Vegan French Yogurt Cake

I'd never heard of French yogurt cake until recently, but apparently, the simple loaf cake is as ubiquitous over there as the boxed, frosted sheet cake is in the U.S. It's the one thing everyone knows how to whip up in a jiffy, you know if company is coming over and you can't get over to the fancy pâtisserie.

I love a good light, unfrosted loaf, so I decided to veganize the traditional French cake to celebrate the Spring Equinox. I enjoyed a couple slices on Sunday night — the first night of spring — with a glass of cheap chardonnay (because I'm classy like that).

The most important elements in the yogurt cake are yogurt (duh) and oil — both of which give the cake a moist, soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The folks at Taste the Dream sent me a bunch of their almond and coconut yogurts to develop recipes with, so I used the Almond Dream Non-Dairy Yogurt Alternative in Plain, and it made for a perfect cake!

I veganized a recipe I found in the New York Times — the French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze by Emily Weinstein. The main changes are the yogurt (subbing almond yogurt for the dairy called for) and eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer powder). And honestly, there's not quite as much rise in my cake without the eggs, but that's okay. The cake held together expertly, and it's light and fluffy despite the fact that it didn't grow to be as tall in the pan.

Vegan French Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze

Yields one loaf

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 1/2 tsp. Ener-G egg replacer + 6 Tbsp. warm water

1 cup sugar

Zest of one lemon

1 container Plain Almond Dream Non-Dairy Yogurt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup lemon marmalade

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5-inch) with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg replacer powder and water until it forms a froth. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, use you hands to work the lemon zest into the sugar, rubbing the zest with your fingers to release the natural oils and moisten the sugar. Stir in the yogurt, egg replacer mixture, vanilla, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and stir until just combined. Don't overmix. A few lumps are okay.

Transfer the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (you can also test the cake by touching the middle top of the cake with your finger to see if it immediately springs back. If it does, it's done).

Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, and then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. 

Once cool, heat the lemon marmalade in a small saucepan on low. You may need to thin it with a couple teaspoons of water. Heat until the marmalade melts down and liquifies. Using a pastry brush, brush the marmalade over the top of the cake.