RECIPE

The simple cherry yogurt cake that reminds pastry chef Dominique Ansel of his French childhood

Can't make it to Ansel's SoHo shop to try the cake? We've got the recipe for you right here

By Ashlie D. Stevens

Food Editor

Published April 8, 2022 3:00PM (EDT)

Chef Dominique Ansel (Icelandic Provisions/Dominique Ansel)
Chef Dominique Ansel (Icelandic Provisions/Dominique Ansel)

According to James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, any child raised in France has learned to make yogurt cake at home with their mother or grandmother, likely "using the yogurt cup as a measuring tool for the ingredients in the recipe." 

"Even though I was just 6 or 7 when I first made one, I still have the recipe memorized by heart," Ansel said in a release. 

Related: James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel shares his go-to brownie recipe with Salon

That's why Ansel has partnered with Icelandic Provisions — a company known for their traditional rich and creamy Icelandic skyr — to create a new special Cherry and Almond Skyr Yogurt cake. This light and fluffy pound cake incorporates creamy whole milk skyr studded with ripe black cherries and chopped almonds. It is then topped with toasted almonds and a flurry of confectioner's sugar. 

"I'm excited to team up with Icelandic Provisions to create a new take on this childhood memory," Ansel said. "The creamier, richer texture of their whole milk skyr paired with chopped almonds and juicy pieces of ripe cherries in their newest flavor gives the yogurt cake a decadent texture." 

Ansel plans on serving the cake at his SoHo Dominique Ansel Bakery — the same bakery that earned international acclaim for the invention of the cronut — through April 10; proceeds will go to City Harvest. 

Cherry and yogurt cakeCherry and yogurt cake (Icelandic Provisions/Dominique Ansel)Not in New York? No worries. Ansel and Icelandic Provisions have provided the recipe for skyr lovers and bakers alike to enjoy at home. 

***

Recipe: Cherry & Almond Yogurt Skyr Cake 

Yields
2 small loaf cakes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes

Ingredients

2 containers* (250 gr) Icelandic Provisions Fruit & Nut Cherry & Almond Skyr

1 container (150 gr) sugar

½ container (64 gr) grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)

3 each (150 gr) eggs

1 tsp (4 gr) vanilla extract

1 tsp (5 gr) salt

2 ½ containers (250 gr) AP flour

½ tsp (2 gr) baking soda

15-20 whole Amarena cherries

½ cup sliced almonds

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 320℉ (160℃).
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the skyr yogurt, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt with a spatula. Mix until smooth.

  3. Add the flour and baking soda, stirring until just combined (be careful not to overmix).

  4. Butter your loaf pans. Fill both pans halfway up with batter. Divide cherries and scatter the cherries on top of the batter in both pans. Top off with remaining batter until each pan is ¾ full (do not fill to the top, as the cakes will rise in the oven). Sprinkle the tops with a handful of almonds.

  5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a paring knife/cake tested comes out clean and the surface is golden. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before unmolding. Slice and enjoy! 

 

More easy dessert recipes that make us swoon:


By Ashlie D. Stevens

Ashlie D. Stevens is Salon's food editor. She is also an award-winning radio producer, editor and features writer — with a special emphasis on food, culture and subculture. Her writing has appeared in and on The Atlantic, National Geographic’s “The Plate,” Eater, VICE, Slate, Salon, The Bitter Southerner and Chicago Magazine, while her audio work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and Here & Now, as well as APM’s Marketplace. She is based in Chicago.

MORE FROM Ashlie D. Stevens


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Cake Dominique Ansel Icelandic Provisions Recipe Skyr Yogurt