As you probably realized if you have been following me for a while, I am not much of a baker. In fact, I am a pretty horrible baker (see disaster cake over here). My successful to horrible cakes ratio is probably 1 to 1. Not a great score. However, for some reasons there are some people around that still consider me a good enough baker. Actually some get so far as to ask me to bake their birthday cake.
Now, when that happens it is usually because I baked them a successful cake, usually either this orange cake or this chocolate cake. And this was the case last week when a friend of mine asked me to bake the orange cake for his birthday party.
Now, this was a busy weekend and I knew I had to get the cake done Friday night. I also didn’t have time to go grocery shopping and i didn’t have any oranges, so I decided I was going to try baking something different with the ingredients I had on hand, that did not include butter.
I was also feeling guilty because I wasn’t going to make the cake he requested, so I decided to make up for it by baking two cakes. I scouted the web and found two great cakes: olive oil and lemon cake and yogurt and coconut cake. They both seemed like ideal starting points and didn’t require any butter. I made some minor tweaks and glazed the cakes in chocolate to make them more festive and we were ready to party!
On a separate note, my friend Sofie over at the German Foodie decided to feature me in her Sunday series “Bloggers I follow“. I am so honored she chose me for this week feature! Please stop by and check out her blog, she is an amazing baker!
I really didn’t modify the lemon cake recipe at all, so I will just send you to Amelia’s blog to check out her recipe. The cake turned out great and to make it even more lemon-y after baking I added layer of lemon marmalade in the middle of the cake. To make it more festive and party looking I melted a bar of white chocolate with 1/4 cup of milk and used it as a glaze.
I also didn’t modify much the other recipe, but since that one is in Italian, let me translate it for you.
adapted from Il Cucchiaio d'Oro
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 7 oz. sugar
- 6 oz. flour
- 2 oz. olive oil
- 5 oz. greek yogurt
- 3.5 oz. coconut flakes
- 1 pouch Italian baking powder (substitute with 2 teaspoons regular baking powder + 2 drops vanilla extract)
- 2 and 1/2 bar dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup milk
- coconut flakes
Directions
- Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture doubles in volume and becomes pale in color.
- Add the flour, the yogurt and the coconut and mix until well incorporated, then the oil and finally the baking powder.
- Pour the mixture in a cake pan and bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- When the cake is cold, slice it in half. Fill the cake with a layer of chocolate cream made by melting half of the chocolate with 1/2 cup of milk.
- Recompose the cake and cover it with a glaze made by melting the remaining chocolate with the remaining milk.
- Use the coconut flakes to dress the side of the cake.
I’m sharing these cakes over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies:
Hi! I'm PolaM, the Italian cooking in the Midwest.
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Pola this cake looks fabulous! I love the use of Greek yogurt. Good job!
Vijitha recently posted..Warm lentil stew for breakfast – South beach diet for vegetarians
yogurt cake is a very classic cake in Italy, here it seems to be very innovative…
Chocolate covered cake?! How could that ever go wrong?
Sarah recently posted..cocoa brownies with browned butter
probably true, chocolate is kind of like bacon… makes everything a bit better!
il cocco è sempre il benvenuto in questa casa e una fetta di questa golosa torta farebbe proprio al caso di un giovane come me affamato e solo…ti ho commosso? mi mandi una fetta??
Gio recently posted..Hachis parmentier
Temo che per questo giro la torta sia finita, ma vedro’ di ricordarmi di te al prossimo giro!
your cakes look delicious! you are definitely an awesome baker
Jenn and Seth (@HomeSkilletCook) recently posted..Hibiscus Iced Tea
Believe me, I’m not! but thanks for the compliment!
mamma mia che delizia!complimentisssssssssssssssimi!baci!
Federica recently posted..Panini allo yogurt greco e latte in polvere
Merito delle ricette!
Both cakes look wonderful. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate cake?!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Spelt Blood Orange Crostata
Ohhhh che golosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Cioccolato e cocco (ho capito bene?) Splendido abbinamento!!!
Baci
Si cioccolato, coocco e ypogurt per una e cioccolato bianco, limone e olio d’oliva per l’altra. Ottime!
ti seguo anch’io con molto piacere
ciao felice giorno
Stefania recently posted..Crema di cannellini all’ aglio rosa di lautrec & Pane nero
grazie! spero troverai qualcosa di tuo gusto tra le mie pagine…
WOW! HOW gorgeous!
Complimenti per il delizioso blog!
Come posso diventare tua follower??
Fabia (Gemma Olivia) recently posted..COLLABORAZIONE SAN MARTINO
ho visto che mi segui so Networked blog, se no puoi scegliere un’altra delle opzioni in alto a destra (rss feeds, facebook, twitter, email… ) o google connect (nella sidbar a destra)
Pola this looks fabulous! I love Greek yogurt and I am so impressed you used it in a cake. As a terrible baker myself, I congratulate you on this awesome cake.
Dara recently posted..Spicy Thai Roast Chicken
try these recipes! If they worked for me, they will work for anyone!
