I'm Smitten with Smitten Kitchen

My friend Kate loves to cook and to bake --- and, she's really good at it, too!

So, naturally, when Kate suggested I check out SmittenKitchen, I didn't waste another minute.

I've been a loyal follower ever since.

Not only are the recipes (at least the ones I've tried!) really good--but, the reading is good, too. I think what I like best, however, are the photographs. The photos, taken by the blogger and cook herself, are so real...so inviting, you can't help but want to tie on your apron, roll up your sleeves and get cooking.

Smitten Kitchen's recent recipe for Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce really grabbed my attention. Especially because I just so happen to have a bag of gorgeous blackberries that my brother-in-law picked and froze for me last Fall.

I made the cake on Friday for a Crafternoon gathering--and, I must say, the cake is yummy. It is moist and tangy--just the perfect cake for Spring and Summer.

I think the cake would certainly taste good made with lemon (or maybe even a combination of lemon/lime?) and would be equally divine with a sauce made of Maine blueberries--or, maybe even made with those early summer strawberries.

Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce
(This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, with a few edits and words of my own.)
 
What You Need

Cake
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt (I used 2% Greek yogurt--which I love to use in recipes!)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 cup lime juice
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Sauce
12 ounces fresh blackberries (I used frozen--my brother-in-law had picked and frozen for me.)
1/4 cup water (I used about 1/8 given the berries were frozen.)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

How to Make

Cake: 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (A springform pan would probably be even better.). I put some parchment paper on the bottom, just in case (I have had too many disasters!).

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, lime zest and juice. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Sift (Okay, I didn't do this. I don't believe in sifting. Not because I'm an experienced baker who can say with certainty that you don't need to do this, but because, I'm lazy.) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, right over your yogurt batter. Stir with a spoon until just combined.

• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen. Flip the cake onto a plate and flip it back on the rack.

Sauce:

• Combine blackberries, water, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
• Purée until very smooth, then press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. 
• Cover and refrigerate until cold.

How to Serve

• Put a slice of the cake (slightly warm or room temperature) on a plate.
• Drizzle blackberry sauce over top.
• Garnish with lime zest.

Time Saving Tips:

• The cake can be made ahead of time. Just be sure to wrap tightly in plastic wrap--and store at room temperature.
• The sauce can be made ahead of time and put in refrigerator for a day -- or frozen for future use.

Altitude: I made this cake at 7000 feet and didn't make any adjustments!