grandmothers of sils’ apple-yogurt cake
But I have always been certain that the foods we like to eat we were introduced to in a way that warmed them to us. Mike and Ikes? Ew. Ouzo with seltzer in tall glasses as we snacked on salty pistachios while sitting out on the balcony of my professor’s hotel room with a handful of my classmates after a long day of painting on the Greek island of Corfu one summer? It was impossible not to love, creating a clear delineation between my anise-hating and anise-loving days on the timeline of my tastebuds.
[Oops, got a little carried away with the Tastebud Timeline idea.]
So when I came across a cake recipe in my New Cookbook Obsession that involved a good amount of Sambuca (or ratafia, much more difficult to find), I was torn between wanting to make it and the threat that I would be forced to eat the whole thing by myself because of people’s refusal to come around on the flavor. Turns out, my husband doesn’t much hate the flavor either, and I left everyone else to figure it out for themselves.
While I think we all agree that there is nothing better than cake, cake with a good story behind trumps the competition any day. This one, The Grandmothers of Sils Apple and Yogurt Cake, first introduces us to these grandmothers, apparently something of a phenomenon in Catalonia after they formed a cooking club some 12 years ago with the idea of exchanging and recording traditional recipes that would otherwise disappear with their generation. In another time or place, this might have resulted in some inexpensively bound book for distribution at church bake sales and through immediate friends a family, instead made them famous. They’re on television, they hang out with celebrity chefs and they make grandmothers in the rest of the country green with envy.
With good reason. If this cake is any indication of their cooking savvy, consider me hooked. When you bake as much as I do these days, the playing field gets too wide for superlatives, and yet I have found another: This is the moistest cake I have ever made. Demanding a good reason that I should have to wait 31 years to find it, I did some research and realized that this has much in common with the French standard gateau de yaourt.
Still, I think it’s the lemon yogurt, olive oil and anise flavor that makes it unique. You can of course swap things, other boozes like Cointreau or apple brandy for the anise or skip it altogether, yogurt flavors besides lemon, honey for the sugar if you’re trying to give it a Jewish New Year spin, and I’m sure that pear could take the place of apple, if you must. But I’ll be making it just like this from here on out, closing my eyes and imagining a little Corfu sun beyond my squint and some Grandmothers over my shoulder urging me not to skimp on the spirits.
One year ago: Giardiniera (Pickled Vegetables)
Grandmothers of Sils’ Apple and Yogurt Cake
Adapted from The New Spanish Table
This is, in my mind, a true coffee cake, not overly sweet and best unadorned. It keeps exceptionally well, and is, if possible, more moist on day three than day one.
Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup lemon yogurt*
1/4 cup anise liqueur, such as Sambuca
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light olive oil
3 cups finely diced or shredded peeled and cored baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Jonagold, or a combination
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting the cake
Creme fraiche, for serving (optional)
1. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour and 9-inch springform pan.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Place the eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until fluffy and pale yellow, about 1 minute. Beat in the yogurt and liqueur until completely smooth. Working in batches, beat in the sifted flour, alternating it with the olive oil. Gently but thoroughly fold in the apples.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan, tap it on a counter to level the batter, then smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake the cake on the center rack until the top is golden, a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean**, and the cake springs back when you touch it, 55 to 65 minutes. Let the cake cool on a rack.
4. Run a thin knife around the side of the cake to loosen it. Remove the side and the bottom of the pan, then place the cake on a cake platter. (The cake can be baked up to 3 days ahead.) Wrap it loosely in plastic until ready to use. Serve the cake sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, accompanied by creme fraiche, if desired.
* For serious! I can’t tell you how many lemon yogurts I picked up at my totally yuppie gourmet grocery store before finding a single one with real, actual lemon in it and not artificial flavoring. I’m not naming names, but there were brands that I really expected better from. I finally landed on Stoneybrook Farms low-fat with lemon puree on the bottom. Why I went through this trouble when I could have just, uh, squeeze lemon juice into a plain yogurt, I don’t know. But just to warn that if you’re going through the effort of making a cake from scratch, you might want to make sure your lemon yogurt is the real deal.
** For some reason, this never happened for me. Well beyond the baking time (though my oven runs a little cool) the toothpick was still coming out with some damp crumbs attached while the top was golden and springy, so I took it out. It was cooked just fine in the center, so if this happens to you, don’t worry.
This looks like an excellent New Years sweet. Too bad I already made Luisa’s honey cake in a Bundt form…. there is always next year!
I love the timeline! Sometimes going from not liking something to liking it is a gradual process, but I find that, as often, it’s almost like flipping a switch. Eggplant was like that for me. Hated it until I started eating various eggplant dishes in Chinese restaurants. Granted, it’s a different variety of eggplant, but it paved the way to other eggplant dishes for me.
