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Ingredients:

Crumb Topping:

1 1/4 cups (125 grams) pecans or walnuts

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 1/2 tablespoons (35 grams) granulated white sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Yogurt Cake:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) fine kosher salt

2 large eggs (100 grams out of shell), at room temperature

1/2 cup (120 ml/grams) flavorless oil (safflower, corn, vegetable, or canola)

3/4 cup (180 ml/grams) whole milk plain yogurt, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar

 

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Instructions:


Yogurt Crumb Cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan #ad. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper #ad.

Crumb Topping: Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Let cool and then finely chop (this can be done in a food processor). Then, in a bowl, stir together the finely chopped pecans with the sugars and ground cinnamon.

Yogurt Cake: In a large bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

Place 1/2 of the cake batter in your pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Next, sprinkle 1/2 of the Crumb Topping over the batter. Gently press into the cake batter. Then top with the remaining cake batter, again smoothing with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Finally, sprinkle with the remaining Crumb Topping and gently press into the cake batter.

Bake in preheated oven for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold. This cake can be frozen. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

Makes one - 8 inch (20 cm) cake.


Description:

This recipe continues with our series of easy Yogurt Cakes. A Yogurt Crumb Cake alternates two layers of a delicious vanilla flavored cake with two layers of a crumb topping made with toasted pecans, brown and white sugars, and ground cinnamon. I love how the crumb topping turns slightly crunchy when baked, and its grainy texture contrasts so nicely with the soft and moist cake.

The Crumb Topping is a mixture of toasted pecans (can also use walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds), light brown sugar, granulated white sugar, and ground cinnamon. The nuts are first toasted as this brings out their flavor. The easiest way to make the crumb is to simply process all the topping ingredients in your food processor until finely ground. The other way is to first finely chop the toasted nuts on a cutting board and then stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.

For the cake batter we need yogurt. My preference is to use whole milk plain yogurt (Greek style) as I like its thick texture and rich and tangy flavor. However, you could use a reduced fat plain yogurt. Just drain it to remove any excess water before adding it to the batter. Also, for the flavorless oil, you can use a vegetable, corn, safflower, canola, or a light olive oil.