After a Cooking Class

Lemon~Yogurt Cake

Here I am, feeling rejuvenated after giving a cooking class today. I can be tired, overwhelmed with day-to-day responsibilities but when I start cooking and sharing my food with others I forget everything else. A great feeling of satisfaction, happiness, creativity and a sense that I am able to connect with more people through my cooking fills me up and helps me forget everything else!

I gave a demo class on winter recipes from Cyprus. I made bulgur soup with fresh vegetables and herbs such as marjoram, cumin and cinnamon, potato, artichoke and olive stew, stuffed onions and a lemon~yogurt cake for dessert. Today, I chose recipes that I could use seasonal ingredients.

Once again I got lots of questions about the Mediterranean diet. Basically, the questions were all around the theme of what is the Mediterranean diet or what constitutes this special diet. I shared with the class that when I talk about the Mediterranean diet I refer to olive oil, yogurt, fresh vegetables consumption and eating seasonal. This is how I grew up. A lot of people still eat like this back home but sadly a lot of people have also succumbed to the fast food diet.

I grew up eating based on the seasonal produces and not what was selling in the grocery stores. For instance I never ate eggplant other than during the summer and ate strawberries only in May and June. Eating seasonal one can avoid the extra hormones and chemicals which are used to grow vegetables. I know that there are organic farms growing certain vegetables which are out of the season but no matter what I find these vegetables not as tasty as they are when they are actually in season.

My dad with his fruit trees; he taught me to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables by the season

I am sharing with you the easy recipe of making the delicious yogurt~lemon cake one of my favorite cakes since it has two of my favorite ingredients – lemon and yogurt! ... and I am happy to say that for the first year I was able to get lemons from my tree in my back yard! I had 4 other lemon trees die before I was able to have a nice healthy tree! I can't wait till the day I can make my own lemonade from my own lemons.

 

It’s a light and moist cake that’s delicious with coffee, tea or on its own. In my house it lasts only for two days so I don’t even have to refrigerate it! It’s such an easy cake to make that you can easily stay away from the cake mixes out of the box which take the same amount of time to put together and they don’t taste as good as this cake!

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup unsalted butter

4 eggs

1 cup Greek style plain yogurt

2 cups white unbleached flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons lemon zest

For the Top

½ cup powdered sugar

Beat the eggs well until fluffy and set aside. In another deep bowl mix the butter with the sugar. Beat well and then start adding the eggs slowly. Add the yogurt and then start adding all the remaining dry ingredients; baking powder, and flour except for the lemon zest. Beat well. Add enough flour so that the batter is thick enough but it does not stick to the spoon.

Lastly, add the lemon zest.

Bake in a round baking pan at 350 F degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes – time might vary according to the oven temperatures.

Insert a toothpick to check if it is fully baked. The toothpick should come out completely dry.

Remove the cake from the pan after it cools off a bit.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve at room temperature.

It is served with tea or coffee

May be stored outside the refrigerator for 2-3 days

I hope you share with friends and family.

Please post any questions or comments you might have.

Till next time ....

Litsa