March!? Where is the year going? I was absent from the blog for the last weeks of February, with my head down into uni work, but I’m back now kicking off March with this Blueberry Yogurt Loaf Cake. Lemon and blueberry, two of your five a day right here I promise.
This is an old recipe by Ruby Tandoh (one of my favourites if you haven’t realised) that was in the Guardian Cook supplement last year in August. I have a plain Moleskine notebook that I use as a scrap book for collecting recipes I like the sound of from newspapers and magazines. I’m not sure if you can search an archive of Ruby’s recipes so here you go!
75ml almond oil
125g full-fat natural yogurt
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of two lemons
210g plain flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
150g-200g blueberries
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin about 20cm long.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture along with the blueberries and fold the lot very gently together, taking care not to mix any more than is necessary; overzealous stirring at this stage could result in a tough cake later.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a small knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Ruby also recently joined Instagram, which often gives a sneak peek to what culinary delights the Saturday Guardian will bring.
I spy someone going for seconds.
It’s also Lent, for which I have decided to give up pasta, pastries and alcohol. So far I’ve had no need for a booze bender, but I’m really feeling the lack of pasta and pastry in my life. Pasta is such a convenient (perhaps too convenient) and comforting food and I’m a secret M&S Palmier addict, you see. Only about 32 days to go, yay.