Mum’s yoghurt cake

Ready in 50 minutes, serves 8.

Years ago, my mother Jacqueline White discovered a yoghurt cake recipe in an old British newspaper.

The writer said she found baking difficult, but had developed this great cake where you use the pottle yoghurt container to help with all the measurements – it actually was a “dump cake”.

Trying out the recipe and making it her own with a few variations, my mother was pleased with the results and ease of execution. After school, she would prepare dinner. I would sit, cup of tea in hand, with something from “the tins”. This is one of my happiest childhood memories.

• 1 cup or 250ml fruit yoghurt
• ½ cup cooking oil (not olive)
• 2 large eggs
• Grated rind of one lemon
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan bake. Grease and paper line the base of a 21cm cake tin.

2. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

4. Add wet mix to dry. Do not over mix the ingredients.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let the cake cool, and ice while warm, not hot, as it can ruin the icing.

Passionfruit or lemon icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tbsp passionfruit syrup or lemon juice

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and microwave for about 10 seconds.

2. Mix well. Add more passionfruit syrup or lemon if needed. A little lemon zest can also be added for a slight zing.

Annabelle recommends:
Puhoi Lemon Delicious yoghurt. This is the best type to use for Mum’s yoghurt cake – all that luscious creamy texture, enhanced with intense, perfectly balanced flavour. Divine!