Some cakes are worth making because they have wow factor for the eyes. Others earn a permanent place in your recipe rotation because they’re simply easy, reliable and really good. This lemon yoghurt pistachio slab cake is definitely the latter.
It’s a one-bowl recipe built around everyday ingredients: yoghurt, olive oil, maple, eggs, lemon, almond meal and gluten-free flour. There’s no complicated method and no elaborate decorating —- once the cake is baked and cooled, it’s simply topped with yoghurt and pistachios before being sliced and served.
I particularly like the nutritional balance of the ingredients here. Yoghurt and eggs provide protein, while almond meal contributes fibre, protein and predominantly unsaturated fats. Using olive oil instead of butter also shifts the fat profile towards predominantly unsaturated fats. And because there’s plenty of lemon in the batter, you get a lovely lemon flavour without needing to make the cake particularly sweet.
The almond meal also gives the cake a beautiful tenderness, while the combination of gluten-free flour and almond meal creates a soft crumb that holds together well.
And then comes my favourite part: the topping. A layer of creamy yoghurt and chopped pistachios adds contrast to the soft cake and gives it just enough texture to make it feel finished – without requiring any actual cake decorating skills.
It’s a simple cake for afternoon tea, a weekend bake or when you want something homemade that doesn’t require an entire afternoon in the kitchen.
LEMON PISTACHIO YOGHURT CAKE
Serves 12
Gluten free : Dairy Free (opt) : Vegetarian
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup Greek or plain yoghurt, dairy free if required
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup almond meal, blanched
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1 tsp baking powder
Icing: 1/2-3/4 cup Greek yoghurt sweetened with honey to your liking, 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
Heat oven to 170C and line a 20x20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper. In a large mixing bowl combine extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, eggs, yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla and whisk. Mix the almond meal, gluten free flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Pour into the lined square tin and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Once cooled, top with yoghurt and chopped pistachios, slice and serve. Store in the fridge up to 3 days. If not iced store on the bench top in an airtight container.
