I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog that I’ve been continually inspired by French cuisine as of lately. But it’s hard to know if anyone ever reads this part. I would say most people don’t, which is fair. But all the stuff before the recipe is my favorite part. A person sharing their family history and why they fell in love with a food, a blogger trying to make jokes yet none of them land (hi, it me), and a new mom sharing how her kids snuck bites as she was trying to photograph the recipe. The point is, I LOVE stories. And while most blogs have turned to writing out what you’ll need for the recipe and how to make it before even getting to the recipe itself simply because SEO loves when you do that, I have refused. Because stories are my favorite. Stories about food, about the joy food brings, and about the people behind that food. That’s what I love.
And since I’ve been reading many, many stories about French cuisine, French way of life, and French cooking, I’m very much interested in the stories behind the food. I want to hear about people’s experiences, why they loved the food so much, the food that made their eyes roll back in their head and gasp with delight. Those are my kinds of stories. And I don’t have a ton of people around me that go THAT insane for food, to the point that they want to listen to audiobooks about food. I have my friend Jess who will try almost any restaurant I want to go to along with many online friends who I will meet up with from time to time and we will hit every restaurant possible in that area in the time allotted, but that’s about it. But the internet…those are my people. The internet has shown me that there are many people just as obsessed, just as in love, and just as eager to try every food and get better at cooking it.
I recently listened to the book ‘A Homemade Life‘ and felt completely seen when she talked about going on a trip to France with her mom to simply walk, eat, walk, eat, then walk more so they could eat. That’s my ideal vacation. I had a trip through California with Jess that looked exactly like that. It was glorious. We walked everywhere, we ate everything, and then we also had spa appointments. Like the book said, “I go on vacation for an excuse to eat more.” I go on vacation to experience different food that I wouldn’t be able to get in the same way in Denver. But since France is currently not in the cards because we have a 6 month old and building a business is a bit more important at the moment, I’ve had to bring France to me.
All this to say, this yogurt cake is inspired from a French book I’ve been cooking through the past couple weeks – Dinner in French. As I’ve looked at more and more French recipes, this simple yogurt cake seems to be a staple. I modified mine a bit and then topped it with a citrusy glaze since blood oranges are in season, but now I understand why it is such a popular cake. It’s easy to make, the outside has the perfect crunch while the inside is soft and fluffy, and it’s good with anything on top. Be French AF and top it with crème fraîche and berries, be American AF and top it with buttercream frosting, or simply be who you want to be and top it with whatever your heart desires…and that could be nothing. The point is, this cake is delicious and it will make your life better. Just like this story did, huh? You read it, RIGHT?!
Yogurt & Olive Oil Cake with Blood Orange Glaze
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- zest of 2 blood oranges
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the blood orange glaze
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (I used salted)
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- juice of 2 blood oranges (about 4–5 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest.
- Add yogurt, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla, and then use a spatula to mix the batter, folding the batter over and over, making sure to not overwork it. Once combined, pour it into the loaf pan and spread evenly throughout.
- Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes then lightly cover with aluminum foil to keep the top from browning and cook for another 10-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the loaf. Time will range depending on the oven so be sure to keep an eye on it!
- Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes before using the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Cool completely.
- Lastly, combine the butter, powdered sugar and blood orange juice and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the loaf and then cut into 8-10 slices before serving!
What I Used to Make This Recipe:
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Love your intro sections, Juli! My favourite part of every post!
I love your stories. They always make my day. And I effin’ love food too! Can’t wait to try this!
I’d be dead on the ground with all the sugar in both the cake and frosting- but beautiful loaf! What else could I use? Agave, maple, etc? And halve the amounts??
i haven’t tested it with different types or amounts of sugar so i can’t say for sure! changing the amount of sugar can definitely alter the outcome so you’re just going to have to test it yourself and know that it won’t be the same as the original!
I typically don’t read the intro, but I read this one and enjoyed it! I’m going to make an effort to do so more often. Also this cake looks so good! Pinning it to try later. Thank you!
I love the stories behind recipes!!
I love your pre recipe stories. Other blogs, I only read if I plan to make the recipe. Yours I read regardless bc it’s a girls chat. Screw google lol. Keep doing you
I love your stories! I truly love food too but the commentary before it is the BEST! F*** SEO
OMgoodness! Eating this as we speak.. it is so delicious, haven’t even made the glaze yet:) thanks Juli 🧡
Do you think it would work with regular flour? Looks so amazing 😻
Did this, ate it all in a day. Made it again the day after. SO good.
I used half of the sugar and it was still amazing. Skipped the glaze and had butter on it instead when I served it. like a TON of butter. YUUUUM