Lemon French Yogurt Cake with Champagne Grapes ~ Guest Post by Lisa of Jersey Girl Cooks

You may recall my talking about Lisa of Jersey Girl Cooks on a few occasions here. I did a guest post for her a few months back and while I’m adjusting to juggling a toddler and a newborn she has so kindly pitched in and done this guest post for me. Thanks Lisa!! I think you’re going to love this Lemon French Yogurt Cake with Champagne Grapes. I know that as I read it, my mouth was watering and I wanted to make it immediately. You can find Lisa on Twitter and Facebook in addition to her blog. Enjoy!

~K

Lemon French Yogurt Cake with Champagne Grapes

Hello.  I am Lisa from Jersey Girl Cooks.  I was honored that Kate asked me to do a guest post for her blog. Kate and I have known each other through our food blogs for months now. But we finally were able to meet in person in October.  We went to NYC together for Pie Party Live.  It was so much fun and I know we will be doing more things together in the future.

As you probably guessed from the name of my blog, I am also from NJ. I love to cook and I have had a blog for over three years now. My focus is easy family food and I love to use local produce and ingredients from NJ.  I eat anything and everything (well maybe not organ meats) and believe moderation is important.  While I love to put recipes with fresh ingredients on my blog, you might also find a recipe or two using a cake mix or some jarred pesto sauce. Not together of course! I have a busy family and sometimes you do what you have to do.

When I bake, I prefer to make simple cakes and muffins. Today I am making a French Yogurt cake with Champagne grapes. While the name sounds fancy, it is just a simple cake that is moistened with yogurt and oil. Many of these cakes have been going around the blogosphere and this one is based on Dorie Greenspan’s version. The fall is a good time to find Champagne grapes but if you cannot find them, you can use red seedless grapes. I would cut them in halves or quarters. When I saw the Champagne grapes at the market, I was mesmerized by their cuteness. I have baked with grapes before and always love the results.

I made these cakes in smaller loaf pans but you can make one large loaf if you’d like. Just make sure to adjust the baking times. With the tiny little grapes, I had to go with smaller pans for the cuteness factor. I hope you enjoy this cake. Thank you Kate for having me!

Lemon French Yogurt Cakes with Champagne Grapes

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

the zest of one lemon

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups Champagne grapes (or other seedless grapes halved )

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease  two  4- inch by 8- inch loaf pans.

– In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

– Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and, working with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

– Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla to the bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very well blended.

– While still mixing, stir in the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in the oil.

– Add the grapes and gently mix into the batter. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter.

– Scrape the batter into the pans and smooth the top.

– Bake the pans in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes  or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it will be golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean.

– Transfer the pan to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up. Makes two loaf cakes.