The cake recipe sounds delicious, by the way. Not overly sweet and unadorned is exactly the kind of dessert we need more of.
I’m going to try a similar timeline to help me put my food prferences in better perspective, thanks!
I love cakes like this! I’ll have to try it sometime soon.
Does the diced apple become a part of the cake, or can it still be picked out after it’s baked? Not that I would, but I’m just wondering texture-wise.
How strange. My hatred of anise was overcome one summer in a sun-filled, richly planted, bee-buzzing garden in the village of Le Tholonet in southern France, sitting at an amazing stone table drinking Pastis and water with a couple of my fellow students. I couldn’t believe how far away I was from what I considered “my life” at the time. Your timeline is brilliant, btw.
This entry makes me happy for so many reasons. First, that chart is fab. Second, I think it often takes the right experience to convince people they like something they thought they didn’t. I say that as someone who started off a very picky eater, but these days I have very few dislikes and I’ll try anything once.
And finally, anise, apple cake, yay! I make these anise-saffron shortbread cookies I love, but I’m always wary of who I serve them to for fear of licorice-haters. Sad, b/c those cookies are damn good. Oh, and if you’ve got leftover liquer, try David Lebovitz’s absinthe cake, I made it with arak and it was great.
Ew, and the yogurt thing doesn’t surprise me at all, these days the only brand I buy is total/fage.
The idea of lemon yogurt and anise together freaks me out a little. Also olive oil in cake freaks me out a little. I might try this, though, but not with the Sambuca. And I will brave the olive oil.
Yogurt is scary now - every brand I pick up has all sorts of crap that is not yogurt in it. I only eat the Stonyfield Farms stuff because I can’t handle the weird chemical taste other yogurts have.
I’ve been really craving coffee cake recently and this one seems like it would be amazing. Though I would probably want to swap the sambuca for something else…
Ooo man… all my favourite flavours in one cake! I can’t wait for this cookbook to get here!
Stonyfields Lemon yogurt is a constant in my fridge; it goes into a lot of baking for me, especially pancakes and waffles. I love its tangy delicious taste just as it is too, maybe with a scoop of granola or maybe some crushed almonds as a topping.
Cake looks good, but count me among the anise/fennel dislikers, and not one to suddenly become open minded any time soon. Been there, tried that and am not interested. Some things you just gotta leave alone. Of course, leaving it out as an option works for me too
Your chart is brilliant. Hilarious.
LOVE the chart. Is anyone else full of shame about disliking the things they dislike? I love food and will try anything, but have a large number of things I detest, and I am deeply ashamed. How can someone who says she loves food hate: olives, asparagus, anise/fennel/licorice, citrus flavor in baked goods, or almond flavor in anything? The good news is that I try eating olives and asparagus at least once per year in hopes of turning over a new leaf. But at 29 it hasn’t happened yet. Sigh.
This looks so good! If you were to use plain yogurt and add lemon juice instead of seeking out the elusive lemon yogurt, would you have to increase the amount of sugar?
Once you throw up shots of Ouzo and your pasta dinner after spending a night in a Greek taverna on Santorini, you might change your mind about loving it. So don’t do that and your pinkish line of anise love should extend well past 30.
No screwdrivers? What…what on earth do you drink?
I love the graphic. Well done Deb.
Also, can you feel the fall in the air!?
Ok, you going overboard on the timeline is exactly why we are such dedicated Smitten Kitchen readers! Thanks so much for creating support for those of us who love food but have weird issues. Raw tomato haters unite! Wishing you and Alex a very sweet and Happy New Year…
In my corner of the world, the love-hate line seems clearest around cilantro. I was among those who think it tastes like soap until my first pregnancy. Ever since, I’ve loved it. So that would be part of my timeline for sure.
Sarah,
Have you ever read “The Man Who Ate Everything”? The beginning of his book instantly made me feel better about the fact that I hate certain foods. He talks about the humps he had to get over when he became a food critic.
From time to time, though, I wish I could get over a few of my food reservations. My husband loves olives, and I simply can’t stand them. Even our cat will eat them!
the cake looks great!
can’t believe your rice timeline!! have you tried cooking it the pasta way? cook in excess water and strain…super and easy!
I belong in the “hate anise/licorice/fennel” camp though, occasionally, I do love a dish that has those flavors in it if it’s not overwhelming. Love your timeline. And I agree with Envi above - if I don’t have time to mess with rice, I cook it like pasta.
I think I need to track down that cookbook. But I’ll start with that cake.
Ha, i made this very cake last night - inspired by your recipe above and in the spirit of Rosh Hashana, but since I am one of the true anise/licorice haters (i can handle fennel in certain situations), I substituted Sambucca with Calvados - came out very nice indeed. Oh and I made my own flavored yogurt too (with limes instead bc somehow, shockingly, we were out of lemons!!)
