Lime, Yoghurt and Olive Oil Cake

by Peter G on May 18, 2011 · Recipes

I like to refer to this cake as my “happy cake”. Why? Purely because it incorporates all my favourite flavours that put a smile on my face. It’s happiness in every slice. (Ok that sounded a little too much like a slogan for an advertisement!). It’s bursting with the flavours of zesty limes, full fat Greek yoghurt and fruity, extra virgin olive oil. Its no secret here at Souvlaki For The Soul how much I adore limes. Greek yoghurt is a ” must have” staple in my fridge too. As for the olive oil-well you don’t have to be an Einstein to work out that I have litres of it stored away in my apartment! Plus it’s super easy to whip this cake up and enjoy it for afternoon or morning tea.

To give this lime, olive oil and yoghurt cake a little face lift I decided to dress it up with some lime zest that had been tossed in a little brown sugar. I like the fact that you get this extra burst of zing and sweetness in every bite. As usual, if you don’t have limes I recommend you go with lemons-equally delicious and they fit well with the citrus profile of the cake. Whatever you do just make it…it’s bound to bring a smile on your face too.

LIME, YOGHURT AND OLIVE OIL CAKE RECIPE
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

WET INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole full fat Greek yoghurt
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 cup caster sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 cup lime juice
2 eggs

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups of sifted plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat your oven to 180 deg C
Grease a 22cm springform baking tin (I used olive oil spray)
In one large bowl mix all the wet ingredients until well combined.
In another separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the flour and using a wooden spoon mix until just combined. Do not overwork the batter!
Pour into the baking tin and cook for approx 45-50 mins. The cake is ready when it has browned on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave it to cool in the cake tin for five minutes and then invert it onto a cake cooler.
Once cooled, sprinkle with sugared lime zest (combine one tablespoon of lime zest with two tbsps of sugar)

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Article by Peter G

Peter has written 366 awesome articles.

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1 hungryandfrozen May 18, 2011 at 22:10: What a beauty. You do set the bar high for photography, always a joy to see a new post from you! I’m on a massive Greek yoghurt kick, bought a 2 litre tub which, not surprisingly, I’m steadily working my way through. This cake looks like a gorgeous vehicle for it – if only limes weren’t so damn pricey here!
2 Sneh | Cook Republic May 18, 2011 at 22:14: It does look like a happy cake . Love the lime shavings, must add a perfect zing! I think my boys might east this without fuss (minus the lime shavings of course, for them). I am going to give this a go this weekend. Thnx for sharing!
3 Brian @ A Thought For Food May 18, 2011 at 22:15: Now doesn’t this look magnificent!!! The flavors and the color of that lime zest on top. It’s gorgeous. Now, just pour me some tequila to sip with this and I’ll be a happy man!
4 bellini May 18, 2011 at 22:19: Olive oil cakes are a definite favourite around here Peter. Lemon has always been a favourite but I could easily be swayed.
5 Rosa May 18, 2011 at 22:20: A beautiful cake! What a beautiful combination of ingredients.

