light coating of flour over the top.
Next, empty the yoghurt pot into the mixing bowl then fill it up twice with sugar and pour it into the bowl. Mix everything with a whisk to form a thick cream before cracking in the eggs.
Whisk in the eggs to loosen the batter then drizzle in the vanilla extract, pour in the oil and stir once more.
Now is the time to add in the dry ingredients which include the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Give the batter a quick taste to test the flavours and add more vanilla if necessary, then pour into the prepared baking tin.
Cover the blueberries or raspberries in a little flour to stop them from sinking, then place them on the surface of the batter and push them in slightly.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes at 180C, then remove and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully Turn the cake out onto a cake stand with the fruit-topped side facing upwards.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and top with a sprig of rosemary. Manon said: “Et voila. This is the quickest French cake in your repertoire!”
