With company coming, I had to get a dessert together quickly. Luckily, I had just made – and enjoyed – Vanilla Bean Cuisine’s French Yogurt Cake with Almonds. Given my love affair with ginger in any and every form, I decided to experiment by turning that scrumptious dessert into a ginger-flavored cake. The result was a success. Almond Ginger Yogurt Cake is as moist and delicious as the original, with a more complex, gingery taste profile. A win in my book, for sure.
I do love the original version. However, my gingery adaptation truly takes this simple cake up a notch. If you’re not a fan of candied or crystallized ginger, try my version with another flavor. Perhaps you prefer candied or crystallized orange peel and a bit of orange rind? Or maybe candied or crystallized lemon peel and lemon rind?
By the way, do you know the difference between candied and crystallized fruit or vegetable? Both are made by slicing the fresh fruit or vegetable and cooking it in simple syrup. Often people use the two terms interchangeably. However, technically, a candied fruit (or vegetable) is “wet,” kept in sugar syrup, while the crystallized version is the candied one rolled in sugar and therefore kept dry.
Ginger
Either is fine in this recipe. When I don’t have time to make it myself, I buy my candied or crystallized ginger at Trader Joe’s where they typically stock both types. Both are spicy and sweet at the same time – a combination that I find rather addictive.
Were you startled when I said mentioned vegetables in explaining the candied/crystallized difference? If so, you’re not alone. I always assumed that ginger was a fruit. But I was mistaken. Fruits are the reproductive bodies of seed plants. Apples, bananas, and oranges are examples of fruits we commonly associate with that definition. But the definition also means that tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers are also fruits, even though they aren’t sweet. And ginger doesn’t fit in that definition.
By contrast, vegetables are the edible roots, stems or leaves of plants. That definition includes ginger, which is a root, like turmeric, potatoes, carrots, and beets.
Speaking of ginger, I had some incredible ground ginger which my daughter Eleanor gave me as part of a gift from Diaspora Co.
I was amazed at the fragrance of this single origin Makhir ginger and it really added to the gingery aroma and taste. If you don’t have such wonderful ground ginger, at least make sure yours is fresh.
If you put together the ingredients ahead of time (remember mise en place?), this recipe takes only 5-10 minutes to prepare.
And while it takes another 25-30 minutes to bake, that time is unattended. A truly stress-free dessert. Add a few minutes to clean berries or cut up other fruit, and you have a tasty, elegant dessert in under an hour.
Tips for Making Almond Ginger Yogurt Cake
- Wet and Dry Ingredients. This cake comes together like muffins. In other words, you mix wet and dry ingredients separately.
- Combining Wet and Dry Ingredients. Then you mix them together, just until they are combined.
- Baking. Once the batter is ready, you pour it in the pan and gently press the chopped candied/crystallized ginger into it. Then bake for approximately 25 minutes.
Almond Ginger Yogurt Cake
A simple, tasty cake that takes only minutes to prepare. Make it as written, with candied or crystallized ginger, or substitute oranges or lemons as described in the note below.
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 150 g/5 oz
- 1/2 cup almond flour 48 g/1 & 5/8 oz
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 96 g/3 & 1/2 oz
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark) 53 g/1 & 1/5 oz
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably full fat or lowfat 113 g/4 oz
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup flavorless vegetable oil (canola, avocado, etc.) + more for oiling pan 60 ml/2 fl. oz
- 1/4 cup olive oil 60 ml/2 fl oz
- 1/2 cup candied or crystallized ginger, chopped 92 g/3 & 1/4 oz See note about size of pieces & amount or substitutions if you prefer a different flavor profile.
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
- berries or fruit salad (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F/180°C. Oil the bottom and sides of the pan, then place a parchment round on the bottom. Set aside.
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Whisk together the flours, sugars, ground ginger, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
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Using a larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, and oils.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and stir only until the ingredients are combined and no dry ingredients are visible.
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Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle the chopped candied or crystallized ginger, and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick or other tester comes out dry, with just a few crumbs adhering to it.
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Cool the cake on a wire rack for approximately 15 minutes. While it is still warm, unmold the cake by flipping it onto the wire rack, then inverting it onto a platter so the chopped candied or crystallized ginger is on the top. Once it is cool, you may dust the top with powdered sugar, using a small sieve.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer to butter or spray the pan, instead of using oil, that’s fine.
- I used a lot of candied ginger, which I tossed in sugar to turn it into crystallized ginger. Also, I like to get a decent-sized chunk with a forkful of cake, so I left the chopped pieces rather large. If you prefer a more subtle ginger taste, use less and/or chop it more finely.
- Given the sugar on the ginger, I decided not to use powdered sugar on this cake. If I was using ginger, orange, or lemon that had less of a sugar coating, I might well add powdered sugar on the cake after it cools.
- If you prefer another flavor other than ginger, perhaps orange or lemon, eliminate the ginger (ground and candied/crystallized) and instead use a candied or crystallized version of those and a teaspoon or so of their grated rind rubbed into the granulated sugar.
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