Yogourt cake recipe by Grégoire Routy, chef at Boxermans

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With the Holidays around the corner, tis the season for large family gatherings, but also for spending more time at home with the kids – and maybe introduce them to cooking and baking while we’re at it. We teamed up with Activia to bring you a delicious and easy to make plain yogourt-based recipe that’s sure to be a hit with the whole family: Gregoire Routy’s yogourt cake, a timeless recipe inspired by this grandmother and often shared with his siblings.

Since you have a little more time at home with your kids right now, we thought an easy recipe to make with them would be welcome. Gregoire Routy, chef at the excellent Boxermans (which, by the way, just reopened for take-out) remembered this one from his childhood that he would make with his grandmother, sister, and brother.

“This is the yogourt cake recipe I used to make on vacation as a kid with my grandma. What’s simple and fun to do with kids, I realize now, is that you don’t necessarily need a scale to weigh and measure the ingredients. The yogourt cup becomes the basic measurement.”

This light and fluffy cake makes for a great breakfast treat for the Holidays, but can also be enjoyed as an afternoon snack or as a dessert. Says Grégoire Routy: “It’s light and easy to make. My 3 year old daughter loves to eat it for breakfast.”

Activia Plain yogourt cake

Ingredients

To make with kids
  • 1/4 jar of Activia Plain Probiotic Yogourt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 jar flour
  • 1/3 jar sugar
  • 1/5 jar canola oil
  • 1 packet of yeast (10g)
  • 8 g vanilla sugar*
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • Zests of 2 lemons
For those who insist on using a scale
  • 140 g of Activia Plain Probiotic Yogourt
  • 3 eggs
  • 240 g flour
  • 8 g vanilla sugar
  • 60 g canola oil
  • 230 g sugar
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 packet (10 g) of yeast
  • Zests of 2 lemons

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
  2. Cream the eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar together.
  3. Add the oil, mix, then add Activia yogourt until incorporated.
  4. Finish by mixing in the flour and yeast until combined.
  5. Butter a cake pan.
  6. Pour in the mixture.
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
  8. Let cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  9. Slice and enjoy at room temperature.
Serving
  1. Sprinkle vanilla sugar* on top of the cake
  2. Slice into equal parts
  3. Serve with whipped cream and berries for an added touch

Note/Variation

*If you don’t have vanilla sugar, you can always make your own by using a vanilla bean and stirring the seeds into your sugar bowl. Bon appétit!

This cake pairs wonderfully with homemade compotes, such as rhubarb or strawberry.

Photography by Grégoire Routy

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