Deb! Perfect timing! I read your blog yesterday and realized this was the perfect Rosh Hashana Cake! I too went home yesterday and made it! You are correct - it’s moist, delicious, light, and easy! Of course, I did make a few modifications. As I am one of those people who don’t like licorice, and I didn’t want to go to the store if I could help it, I changed the flavor palate just a teensy bit.
I swapped the Sambaca for Cointreau. I swapped the lemon yogurt for vanilla (though I used the same brand). I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Amazing! Perfect! The flavor is so light and so unique.
Also, I put my mandolin to good use once again. Best device I’ve ever purchased based on a blog recommendation. That thing keeps on giving back. Thank You!
That sounds good. I’m curious about the ratafia reference though - is ratafia something other than wine/alcohol infused with fruit, as the Times implied it was a couple of weeks ago?
Deb, Do I need to substitute anything if I don’t want to use the anise. This sounds delicious, but I too have been to Corfu, and my memories of Ouzo are not nearly as pleasant as yours. We did room temp. shots of the stuff at the Pink Palace, youth hostel. It’s all a blur.
I love cakes with yogurt! Love the flavour it gives and the texture! And apple~ Mm~ Like KW, we should have to add something if we were to skip the liqueur, yah? Maybe more yogurt? Or, some milk perhaps?
Hmm. I made this cake on Saturday, Sambuca and all, and it came out kind of…weird? Pre-oven, the batter tasted delightfully light and promising. Post-oven, it looked exactly like the one in your picture, and filled my kitchen with a lemon-apple-sugary yummy goodness. I cooled, wrapped loosely in plastic, and on Sunday the top had taken on a sticky, wet look. Not good. Gave it a few minutes to dry out before shaking on some sugar, and then cut into it. The texture was, I think, flan. Certainly not cakelike at all. Undercooked? I got clean toothpicks twice. Was it the non-fat yogurt I used? Was it because I had plain yogurt and added my own lemon? The world may never know, but I was oh-so sad.
Found you thru the mention in last Sunday’s Times Magazine. So far, loving what I see, and pretending I can smell it…
Also, the timeline is brilliant. Well worth the effort.
A possible answer to your rice dilemma: a rice cooker. I know rice is supposed to be stupidly easy to make, but who doesn’t forget they’ve put it on the stove, or add too much water? In college, a good friend of mine (who is Chinese-American) had a real shock when she saw me cooking rice on the stove. She had never seen anyone *not* use a rice cooker. She gave me one for my birthday, and I’ve been a convert ever since.
Some rice cookers have steaming trays. My fancy Zojirushi (thanks, Mom!) has separate settings for white, brown, and sushi rice, as well as rice porridge, plus a timer so that you can set up your rice porridge at night and just pull the pickles and dry shredded pork out of the fridge in the morning. What more could a Chinese Lit Ph.D. student (erm, me) want?
WOW what a disaster! I used plain yogurt & lemon juice & zest. I used Pernod instead of sambuca. I lowered the sugar b/c my apples (empire & fuji) were so sweet. I used EVOO instead of “light” olive oil (though I used 1 tbl canola oil to lighten it up). Oh, and I may have added 1/8 tsp too much baking powder. Finally, b/c I hate things to lack salt, I added a pinch. I kept it in an oven for abour 90 mins b/c it just never seemed done. The cake has a VERY odd, flan-y texture, and a weird bitter aftertaste somewhere between olive oil and aluminum.
(Full disclosure: Perhaps I am biased against this thing because I also DROPPED IT on my floor while I was testing it– don’t ask- so it cracked and got all ugly)
Well, I won’t say whether or not it tastes good in a few days, since I just pulled it out of the oven. But for now, I’ll say that I am very depressed about this cake! I’ve been longing to make it for months! Where did I go wrong?
What happens if I leave out the Anise
>:-(
I really detest the taste of the stuff…….
well, three-ish days later and the taste really is pretty good. I’m not sold on the texture, entirely– it’s kind of dense (maybe because, like an idiot, i DROPPED the cake?) — but all the bitterness from the first taste on 1/18 is gone. In fact, it’s nearly addictive. Though it DOES taste really strongly of olive oil.
Rosalee– I can’t taste anise at all. For that matter, i can barely taste the apples, or the lemon. But if you don’t want to have a 1/8 empty bottle of sambuca lying around, I’m sure that another fragrant alcohol will be fine. Apple brandy, or frangelico, or something almondy.
this looks absolutely amazing….for some reason it reminds me of this easter grain cake my grandmother makes. hmm…..
well either way, i have to try it. have to.
Things I used to hate but now I *love* - olives, capsicum, onion, fetta cheese, cauliflower, dark chocolate, marinated mushrooms, pork, coriander/cilantro.
The only things I don’t like are seafood (most of it, i love fish and i like lobster) and cumin. yuck!