Strawberry Cardamom Yogurt Cake: A versatile delight you can whip up anytime

Everyone needs a recipe for a cake that’s so easy to whip up, they don’t need to wait for a special day to make it. This Strawberry Cardamom Yogurt Cake is a one-bowl cake that’s simply delightful — especially alongside a warm cup of tea. 

The combination of strawberries, cardamom, lemon zest and olive oil creates a truly sublime flavour, but the best part of this recipe is that you can customize it to your heart's content. 

For instance, the recipe calls for Meyer lemon, but other citrus fruits, such as regular lemon, lime and orange, work too. You can also sub in sour cream for the Greek yogurt, and if you don't have almond meal on hand, you can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour instead of 1½ cups. 

You may also want to swap out the strawberries on top of the cake depending on what fruit is in season. Chopped peaches, fresh raspberries, sliced blood oranges — the options are endless. So go ahead and get creative, and enjoy the magic of this versatile treat!

Strawberry Cardamom Yogurt Cake

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
• 1 Meyer lemon
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (55 g) almond meal
• 1½ cup (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 8 cardamom pods (or ½ tsp cardamom powder)
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced in half, plus more for garnish
• Powdered sugar, for garnish
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and use some oil or cooking spray to grease it. 

If using whole cardamom pods, crush them using a mortar and pestle, and set aside. 

Place the sugar in a large bowl and zest the lemon over top. Rub the zest into the sugar with fingers until the sugar is scented with lemon and turns a pale yellow. 

Juice the lemon until you have 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Add the lemon juice, eggs, olive oil, Greek yogurt and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined.

To the same bowl, add the almond meal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, crushed or powdered cardamom, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until it’s just combined (don’t over-mix).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan (this is a thick batter!). Arrange the strawberry halves on top. The more you can fit, the better.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently remove it from the springform pan and let the cake cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve with dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream and more fresh strawberries.

Serves 6–8

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.