As my grandma always says…

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… never throw away food.

Even though in this case it meant going against a food label that marked September 10th as the expiration date. But I mean, this was Sept. 11th, so I was just risking it for a day, and there´s no way I was going to throw away 2 plain yogurt jars just like that.

Emergencies call for quick solutions, and in this case, spur-of-the-moment cake plans. It was 2 pm and I knew that by tea time, I´d have something moist and delicious ready: a spicy yogurt cake with brown sugar.

I´ve always loved cakes with yogurt since it allows you to reduce the fat content and still have plenty of moisture, the kind of moisture you can only achieve with half a pound or so of butter in other cakes. And the brown sugar has a delicate flavor which would play well with cinnamon, ginger and allspice. And a good sprinkling of brown sugar at the last minute would provide the perfect crunch.

So taking Dorie´s Brown Sugar cake as my inspiration, I set to work and did my grandma proud with this comforting cake that made this craptacular rainy week a bit better, and is now resting in the freezer until an impromptu dinner party leaves me without dessert.

Spicy brown sugar cake

100 grams (a little less than 1 stick), unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups plain yogurt

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon allspice

2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

1. Preheat the oven to about 180°C (350°F).

2. Cream the butter with the 2 cups of sugar and the vanilla extract for around 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one by one, whisking with an electric mixer 1 minute after each addition.

4. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a separate bowl, and add this mix to the batter in 3 times alternating with the yogurt.

5. Pour the batter into a 10-inch round cake pan (buttered and floured or sprayed with baking spray, such as Pam).  Sprinkle with the 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar.

6. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

It keeps very well and the flavors intensify in the second day. You can also freeze slices and then enjoy again warmed up in the microwave or a pan.

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Filed under food, sweet