Lemon Yoghurt Cake

Lemon yoghurt cake with peach and blueberry salad 

This cake is inspired by the wonderful cookbook writer Claudia Roden. Her Middle Eastern books are so fabulous. I had the pleasure of cooking breakfast for her once at Australia's national produce celebration The Harvest Picnic. And it was truly an honour. This recipe was collected at a local farmers market and supplied there by Country Valley. Shared, with thanks ... 

4 large eggs, separated 

100 g (3 1/2 oz / heaped 1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar 

3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour 400 g (14 oz / 1 3/4 cups) Greek-style yoghurt 

grated zest of 1 lemon

 

icing (confectioners') sugar for dusting 

whipped cream 

6 ripe peaches, cut into wedges 

155 g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) blueberries 

55 g (2 oz / 1/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar 

grated zest of 1 lemon 

1 vanilla bean 

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease a 22cm (8 1/2 inch) spring-form cake tin with butter and line the base and side with baking paper. 

 Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a thick, pale cream. Beat in the flour, then the yoghurt, lemon zest and lemon juice until it is thoroughly blended. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the yoghurt mixture in two batches. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. (Check the cake after 30 minutes, and cover with foil if over browning.) Unclip the spring-form tin and slide the cake onto a wire rack to cool. 

Meanwhile place the peaches, blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add these to the fruit salad and toss all the ingredients until combined. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature to macerate for several hours. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve wedges of cake with peach and blueberry salad and a dollop of whipped cream. 

Serves 6