Sweet delights

FRENCH YOGHURT CAKE

Ingredients

For the cake—

3 large eggs

½ cup plain yoghurt, or Greek yoghurt

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 medium size lime’s zest, grated

½ cup olive oil

For the glaze—

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¾ cup of powdered sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚ C. Butter a round, or loaf cake pan (8-inch round cake pan works for this batter). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and rub butter on it lightly and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and zest in a dry bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and yoghurt until well blended. Add the oil and keep whisking. Gradually, add the dry ingredients while whisking until the batter is smooth. When the batter is ready, pour the batter into the buttered pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake feels springy. Check with a toothpick in the centre on the cake to see if it comes out clean, if there is any batter on the toothpick, let the cake bake a little longer, but do not overbake.

Place a saucepan over medium heat, combine the lime juice and powdered sugar until it forms a sticky syrup. Once the cake has cooled, pour the syrup over the cake and sprinkle icing sugar before serving.

JAPANESE COTTON CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

5 large eggs (room temperature)

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ cup sugar

1 cup cream cheese (room temperature)

½ cup low-fat milk

¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp corn starch

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚ C. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and wrap the pan with foil to seal the pan well. Fill a larger baking pan halfway with water and place it in the oven.

Separate the egg whites in a mixing bowl and the yolks into a separate bowl. Beat the egg whites on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium low and beat for another 30 seconds or until foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high and beat until the egg whites just start to thicken and start forming a meringue. Gradually, add ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until the egg whites have formed soft peaks. Set aside.

In a medium pan, add the cream cheese and milk and combine over low heat. Keep stirring so that the mixture does not burn. Keep stirring until smooth and add the butter, lemon juice and remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue stirring. Remove from heat and add the flour and corn starch and mix for another minute. Finally, add the egg yolks and mix. Strain the batter through a sieve to make sure the batter has no lumps.

Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter until combined. Keep doing this until the egg whites are combined with the batter, but do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared springform and spread it evenly, until the top is smooth. Gently lift and drop the pan on the kitchen counter about 6 times to remove any large air bubbles.

Place the pan into the water bath and bake for an hour and ten minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick in the centre, it should come out clean when done. Bake another 10-15 minutes to give the top a tan. Turn the oven off and let the cotton cheesecake cool in the oven for an hour with the oven door slightly open.

Remove the cotton cheesecake from the pan and place on a platter and let it rest for at least 4 hours. Serve with fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or any topping of your choice.

Photo courtesy: Sobia Ameen