Bolo de Iogurte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •22 cm round tube pan or 23 cm round cake pan
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Whisk or silicone spatula
• •Cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pan

   Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a 22 cm round tube pan or a 23 cm round cake pan with oil, then dust it with flour and tap out the excess. The pan should look thinly coated, not clumpy. That dry flour layer gives the cake something to release from, so you don't bake a beautiful cake and then perform surgery to remove it.

2. 2

   Use the pot

   Empty the yogurt into a mixing bowl, then rinse and dry the pot if you want to use it as your measure. One pot of yogurt is about 3/4 cup, so the classic version is 1 pot yogurt, 2 pots sugar, 1 pot oil, and 3 pots flour. I give you cups too, because receitas que funcionam don't make you guess.

3. 3

   Beat the wet

   In the bowl with the yogurt, add the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla if using. Whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture looks smooth, pale, and a little glossy. This dissolves some of the sugar and breaks up the eggs evenly, so the cake bakes tender instead of streaky and heavy.

4. 4

   Add the flour

   Add the flour and salt. Stir with a whisk or spatula just until you don't see dry flour anymore. Stop there. A few tiny lumps are fine. Keep beating and you wake up the gluten in the flour, then the crumb turns tough and you stand there wondering why your simple cake chews like bread.

5. 5

   Fold the leavening

   Sprinkle the baking powder over the batter and fold gently, scraping the bottom of the bowl, until it's evenly mixed. Do this last because baking powder starts working once it touches liquid. Fold, don't whip. You want the lift in the oven, not spent in the bowl.

6. 6

   Bake until set

   Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the cake is golden, the top springs back when touched lightly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Wet batter means it needs more time. A dry toothpick plus a hard, dark edge means you waited too long.

7. 7

   Cool and unmold

   Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges and turn it out onto a rack or plate. Wait until it's warm, not hot, before slicing. Cut too soon and the crumb compresses under the knife, because it hasn't finished setting. Patience is also a technique. Annoying, but true.

Chef Tips

• •Use plain whole-milk yogurt. Flavored yogurt brings perfume, extra sugar, and factory decisions into your cake. A real yogurt gives moisture and a gentle tang without shouting.
• •The yogurt pot method is the honest shortcut here. A cake mix is not. One teaches you the structure of a simple cake; the other teaches you to depend on a box.
• •If your eggs are cold, put them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. Room-temperature eggs blend faster, and a smoother batter gives you a softer crumb.
• •For a citrus version, rub 1 tablespoon of lemon or orange zest into the sugar before mixing. Only do this when the fruit smells good and the peel is fresh. Tired citrus brings perfume from nowhere useful.
• •Store the cake covered at room temperature for 3 days. It stays moist because the yogurt holds water in the crumb, which is kitchen math, not magic.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered at room temperature, and slice only when serving so it stays softer.
• •Freeze individual slices wrapped well for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then warm briefly if you want the crumb soft again.
• •Measure the dry ingredients the night before and leave them covered. Add the baking powder only when mixing, so it stays active.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)