Lemon yogurt cake

Whoever said that sense of smell is the sense most closely linked to human memory has never met my husband. The man is rapidly approaching middle age, yet can still recall in vivid detail the after-school snacks (an institution here in France called le goûter) his grandmother prepared for him as a child. He has tried, without much success, to replicate her light, airy crèpes, her melt-in-your-mouth mantecao sugar cookies, or her famous yogurt cake. With a faraway, wistful look on his face, he always tastes these desserts and sighs, "It's not quite the same as Mémé's."

After months of experimenting, I've finally found a yogurt cake recipe that measures up to Mémé's high standards. Even Sébastien agrees that this cake has it all: the yogurt keeps it moist, it's airy but still packed with flavor, and it's sweet without being too sugary (Seb even eats it for breakfast!). The best part? You can use your yogurt cup to measure out nearly all the other ingredients -- which means fewer dishes to do at the end!

Mémé's yogurt cake

Serves 6-8

1 small pot of plain yogurt

3 empty yogurt pots of self-rising flour

2 empty yogurt pots of sugar

1/2 empty yogurt pot of oil or melted butter

3 eggs

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 lemons

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the yogurt and the eggs, then use the empty yogurt pot to measure the proper quantities of flour, sugar and oil or butter. Add these to the egg-yogurt mix and stir until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla, then the zest and the juice of the two lemons. Stir until mixed. Pour the batter into an 8-inch round pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top is golden but not browned.

I like to top this cake with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a few thin slices of lemon to decorate. If you're not a fan of citrus fruits, you could also make a chocolate version of this cake by leaving out the lemon and replacing it with 4 ounces of melted dark chocolate in the batter.