Orange Yoghurt Spice Cakes

I had oranges and plain Greek yoghurt that needed using up and I always make this Orange Yoghurt Cake but do you think I could find the recipe. I couldn’t even find it online. I was going to have a guess at it but didn’t want to waste ingredients in case it was a flop. Instead, I relied upon my old favourite, the No Fuss Fudge Cake and just tweaked that. I’ve also been loving Chai tea since my weekend meditation retreat towards the end of last year and really felt like adding some spices to complement a mug of Chai tea.

I was lucky enough to receive a variety of teas from Nature’s Cuppa and they make a Chai blend in a tea bag. It was gorgeous, with just the right blend of peppery warmth and spicy flavours. Its my regular treat just before bedtime.

Nature’s Cuppa also have a great range including all of your regular blends like Ceylon, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Green, herbal teas and even a coffee.  Their tea is certified Fairtrade®. Fairtrade® means better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fairer terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing http://bellalunawitches.com/event/5349 world. The Fairtrade® label is your independent guarantee that this product meets international Fairtrade® standards.

My son loved this mini loaf in his lunch box. It was nice just with a light sprinkling of icing sugar and didn’t need any frosting. Adding yoghurt to a cake makes a lovely dense mixture without being too heavy. I think this would work well with lemon too.

Orange Yoghurt Spice Cakes

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1.1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)
• 6 tbs oil (I used Canola)
• 1 tbs vinegar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• icing sugar to dust

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C. Oil cake pan. (Cake can be made into cupcakes, mini loaves, a loaf pan or round pan.)
2. Mix all ingredients together and mix well.
3. Bake for approx 20 mins or until golden brown.
4. Allow to cool slightly in pan before turning.
5. Once cool, dust with icing sugar to serve.

Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post. This product was provided for editorial consideration. I was sent some Nature’s Cuppa tea and coffee to try and all opinions and photos are my own. 

Lemon & Blueberry Yoghurt Cakes

“I’m forever pinning recipes….” (sung to “I’m forever blowing bubbles”). And it’s true. The last thing I do at night, before I turn off the computer is check Pinterest for recipes. I have to admit that about 80% of recipes I see are related to S’mores, peanut butter and chocolate or brownies in some way but the odd one comes up that makes my mouth water and I can think of nothing else until I make it. Lemons and blueberries was the case this time.

This was the culprit. A Lemon-Blueberry Yoghurt Loaf by Sweet Pea’s Kitchen. The recipe is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) recipe. I just love cakes made with yoghurt. The cake is more dense without being rich and not so sweet. This recipe didn’t disappoint. I made them in individual cupcake wrappers as they’re easier for little fingers and my portion control. I can also pop them in the freezer easily too.

The cake is your typical cake recipe but what’s special about these is that after baking, they are brushed with a lemon sugar syrup a couple of times, adding to the lemon flavour and then topped with a lemon drizzle icing.

Even on their own, without the blueberries, I think they’d be nice. This one’s a keeper and now I’m already thinking about all of the different flavour combinations I could come up with.

Lemon & Blueberry Yoghurt Cakes

(from Sweet Pea Kitchen’s Lemon-Blueberry Yoghurt Loaf recipe)

For the Loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon plain flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C (350 deg F). Line a texas muffin pan with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops of the warm cakes. Brush the top with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
7. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each cake. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.