French-style Yogurt Cake

I nursed a craving for orange-flavored baked goods all last week. It wasn't until Saturday that I had time to fulfill it. This is another recipe from Orangette Molly's A Homemade Life, which you all should read. (With additional inspiration from my friend Jess at Cake and Cup.) The weekend was simply great. I had the apartment to myself and spent Saturday cleaning and then rewarded myself by baking, and I even squeezed in some time to write before heading off to a slumber party at Sarah's (yes, I'm 25 and going to slumber parties--I love my life). I do such a horrible job of scheduling time for writing what I want to write (aside from the contents of this blog). I have mastered the art of procrastination. I have two stories due at work this week for trips I went on about a year ago. I turned in a story to The Reader yesterday that was originally due on Friday at 8 a.m. Without an impending deadline and a serious time crunch, I cannot produce. But what I do produce under the time crunch is probably not as good as if I started earlier.

Baking is different. You can procrastinate and you could try to make shortcuts, but everyone will know. Baking takes a set amount of time. In this case, prep time (which is a bit more subjective) and then 35 minutes to bake. And that's it. It's time you either have or you don't.

French Yogurt Cake with Orange: from Orangette 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder dash of salt 2 teaspoons orange zest 1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt (plain) 1 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 1 tablespoon orange juice For Syrup: 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup powdered sugar For Icing: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice Preheat oven to 350. Butter the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar and eggs until smooth consistency. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Pour in the oil and mix. Drop in just a dollop of orange juice. Pour batter into cake pan and bake on center rack for 25 to 35 minutes--my oven always takes 35.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice for the syrup. When cake is finished, pull out of oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Dump out onto a plate, flip right side up on to another plate and transfer to wire rack--which, as of this recipe, I decided I must invest in. Place a piece of parchment paper under the rack. While the cake is still a bit warm, pour the syrup over it. In the same small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and the juice for the icing. Pour over cooled cake while it's still on the wire rack. Allow icing to set and then carefully transfer cake to serving platter.