Cheers,

Rosa
6 Sarka May 18, 2011 at 22:22: This is exactly the kind of recipe I love – simple and flavoursome! I’m definitely making this tomorrow for our friends. Thank you for sharing the recipe! The photos are gorgeous as always.
7 Zita May 18, 2011 at 22:23: These are my favourite ingredients: lime or lemon, Greek yoghurt and olive oil. Yum, it must be delicious whatever you make from them. This cake is a MUST on my to do list!
8 anhsfoodblog May 18, 2011 at 22:26: i have only seen yoghurt and lemon cake. This looks so light and sweet. Lovely.
9 Soma May 18, 2011 at 23:29: I know this is going to make me smile. I made the orange olive oil cake and have been hooked to it ever since. This is something I want to make next. love the zest on the top and the pretty striped zested limes.
10 Aparna May 19, 2011 at 00:08: That looks lovely, especially as I like simple cakes that aren’t too sweet. Doesn’t the flavour of the olive oil come through, though?
11 Angela@spinachtiger May 19, 2011 at 00:13: I love these kind of simple cakes and you dressed it up a bit which is nice. I also love limes and olive oil. This is perfect when I’m trying to whip up a dessert (which is now expected) for my weekly book club. I also do the meal, so dessert is a challenge, but I think I can squeeze this in. One of my best friends that comes is Greek, so I’ll just tell her I got it from you. She needs to see your blog.
12 Emmanoyela May 19, 2011 at 00:48: Just perfect! I love it and reminds me of childhood when my mom used to make cakes with yoghurt and lemons!!
13 Sini May 19, 2011 at 04:38: This looks really delicious! A pretty spring table cake. The lime zest on top of it gives it a nice twist. Seriously considering to bake it this weekend…
14 Barbara May 19, 2011 at 04:48: Looks delicious Peter. I’ve been intending to make David Leitte’s olive oil cake for the past year.hopefully I’ll manage to get to it soon.
15 Joan Nova May 19, 2011 at 10:17: Oh, yes…happy, happy.
16 Darren Thomas May 19, 2011 at 11:26: Peter,your photographic genius just gets better and better with every post!!!! Look forward to my Fridays!
17 elly May 19, 2011 at 12:46: I’ve actually had this recipe bookmarked from SK for ages. It looks so beautiful and I love that you’ve left yours naked to let all the flavor come through, nice and simple!
18 pickyin @ LifeIsGreat May 19, 2011 at 14:57: I made this cake before too from Deb’s site and loved it. I like how you dress it up with the lime zest. Looks like I may have to make this again!
19 Vivian - vxdollface May 19, 2011 at 16:12: Looks so fresh and inviting! Perfect for afternoon tea
20 Ivy May 19, 2011 at 16:56: I love olive oil cakes and although I don’t use limes often as they are quite expensive compared to lemons I know I would LOVE this cake!!
21 Apex@blueapocalypse May 19, 2011 at 17:00: Your photos make me want to bake this cake. I like how you have dressed the cake up with some lime zest.
22 Banana Wonder May 19, 2011 at 17:46: beautiful photos as always. these are killer ingredients and i am so curious to have a bite of this cake. i will be making this soon – no doubt. i love limes too… i can see why this is the happy cake. im doing the happy dance just thinking about shopping for limes tomorrow…
23 thatssoron May 19, 2011 at 23:56: nice recipe!
24 Sylvia May 20, 2011 at 09:46: What a wonderful cake, lime is my favorite flavour- And the photos are beautiful as always
25 Dave May 20, 2011 at 09:54: I know what I’ll be cooking this Sunday afternoon…!
26 Phuoc'n Delicious May 20, 2011 at 11:58: Peter this looks AMAZING! I’d be so happy if I got a slice of this cake too, I love the addition of the lime sugar topping. I had my first experience baking with buttermilk recently and I’ve heard that yoghurt makes for a great light and fluffy cake. And olive oil! Can it get any better? Is there something it can’t do?!
27 Katie May 20, 2011 at 12:10: This looks amazing!!! I am making it right now! Gotta love when you actually have all the ingredients in your fridge. I guess it was meant to be! Thanks for another great recipe!
28 Maria @ Scandifoodie May 20, 2011 at 18:29: I just got some gorgeously juicy limes from my friend’s garden. This cake would make perfect use for them!
29 Lee Oliveira May 20, 2011 at 19:37: Olive oil cakes are a great alternative. Better than those pound cakes I usually attack. They do taste good but maybe not so good for my hips.

http://leeoliveira.com
30 miltonpablo May 20, 2011 at 20:03: It looks so delicious Peter!
31 Christie @ Fig & Cherry May 20, 2011 at 20:53: Absolutely divine Peter! Agree that olive oil and greek yoghurt should be staples. And limes for my G&T
32 maria_nt May 20, 2011 at 21:08: Hello Peter, I discovered your blog some while ago and I ‘ve been your fan ever since! Do I have to add that your photos are amaaaaazing? I also love your slightly twisted sense of tradition, experiments are always good not matter how they end up! Keep up the good work!

Another Athenian Fan

Maria
33 Sherilyn @ wholepromise May 20, 2011 at 22:15: You had me at lime. I love lime in so many ways. Yummo!
34 Jenn @LeftoverQueen May 22, 2011 at 12:44: I ADORE this cake! The next one I bake will be a gluten free version of this!!!! Maybe with almond flour…oh yeah!
35 Foodjunkie May 24, 2011 at 06:12: This looks a lot like a French yogurt cake. Great recipe and perfect with some berries too, but I guess they are not in season in your part of the world.
36 Aja May 24, 2011 at 19:11: looks really tasty and lime probably gives the freshness to that cake, need to try …
37 Trissa May 24, 2011 at 23:12: A beautiful cake Peter – it also brought a smile to my face when I saw it – I love the idea of topping with lime and brown sugar.
38 Ben May 25, 2011 at 10:09: I can see why this cake makes you happy, hehe. I absolutely love the idea. I’m back my friend, hopefully this time for good. I have to catch up with what you’ve been posting.
39 betty May 27, 2011 at 10:22: great looking cake! :O)