Let them eat cake

Something magical is happening in Brandenburg right now. The air is suddenly, for the first time in months, warm and sweet-smelling, the sky is marbled blue and white, the trees are beginning to show blossoms and buds. At work today I was able to sit alongside the river during my long break, reading Julia Child's memoir My Life in France and eating homemade sausage rolls. I fed the leftovers to the ducks and took a long, leisurely walk while the sun warmed my shoulders and the prettiness of it all warmed my heart. And then I tripped and fell over and bonked my head and strained my wrist. Which was embarrassing, to say the least.

Still, a sore arm cannot dampen the joy of springtime, and I was in the mood for something good to eat (reading anything by Julia Child will do that to you), so when I got home this evening, I embarked upon an orgy of cookery. I made cake.

Now, I cook a lot, but I am not always a successful baker. Cakes seem to dislike me, even thoughI love them. But this cake was special. I found it online, via Tumblr, where someone had posted a gorgeous photo of it. Pretty photo, pretty day, pretty cake. Lemon-Rosemary-Yogurt Cake.


The ridiculous thing is that I had all the makings for it right there in my kitchen, ready to go.

Here is the recipe, and the link to the website, Baked Bree, where I found this recipe. I've copied it into the big Moleskine notebook where I write all the recipes I really like (sort of a "mom's cookbook" for the single girl), but I have to share it, because it's so wonderful.

Lemon Rosemary Yogurt Cake
Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup Dixie Crystals sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup Mountain High Vanilla Yoghurt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Glaze:
1 cup Dixie Crystals powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Instructions

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Add yogurt, and add eggs one at a time. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Mix for an additional minute, scrapping the bowl, until everything is smooth and combined. Pour batter into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Take the cake out of the pan, and cool completely on a rack.
Make the glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add more sugar and lemon juice as needed. Drizzle over cake and add rosemary sprigs. Let glaze stand until completely set.

http://tinyurl.com/ctwrnaa

As Julia Child would say, Bon Appetit! :-)