Tuesday, March 17, 2009

TWD: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze


Wow, is it Tuesday already? How did that happen?

Well, it is and it did, and that means it's time for Tuesdays with Dorie already. This week, Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction chose the French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze for the TWD bakers to make, bake, and share with the blogging world.

Since I'm still in over-achiever mode (not sure how long that will last before I burn out with a loud "pffft") I also made a recipe from before I joined the TWD group. I made the Perfection Pound Cake, chosen by Laurie of quirky cupcake. (In the picture above, the pound cake is the one on the left.)

I found some adorable little aluminum foil loaf pans at the store, perfect for cutting the recipe down. I think I quartered one recipe and thirded (is that a word?) the other. Basically, I reduced both so each recipe used one egg.

I think I had too much batter in the yogurt cake pan. It ran over during baking a little. I'm guessing that is why the top fell. I thought the difference in cake batters between the two cakes was interesting. The pound cake batter was very thick.


The yogurt cake had a coarser crumb, but was moister than the pound cake. I also thought it was chewier somehow than the pound cake, in a good way.


We were supposed to use a marmalade glaze for our yogurt cake, but I don't care for marmalade, so I used a store-bought lemon curd instead. In addition, I didn't have any lemon zest, so I added almond extract for a slightly different flavor profile.

The verdict? Between my family and one set of neighbors, the other two parents and I liked the yogurt cake better, while all four kids and my husband liked the pound cake more. I did think that the pound cake got the prize for looks.


If you'd like to see the recipes, please see Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours" or check out Liliana's site above for the Yogurt Cake recipe.

See you next week, when it's Blueberry Crumb Cake time.

27 comments:

Judy said...

I like your comparison baking. I'll have to try the pound cake now. Lemon curd sounds like a delicious alternative to the marmalade, too.

Jin Hooi said...

wow.. I will have to try the pound cake now.. you are such a hardworking girl, I even struggle just to bake a cake per week.. bad me .. haha

Marthe said...

Yep, you're now officially an overachiever ;) Both cakes look very good!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Amanda said...

I can't believe I STILL haven't baked a pound cake, one of my husband's favorite things. Not sure if I could measure up to Sara Lee LOL! I LOVED this cake, it smelled so good while cooking and tasted wonderful :) I paired it with simple lemon curd. YUM!

Sihan said...

hardworking!!! haha, i love the comparison though, the batters really look miles apart!

chocolatechic said...

Looks great!

I strained my marmalade so that all the bitter bits of fruit wouldn't be on the cake.

Maria said...

Love that you made two cakes. They both look tasty to me! Wish I cold sample them both!

Megan said...

All right, Ms. Overachiever, nice side by side comparison!

I don't think I've made the poundcake out of the book yet - I heard many, many comments that it was dry.

Anonymous said...

I love it when TWD members do these side by side tastings. Sounds like you had a split decision on this one. They both look fantastic!

Beryl said...

Side by side comparison- what a great idea. I've been meaning to make the pound cake for ages. I'd better get on the stick!

Jennifer said...

I haven't tried the pound cake recipe yet, but love that you did a comparison! Both your cakes are beautiful!!!!

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

Love your experimentations! They both look great to me!


-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com

Jessica said...

I just love that you baked this side by side with the perfection pound cake. The pound cake is also on my "short list" of rewinds so hopefully I can make it soon. Glad you liked this week's pick!

Anonymous said...

How cool that you made both. I liked the pound cake, but I think I like the French Yogurt Cake better. I may have to make the pound cake again just to refresh my memory.

vibi said...

I was supposed to use lemon curd too, but the one I had was store bought... and when I got to taste it before using it, it turned out to be awful. So I chose to make a little home made lemon pie filling instead... but all that is not because I' not a fan of marmelade, for I love it.

Your pictures are great, and I'm sure it was divine, with the right kind of lemon curd! LOL

Loved the taste test! thanks for sharing, Jacque!

Anonymous said...

Love that you did the poundcake and the yogurt cake side by side! To me, they both look amazing!

Elyse said...

My vote would be for both. That's right: I'm a glutton, I would want both cakes. Because they both look delicious! I'm not really a marmalade gal either, so your use of lemon curd sounds fabulous! Great pictures.

Bunny said...

I think I'd like the yogurt cake better, it just looks better to me, but I'm sure both were delightful!

TeaLady said...

Nice comparison of the two. Both look delicious. I love pound cake, but the yogurt cake would give it a run for its money. Great job on these.

Pamela said...

I've yet to try that pound cake recipe. It's nice to see the side by side comparison, that's for sure! Great job.

Anonymous said...

Hm.. I can't decide - they both look delicious! And who doesn't like lemon curd? It WAS a delicious cake wasn't it?

NKP said...

I love a side-by-side comparison.
And you sure are in overachiever mode!
They look great, I like the sound of the lemon curd with the loaf.

Leslie said...

I'm so impressed that you baked both cakes for comparison! I think I'd rather have this one than the pound cake but I haven't made Dorie's pound cake yet.

Jayne said...

I love that you did the comparison between the two! Now you've got me wondering how each would fare in a taste test with my family.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm, I haven't tried the pound cake yet. You're right, it wins in the looks category.

Annette said...

What a fun cake comparison! I'll have to try the pound cake recipe (haven't made it yet). I loved the yogurt cake and will definitely make it again. Both of yours look great!

Engineer Baker said...

I agree 100% with your comparison of the two cakes - although I'd be hardpressed to pick a favorite. To me, the poundcake needed a topping, but the yogurt cake was fabulous on its own. Both, though, look absolutely wonderful!