17 July 2012

Yoghurt chocolate cake

Sour cream and yoghurt are just some of the products you can make at home that taste so much better than the commercial brands. They're also cheaper. You don't need any special equipment to make these things, just some good milk or cream to start with and then add a couple of table spoons of a fresh commercial sour cream or yoghurt containing live cultures. There is an old post here about how to make yoghurt.


One of the benefits of making these dairy products at home is that you can make them exactly to your taste. If you want a tart taste just let them sit out of the fridge longer to develop the taste. You can also make yoghurt into ice blocks or simple cheese, or use it in your daily cooking. I love using yoghurt or sour cream in cakes. It gives you a beautifully tender cake batter and the cake is lovely and moist. One of these cakes will last, moist and delicious, in the fridge for four or five days; if it lasts that long. This recipe is for a chocolate cake but the basic recipe could quite easily be modified to produce a coffee, lemon, orange or vanilla cake. The good thing about this cake is that it's made using natural ingredients and probiotics but if you put it down before most people, all they'll see and taste is chocolate cake.

CHOCOLATE YOGHURT CAKE
125g/1 stick soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
¾ cup natural yoghurt
  1. Cream the butter and sugar.
  2. Add the eggs, one at a time. When this is nice and fluffy, add the sifted flour and cocoa and fold in. 
  3. Add the yoghurt and fold in. 
  4. The batter should be fairly thick, but this will depend on the type of yoghurt you add. If it's too thick, add a little water.
  5. Bake in a greased and lined 20cm/9" round cake tin on 180C/350F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Hanno and I will be out and about in the next few weeks. Next week we'll be at the Farm Fantastic expo at Caboolture. We'll be in the Food for Thought marquee from 2pm. I'll be cooking with leftovers, demonstrating how to make laundry liquid and talking about sustainability. On Friday 27 July, I'm guest speaker at Maleny's CWA AGM. I'm really looking forward to meeting the ladies again. The following day I'll be speaking at the Non-Fiction Literary Festival at Noosa.

On 18 August, we'll be out at Bell again! This time it's a workshop on making buttermilk and yoghurt scones, five minute bread and cold process soap. We're both looking forward to Bell, the women there were really lovely and I like the way they're helping build their community. The workshop is $50 for the day, which includes your freshly baked morning tea and lunch. Phone Pips 'n' Cherries on 07 4663 1184 to make a booking. The following week, Permaculture Noosa will be visiting us here to look at the garden. It's going to be a busy month.

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24 comments

  1. Ooh yummy going to get my daughter to try that cake as I made 12 liters of yoghurt last week. How would you modify it for orange? We are having a bit of a citrus craze here at the moment!

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  2. Oh gosh I see I was logged into my sons account on the iPad! Sorry about that...I will be getting my daughter to try that cake and would love to know how you would adapt for orange!

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  3. For orange cake, I'd leave out the cocoa, add lots of orange zest, halve the yoghurt and add half a cup of pure orange juice.

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  4. What day will you be at the farm fantastic. Hubby is taking me for the first time this year.

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  5. Andrea, Saturday at 2pm in the Food for Thought tent. If you come along, don't forget to say hello.

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  6. I love yoghurt in cake! Have to try and get out to Caboolture!

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  7. Good morning Rhonda, would love to be going to the workshop at Bell. Have seen the 5 minute bread around the web but your post the other day made it look possible and achievable, I love the way you do that. I will give it a go this week and maybe that yummy looking choc. cake as well. Madge.

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  8. Drat that I have already plans for the 18th August... I had such a lovely day out at your workshop at Bell, I would have been there with bells (hehe) on!!!

    I have made Laundry Liquid at home since, mine is very thick. I made it with grated sunlight soap as that's what I had, maybe that's what the difference is. Anyway, so far so good!!!

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  9. what did you use to frost it? looks delicious!!

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  10. Thrilled about your return visit to Bell! Thankyou for a versatile cake recipe.

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  11. Your cake looks amazing, will try it with the kids this weekend.

    Have a great day :) Madeleine

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  12. Hi Rhonda, made the 5 Minute Bread today - looks great but I wish I'd cleaned my oven first, house is full of smoke! :-)

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  13. Cake looks Yum - I bought a little yohurt maker from Aldi last week and wouldnt you know it - no instructions. Just 7 little jars inside a small machine with an on off button. It was the last one. Any Ideas?

    Rhonda, I cooked a 2.4kg lamb roast Sunday - something I've avoided because for only 3 people I've always bought the de-boned easy carve small roast that cost a fortune. So, with the left overs I made your lamb curry last night (with sultanas and a little dessicated coconut thrown in) and then the bone made a vegie soup. All for less than what I would have paid for the mini roast. I feel good about it.

    Lynda

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  14. I know what you'll be doing today, Jules.

    Lynda, good on you! I'm doing a similar thing on the weekend at the Farm Festival. I'm making lamb curry and lamb hot pot using left over leg of lamb roast. It's such a versatile and frugal way to use meat.

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  15. Foley Five, I used icing sugar, cocoa, a tablespoon of melted butter and cold milk.

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  16. Hi Rhonda,
    Today I knew I had to do some baking and luckily saw this recipe before I started. Weeks of no eggs and now 6 a day I needed to bake and freeze. So I made the chocolate mix but used 2 ring tins. And then I needed to use up some apples and made up my own recipe- Apple and Mixed Spice Cake -using
    125g butter,1 cup brown sugar,3eggs,1 1/2cups wholemeal self raising,2 tablespoons mixed spice, 3/4 cup natural yogurt, 1cup of apple(cored,peeled,diced). Creamed butter,sugar,added eggs,then self raising,mixed spice and yogurt. Folded apple in last. Used 2 ring tins for 180C at 30min. Would be delish with a cream cheese frosting. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Jude
    sunflowers and tulips

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  17. Great work, Jude. That mixed spice cake variation sounds delicious.

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  18. Thank you Rhonda, my 2yo son and I baked this today, he loved it so much he started licking the beaters before I had even detached it from the mixer. The cake turned out beautifully although it had a huge crack over the top, do you know why this happens?
    Love your blog, I check in every couple of days. You inspire me, along with so many others. Happy baking!

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  19. I'd love to kknow if you know of a homemade laundry liquid that doesn't involve any form of soap? My son is hightly reactive to anything with soap and I'm yet to find anything that I can make myself ....... Looking forward to doing a little baking this week - might find this one on the list now too! Thanks for your amazing knowledge and sharing skills :)

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  20. I had to laugh Rhonda, It is true that when using sour cream or yoghourt there are probiotics, but believe me the amount of sugar and heat used to make the cake cancels out any benefits! Still, I know the cake is good and moist.

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  21. I made your lovely cake last night.. it tastes great but I should have added water as it is on the dry side. Mine cracked on top too. Noone has complained and its nearly all gone with lunches and after school hollow legs! THankyou :)
    Lynette SA

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  22. Lynette, the crack on the top is usually from the oven being too hot. But go ahead and add more liquid next time. All the flours are different and they need differing amounts of liquid. I'm glad the troops liked it.

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  23. Mmmmm...yummy! I love chocolate cake and this looks so good! Might make this tomorrow for a treat. My middle child has had viral tonsillitis and is on the mend so he might like something soft like this. I love walnuts on top of chocolate cake too!! By the way Rhonda, do you or have you ever made your own butter? and if so is it worthwhile to do it or just buy a block from Aldi?

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  24. Tried this recipe and love it!!! Thanks Rhonda!
    Dayamitra

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