I chose to bake this cake in a bundt tin, it was meant to turn out beautifully, be photographed in lovely morning light… and shared with you looking rather impressive.

Instead, when I tipped the tin over, the entire cake slid straight out and landed on the floor.

After a brief pause (and a laugh... because what else can you do?), I realised something rather important: life, like baking, can be messy and still turn out good. The cake was rescued, served in bowls with yoghurt, and it was absolutely delicious.

So while this Greek-style yoghurt cake may not have made it onto a plate as planned, it’s one worth sharing. It’s simple, comforting, and perfect for afternoon tea with a cup of something warm. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, however it turns out in your kitchen.

Yoghurt Cake (Yiaourtopita)

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup (250 ml) olive oil or 250 g unsalted butter, softened

• 1½ cups (330 g) caster sugar

• 1 cup (260 g) Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve

• 5 eggs, separated

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest

• 3 cups (450 g) self-raising flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

Syrup

• 1 cup (250 ml) water

• ½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice

• 1½ cups (330 g) sugar

• Zest of 1 lemon (or lime)

• 1 cinnamon stick

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a round cake tin.

2. Beat olive oil (or butter) and sugar for 5 minutes, or until creamy. Add yoghurt and beat until combined. Add egg yolks and grated lemon and lime zests, then continue beating for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly fold egg whites into cake mixture, then gradually fold in sifted flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

4. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

5. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by combining all syrup ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until sugar dissolves and just starts to bubble. Remove cinnamon stick, remove from heat and cool.

6. Remove cake from tin while still hot and place on a large plate with a lip. Pour over cooled syrup (one of either the cake or syrup should be hot and the other cold for best effect).

7. Serve with a scoop of yoghurt and dust with cinnamon.

Serves 10

Recipe Credit

Recipe sourced from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.