If these are the disasters ….. you have to do some more! A parte gli scherzi Pola, ho voglia di mangiarmi lo schermo
Penna e forchetta recently posted..Pane alle castagne – Chestnut bread
No these were the masterpieces (by my standard anyway), the disasters I mostly hide
These look like beautiful, indulgent cakes – I especially love the chocolate covering with coconut flakes on the side
Kiri W. recently posted..Vanilla Prickly Pear Spinach Smoothie – Packed With Nutrients And Flavor!
I’ve seen much better versions of that glaze, but I was proud of mine.
Sono deliziose entranbe le torte, io le assaggerei tutte e due . Lo yogurt dona una morbidezza inconfondibile ai dolci. Sono certa che il festeggiato ha gradito e sono andate a ruba. Ciao Daniela.
Daniela recently posted..Tagliatelle di castagne con pancetta e pecorino
Assagiate entrambe abbondantemente! Le rifarei entrambe senza cioccolato per mangiarle a colazione e merenda senza sensi di colpa…
Sono deliziose entranbe le torte, io le assaggerei tutte e due . Lo yogurt dona una morbidezza inconfondibile ai dolci. Sono certa che il festeggiato ha gradito e sono andate a ruba. Ciao Daniela.
Daniela recently posted..Tagliatelle di castagne con pancetta e pecorino
Both cakes look delicious…. baker or not the cakes look tasty!
Susie recently posted..Birthday(s), Birthday Cake and a Gift For You
thanks! they were tasty too… I just didn’t think I would have been able to produce not one, but 2 decent cakes in just one evening!
They look wonderful! And the coconut and yogurt combination is a really intriguing one too!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Chocolatey Rich Vegan Chocolate Cake (Egg & Dairy Free)
Yes, it is a pretty good combination!
These look awesome! buzzed ya!
Part Time House Wife recently posted..Irish Soda Bread
thanks! And thanks for stopping by! I hope you will enjoy my recipes!
I’m also not that much of a baker, but I don’t care what you say – if you can make gorgeous cakes like this then you are indeed a good baker! They look fab!
Katherine Martinelli recently posted..Ropa Vieja with Fried Plantains
Thanks! You are too nice!
Adoro i dolci al cioccolato, il tuo è davvero molto goloso, complimenti!
Un abbraccio!
La mia preferita e’ quella al limone!
Beautiful cake looks so yummy.
hemalata recently posted..Talakaya Mamsam Kura – Goat Head Meat Curry
Gorgeous photos! The cakes look delicious.
Due Spaghetti recently posted..La pizza dolce (Rustic Olive Oil Cake)
Thanks! not as good as yours, but the cakes were good!
I am not the biggest baker either. It is something that I would like to get better at but largely I am a savoury person, it gives me more freedom to be creative. These cakes however, I could seriously make these cakes….
Anna @The Littlest Anchovy recently posted..Tomato, Butternut Pumpkin and Ginger Salad with Tamarind and Sesame Dressing
if I can make them, anyone can!
These cake combinations sound delicious. I have made a few cakes with olive oil and was very happy with the results.
Nuts about food recently posted..Short-cut Thai sticky rice
It was my first time baking one and it turned out great!
Love hat you used yogurt in this cake….delicious!
Anna @ the shady pine recently posted..Upside down plum cake (and Beerenberg giveaway winner)
yogurt is great for cakes! And saves a lot of calories too!
Wow that cake looks lovely, that layer of chocolate is so tempting.
Raymund recently posted..Camaron Rebosado
I actually think the cakes can stand their ground even without the chocolate!
I love cakes that include yogurt! It makes them so rich and dense without tons of butter or oil. Your cakes are lovely and sound as good as they look!
Rachel recently posted..The wait is over…and muffins
not to mention the calories you save!
Wow but good!!
Thanks for trying my recipe and have added the link to my blog!
I look at some of your recipes and add me to your followers;-))
See you soon
Donatella
(I hope that the translator has translated well …)
Well it is great recipe and it worked out great for me!
I’m happy
)
beautiful cakes!
Marina@cowboycountryvegetarian recently posted..Food (in photos)
Thanks! They do not really compete with some of the great ones out there, but I’m pretty proud anyway!
As a fellow not-so-much-baker, I applaud you!
great to know I’m not the only blogger not too passionate about baking!
See, you’re a GREAT baker!
Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie recently posted..Bloggers I Follow: An Italian Cooking in the Midwest
not really, it was the recipes that were perfect!
Wow! I love this, very yummy! Well done as usual! Brava!
Thanks! I’m not great at baking and decorating, but I do try…
ne assaggerei volentieri una fetta di entrambe, così deciderei quale mi piace di più! mi piace lo yogurt greco negli impasti per torte !buona settimana….
Chiara recently posted..Alla ricerca dei miei followers perduti su Google friend connect !
Io sono per quella al limone! E ti diro’ secondo me sono anche meglio senza le glasse, ma qui la torta “svestita” non piace…