There was no farmer’s market around here yesterday; cancelled due to the 30th annual London Marathon. Usually, I welcome this once-yearly break from the norm and watch the festivities from my living room windows. But this year I slept through the whole thing, and didn’t even have the possibility of fresh veg to cheer me up after.
Still, there’s no reason why any of us should be deprived of my favourite shade. After a leisurely walk around the neighborhood with Andrew, I returned to my kitchen determined to make some sort of celebratory, Sunday-afternoon, Marathon-day, greentreat. So here we have it: Lime Coconut Yogurt Cake.
Ok, so the cake isn’t exactly green. But allow me my exaggeration, because I’ve been loving limes lately. Like their paler counterpart, limes lend that summer freshness to a dish, but with a little something extra as well. I remember being 11 years old and discovering Limeade and feeling like I’d been let in on some great culinary secret. This was Lemonade’s more sophisticated cousin, and I felt particularly discerning sipping it on the back deck. It’s the same with baking. A lemon yogurt cake is good, but a little run-of-the-mill. A lime yogurt cake? With coconut? Now we’re talking.
This cake may not carry the same health factor as a head of broccoli, some leeks and a bunch of fresh herbs, and I’m not quite suggesting substituting one for the other. Still, in lieu of a load of fresh veggies it kerbed my craving for something green. Even if it was only the baking utensils I used.
Lime Coconut Yogurt Cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
makes one 9″ loaf
- 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup sugar
- zest and juice of 2 limes
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, desiccated coconut
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°C. Butter and flour a 9″ loaf pan very well, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, sugar and lime zest and juice well. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk until well combined.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Add to the wet ones in two batches, whisking after each to ensure a uniform consistency.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on top. A toothpick inserted into the centre won’t quite come out clean (this is tricky with yogurt-based cakes), but the cake will feel slightly spongy when touched. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
