Citrus olive oil almond flour yogurt cake

Wow! That title is one heck of a mouthful. Here’s another cake quickie with more citrus coming at ya! I’ve shared a couple of other citrus cake beauties with you in recent months - orange and lemon - and this one sort of rounds those out as summer wanes. Soon I’ll be gearing up for autumn with buttery pâte brisée, croissant and puff laminated doughs, nutty/caramel-y tartes and so much more.

While citrus is typically heralded during winter and early spring, the flavors marry so beautifully with summer fruits - lime with strawberry or cherry; lemon with raspberry or blueberry; orange with blackberry come immediately to mind. You’ll find many recipes for things like fruit crisps, jams, fruit sauces or purées that call for a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten flavors. I’m on board.

One lazy warm summer afternoon as I was reviewing recipes from various sources, this one caught my eye. It’s from Aleksandra Crapanzano’s book “Gâteau” which offers a wonderful array of simple classic French cakes. There’s a section specifically focused on yogurt cakes in which she offers some interesting versions and flavor choices. This is one of them. And besides - I had yogurt and some almond flour to use up! It’s a straight forward prep that doesn’t even require a mixer. Nice!

I first wrote about the French approach to a simple yogurt cake here. And you’ll find an orange olive oil cake here - I made this one during the early weeks of the pandemic when I was abuzz with free time and the need to bake.

As is often my wont when making a loaf cake, I use my mom’s longer, narrower Mirro loaf pan which gives a slimmer, less bulky looking end result. I like that. Butter, line with parchment, then butter and raw sugar coat it for that hint of a sugar crunchy edged result.

Here’s the recipe PDF. My mise is below where you can see I decided on a mix of lemon, orange and lime zests which I rubbed into the sugar to release the oils. I’m sure many of you know that trick. Eggs should be at room temp. I use Chobani whole milk plain yogurt and a fruity Italian extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). I’ve been using Mandelin blanched almond flour for several years now - I used to order the 5 lb bag from the company but you can now find it on Amazon. Costco sells 3 pound bags of their Kirkland brand at a decent price too.

All mised up

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, yogurt, sugar/zests, EVOO, vanilla and almond extracts. Blend in almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then sift in the all purpose flour and blend. Remember - the recipe is here just for you!

Flour is the final addition

I thought I’d try a suggested variation of sprinkling sliced almonds on top before baking, but once I had done that I said to myself “Susan - these babies are going to sink - I should have added them after the cake had started to set”. Guess what - I was right. Down they went! Sometimes our brains tell us something for good reason.

Almonds soon to disappear!

The cake bakes at 350ºF about 40-45 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Even though the almonds sunk, the result was a lovely golden brown with a pleasing aroma of citrus.

Next time I’ll wait about half way through the bake before sprinkling almonds on top. Or, even better, forget the added almonds and check out some serving suggestions below.

No almonds to be seen

Let cool about 10-15 minutes. Rather than lifting it out of the pan, I opted to turn it out so the bottom side ended up top. Looks pretty good to me. I think I see a fleck or two of sunken almonds.

Moist, tender and citrus scented, serve a simple slice with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. For a light dessert, serve with Chantilly, a sprinkle of fresh berries and toasted or candied sliced almonds. Or amp it up a notch and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, warm berry sauce and a crunchy crumble. I think you’ll like it.

I see some almonds!!

Autumn is coming! Yay!

Classic plum torte

Hi again! This one will be a quicky. Just wanted you to know about this if you aren’t already familiar with it. Perfect for fresh summer fruit nestled in a buttery cake. The recipe comes from Marian Burros and was published in the NYT every September from 1983 to 1989. Then readers were so bummed when it went AWOL that the Times makes sure the recipe is easily available for everyone. Play around with different fruits - I shared a peach/blueberry version with you back in an autumn update in 2022. You can add spices, sub in different flours - make it your own.

Here I’m using a mix of red and yellow plums from Nyblad, my favorite fruit vendor at the Fulton Farmers Market here in Grand Rapids. Now’s the time!

