It’s been a hectic first week of holidays, with seeing friends and family, while also being a bridesmaid for one of my best friends. I have eaten a lot of delicious food, and had lots of amazing meals made for me. I haven’t done much cooking, except for the occasional stir-frying of vegetables.

Now that things have calmed down a bit, and I am staying with my godmother, I’ve had time to reset and also get in the kitchen a little bit (but still not that much). My godmother is an amazing woman. She’s been a massive part of my life since I was born. She’s my mum’s best friend, and together they are absolutely bonkers. But she’s also the person who opens her house, arms and wine to me whenever I need somewhere to go.

During my Masters’s course, I was at her house every couple of months as it was only a short drive away. It’s taken a while for me to get back to her house (I say back to, she’s in a new house now, and I’d never been to it until now) but I do love being here. It’s easy, it’s like being at home (although my flat is minuscule compared to her beautiful home).

This cake came about because I was asked what my go-to cake was when I needed something in a hurry. I had to admit, that more often than not, my go-to was in fact brownies and not a cake. But after some thought, I realised that the yoghurt cake is always a quick and easy option and is open to any flavour imaginable.

Yoghurt cake doesn’t require any measuring cups or scales. You simply use a single-serving yoghurt pot. For ease, though, I’ve added the weight of the ingredients just in case you buy your yoghurt in bulk. I used Greek yoghurt for this recipe, but you can use any plain yoghurt you like.

If you want to make this cake a different flavour, then you could even use a flavoured yoghurt. I’m thinking dark chocolate and cherry, vanilla and strawberry, peach and white chocolate, orange and dark chocolate, mixed berry and cream cheese, coconut and macadamia. The possibilities are endless.

In fact, yoghurt cake may become my new brownies. I may even do a bit of experimenting while I’m still on holiday. I’ve got plenty of time in the UK, and access to a few more kitchens while I’m here. Who knows? Just don’t hold your breath.

The key to the lemon and lime cake is to poke holes in it, in order to drench it with the citrus simple syrup. This isn’t a necessity for all of the cakes, but is an easy step and can be done in any flavour combination to match your cake.

Ingredients

Cake
150 grams yoghurt (1 pot)
300 grams caster sugar (2 pots)
2 eggs
zest of 2 lemons and 1 lime
2 tablespoons lemon juice
300 grams self-raising flour (2 pots)
110 ml vegetable oil (3/4 pot)

Simple Syrup
juice of 2 lemons and 1 lime (approx 50 ml)
caster sugar to taste (approx 4 tablespoons)

Icing
100 grams icing sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Combine the yoghurt and caster sugar together in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the eggs, zest and lemon juice. Stir until well incorporated.
4. Sift in the flour and beat until flour is completely mixed in with the batter.
5. Add the oil and mix well.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and allow to bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean).
7. While the cake is baking, place the simple syrup citrus juice in a saucepan and cook over low heat. Add the sugar (add more if you prefer it to be a bit sweeter), I prefer it tangy. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, cook for a few more minutes (maximum 5 minutes) but do not allow to boil.
8. When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and poke holes through the cake. Pour the simple syrup over the cake, allowing it to seep into the holes.
9. Leave the cake to cool completely.
10. Once cool, mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cake. Enjoy.