A Slice Of Cake For Cooking To Combat Cancer 2

Chris at Melcotte has announced her annual Cooking To Combat Cancer event. I hope you will join her. Chris has thoughtfully made the closing date April 29th so as not to clash with LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow, which finishes on April 19th. Isn't she just the sweetest person? Thanks Chris.


When I was diagnosed with cancer I bought all the books, read all the information, listened to all my friends, talked to my oncologist. I drank gallons of freshly juiced carrot juice, beetroot juice, apple juice. I swallowed flaxseed oil by the tablespoonful. I loaded my oatmeal with wheatgerm and bran.  I drank the cleanest possible water by investing in an expensive filter.

Then one day I decided I didn't want the rest of my life to be controlled by what and how I ate. If I felt like carrot juice I would have it. I no longer would be juicing carrots and washing that damn juicer every morning. Somedays my grape juice would come in a bottle marked 13.5% alcohol. I had exercised and eaten reasonably healthy all my life. Changing my diet to bran and flaxseed oil  would make no difference to my future....and god I hate flaxseed oil.

Now this didn't mean I would go out and eat cakes and sweets with gay abandon. No, that would just be silly wouldn't it? However the occasional cake or piece of chocolate would not hurt me. And cakes can be a little healthy with the right ingredients.

Back in 2001 and thanks to AFS, our beautiful French daughter, 16 year old Diane, entered our lives.  She introduced me to Yogurt Cake, where she would use the yogurt jar to measure the ingredients. Together we made lots of yogurt cakes in the 12 months she lived with us.
  
Now she is all grown up, graduated, and coming to visit us in July. I'm not sure who is more excited, her or me. So I thought now might be a good time to renew my yogurt cake making skills.  This recipe is from Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook.  It contains two cancer fighting ingredients. Firstly yogurt, and secondly I have added some blueberries to the original recipe.

Gateau au Yaourt
2 eggs
250grams (1 cup) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
200g (1 cup) sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon light rum
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and rum.
In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together until just mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place blueberries on top, they will sink into the batter as it cooks.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.

Thanks Chris for hosting Cooking To Combat Cancer.


 

Comments

[Chris]

Wow! Barbara! You were quick with this one. Looks wonderful. I did the same thing when I was first diagnosed - the strick diet, etc. Lived out of the Thyroid low-iodine cookbook I linked to in the post. I am not so regimented now but am still conscientious.
Thanks again for participating!

[barbara]

Chris - I made it this morning and when you announced Cooking To Combat Cancer. I thought it would be perfect as I'd added the blueberries to make it a little healthier.

[Joan]

can imagine equal doses of excitement..ah..am also imagining the joy of being a student arriving at Barbara's home...talk about wondrous methinks...'n by the way Missy B...what's this you wrote a wee while back on c&z about you and writing!...gem after gem you gift us!!!!!!!do not forget..under ANY circumstances

[chrisb]

Barbara that cake has some of my favourite ingredients so I will be making it for sure. I always have natural yoghurt in my fridge and I have blueberries in the freezer~ so I might even bake today!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

That is such an incredible little cake. Yoghurt and blueberries are so beautiful together - both to the eye and the taste buds. How perfectly wonderful the story of how you got the recipe and love the yoghurt container as the measuring device!

[Melissa]

The cake looks yum (great photos!)......this post is wonderful! You are always inspiring people in so many ways!

[Ivonne]

What an incredible post, Barbara! You're an inspiration. I discovered yogurt cake last year and can't wait to try it again with your addition of blueberries. Thanks for the idea!

[kellypea]

Great story, Barbara. Cheers to you for making that decision. Your attitude is amazing and so is that lovely cake. I love blueberries with yogurt, so why not in a cake. YUM!

[barbara]

Joan - you're the best. Thanks.
Chrisb - it's a very easy cake to make. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Tanna - thank you. Yogurt and blueberries - a perfect combo. Yes.
Melissa - thank you for such sweet words.
Ivonne. Thank you. I guess we all inspsire ech other in different ways which is why I love blogging.
Kellypea - Thank you. Blueberries take on a special quality when cooked.

[RecipeGirl]

A beautiful cake! It sounds so refreshing. I'll have to look into participating in this event!

[joey]

I loved Clotilde's yogurt cake since I first saw it on her blog...I'm so glad she included it in her book because it's such a wonderful cake to have in one's arsenal :) Yours looks delicious with the blueberries!

[Jill]

Catching up on reading have been to Nelson.
Love to get married again or renew vows just to have a beautiful wedding blanket.
Tried to find the Apple Cake from way back but could not any help??

[barbara]

Recipegirl - its for a good cause, I'm sure chris would be pleased.
Joey - thanks, a bit like a giant blueberry muffin.
Jill - I'm sending you a PM

[Tartelette]

This is the cake we make on sundays in my family....always! That is actually the first cake I learned out to bake because all I had to do was use the yogurt cup to measure. I love the addition of berries, very elegant and healthy!

[Cakelaw]

This cake looks delicious Barbara. I have made this too (I love Clotilde's book and blog) and it turned out great. Thanks for bringing my attention to Chris's event - I will put my thinking cap on now that I am back to reality.

[Deeba]

Hey Barbara, what a beautiful post & a wonderful cake. I love your attitude & spirit!! GOOD FOR YOU.

[Anali]

This cake looks wonderful Barbara! I have the cookbook too and need to do some more cooking from it. I've made citrus yogurt cakes, but I like the berry idea too! ; )

[barbara]

Tartlette - I like it for breakfast.
Cakelaw - Welcome home.
Deeba - thank you.
Anali - citrus would be nice.

[Mary]

Your cake looks beautiful and healthy (for a cake)! I might have to give this one a try!

[Raaga]

I came here from Arundathi's blog where she has just made this cake :-)

I totally understand the sentiment behind everything you wrote... sometimes you feel all that good didn't do much good... so we might as well live it up :-)

Hugs

[skinnymum]

I made the cake for my girls for breakfast today, and it turned out beautifully, thanks!