All mised up

It couldn’t be simpler and the results are delicious. You can choose an 8”, 9” or 10” pan such as a springform or round cake pan. Some folks double the recipe and bake it in a 9”x13” pan. I like to use my 8” springform - the end result is so pleasing to me. The coriander and ginger are my choices. You could add cinnamon if you’re of a mind.

Here goes. Heat oven to 350ºF. Butter the bottom of your pan, place a round of parchment in the bottom then butter/flour bottom and sides of the pan.

Cream 150 g / 3/4 cup sugar with 113 g / 4 ounces softened unsalted butter. Blend in 130 g / 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (I do half all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, a pinch of ginger, a pinch of salt and 2 large eggs. Beat well.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan, smooth top and place plum sections skin side up on the batter. Sprinkle top with granulated or turbinado sugar, 1/2 teaspoon coriander and a little lemon juice.

Marian’s original recipe calls for 24 halves of pitted purple plums. I eyeballed it, cut mine into narrower slices and had plenty for my needs. I like the mix of red and yellow skins.

Oooooh boy! Going in . . . .

Bake about one hour. Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes then release the springform ring. I carefully slide a long offset spatula underneath and slide the cake off the parchmented pan bottom. Cool fully on a wire rack.

Enjoy as is or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Chantilly. The cake freezes well for some weeks - be sure it’s well wrapped. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly at 300º if desired.

More fun coming up - I’m on a roll!

Here’s a natural beauty I’m seeing along my walking route. Enjoy nature - it’s the best.

Elderberry bush

Baking with rye flour: cookies two ways

Hi! The days continue to fly by! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but I have a few drafts in the hopper on projects I accomplished during the cooler weeks of late spring/summer. I’ve worked on them helter-skelter without giving myself enough time to finish and publish them.

In the coming weeks I hope to share a citrus yogurt olive oil loaf cake, maple blueberry almond butter cakes, a classic plum torte and the second topic in my recently launched FAVE series - pots de crème. Leaning more toward simple and delicious cakes seems more appropriate for warm summer days, especially when fresh local fruits are teeming at the farmers markets. It’s best to leave the laminated dough and flaky pâte brisée for the cooler months.

Summer plum torte

My days are peppered with regular exercising, admiring late summer flowers along the paths, recipe writing and organization, planning for autumn classes through our local school district’s adult enrichment program, looking into a couple of small home improvement projects, hosting family, celebrating birthdays (including Mom’s 97th!) and anniversaries, along with a grand cousins’ reunion to boot. That’s summer for ya!

Classic summer - black eyed susans!

Enough of all that. Let’s talk rye!

On a late spring trip up to Traverse City to met up with friends Patty and Paul, we enjoyed a variety of food and wine adventures. One was a visit to Farm Club, a calming and beautiful spot in the countryside outside TC. A blend of restaurant, brewery, farm gardens and market, it’s an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful afternoon no matter the season. We happened to be there over the Memorial Day weekend, enjoying a delicious lunch and taking advantage of a bit of shopping in their eclectic market.

Bags of recently milled rye flour on the shelf caught my eye and so it was that I came home with one of said bags. Although the staff there that day couldn’t give me the particulars as to whether it was dark, medium or light rye, I wanted to see what I might do with it once back in Grand Rapids.

I compared it with the stone ground dark rye from Bob’s Red Mill that I’ve been using for awhile and found it to be a whole grain, coarser grind with bran, germ and endosperm clearly visible.

For some time now I’ve been incorporating rye flour into some of my breads, rolls, tart doughs, puff pastry and cake batters, seeing how it marries with all purpose, whole wheat, spelt and nut flours. So far I enjoy the deeper, nutty taste it imparts. Rye is lower in gluten than wheat flours so the two are often combined to give that just right texture and somewhat earthy flavor that one might be looking for in their baked goods. Plus rye has some nutritional benefits - better control of blood sugar, high dietary fiber, some help with cholesterol reduction and it contains important B-vitamins and certain minerals like magnesium, iron and potassium.

My goal this time around is to share a couple of rye chocolate chunk cookie recipes. The steps are familiar to many since both of these are made very much like a standard chocolate chip cookie.

If you prefer not to scroll through the post (I know I do go on and on sometimes), here’s the link to recipe one using both rye and all purpose flour, chopped chocolate and dried tart cherries; the cookies are toasty blond (header photo) like many chocolate chip cookies. Recipe two uses all rye flour and contains cocoa powder to give the cookies a through and through chocolate look.

First up - this one is based on a recipe from Mokonuts, a cafe/bakery in Paris’ 11th arr. which I learned about from Dorie Greenspan, the prolific cookbook author and Paris guru that I’ve admired for many years. I made these once a while back and have been wanting to revisit them. How about now?!

Mokonuts makes them with dried cranberries but I went with Michigan dried cherries, typically a staple in my baking cupboard. Chocolate chunks and poppy seeds add to the interesting mix. Here’s the recipe with the mise below. A picture says a thousand words.

All mised up

The plan ahead prep includes cubing 140 g / 5 ounces unsalted butter which should be at cool room temp and chopping 113 g / 4 ounces of chocolate. My cherries needed a little pick me up so I soaked them in hot water for a bit then drained them and paper toweled dry. I like my cookies on the small side so I snipped the cherries into smaller bits.

I used a combo of the Bob’s Red Mill dark rye and the Farm Club whole grain rye along with all purpose. Here’s the familiar cookie drill: dry ingredients whisked together in a separate bowl; butter and sugars creamed in the mixer; egg blended in; dry ingredients blended in then add cherries, chocolate and poppy seeds.

For awhile now there’s been a much greater emphasis in the cookie world on refrigerating cookie dough overnight for a more chewy yet crispy end result. That’s the case here. Scoop out your chosen portions and store them in the fridge overnight in a covered container or on a parchment lined sheet pan covered with plastic wrap. You can store them close together then spread them out for baking. I used a 25 g volume scoop for a not too huge end result and my yield was 34 cookies.

The dough should remain cold until ready to bake so get your oven heating to 425ºF and when it’s ready, space your cold dough balls about 2 inches apart and pop ‘em in the oven!

Bake one sheet at a time. If you only have one sheet pan, make sure it’s completely cool and the dough cold before baking the second round. Bake about 10 minutes, remove from the oven and tap the tops lightly with a small spatula. Let them rest a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Et voilà

Yum! Nicely crisp with a center chew and the chocolate/cherry combo is divine. Yes.

As if you haven’t had enough yet, the second recipe is from Brontë Aurell’s book “Brontë at Home”, this one using cocoa powder blended in with the dry ingredients to yield an obviously chocolate end result.

All mised up

For the prep, coarsely chop 100 g / 2/3 cup chocolate - I used my Guittard 61% discs - OR use either milk or dark chocolate chips. Melt 150 g / 11 tablespoons unsalted butter and set aside to cool. Blend dry ingredients (rye flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl. I used solely the Farm Club whole grain rye flour for this one. Mise out both brown and granulated sugars in a small bowl. One egg plus one yolk, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract round out the roster. If you prefer, scrape the seeds of one vanilla bean into your dry ingredients. Don’t forget to save that pod!! Let it dry and pop it into a container of granulated sugar.

This dough is wetter than the first and also needs a chill. In this case, wrap it as one in plastic wrap and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. The chilled dough is much easier to scoop out the next day.

I opted for two different sizes, one using my smallest one tablespoon scoop, each weighing in at 15 g. My next size up scoop is slightly less than 2 tablespoons and those weighed in ~ 25 g. I simply wanted to see how each baked up.

Answer - pretty much the same, apart from size. They bake about 8-10 minutes at 375ºF/190ºC. My yield: 18 of the 25 g; 24 of the 15 g. If making all the 25 g size, the yield should be around 33 cookies.

I like these! An interesting whole grain chew with a nutty hint, just the right cocoa-ness and not too sweet. Steve liked ‘em too!

I admit I’d give the cherry chocolate chunk version higher marks but both of these cookies have qualities many will enjoy. While cookies are always best freshly baked, both versions keep in a covered container over 2-3 days. But my go to method is freezing them in ziptop bags and popping a few out when the craving hits. They’re delicious cold!

Enjoy the remaining summer everyone and have fun! Autumn is just around the corner.