Don’t you think smaller is cuter?
There was this li’l whimper around 2:30 this morning.
*B-ling!*
My eyes popped open and I jumped out of bed, ready to rescue Daisy from whatever nightmare she’d been having.
Luckily, she fell asleep again.
But now,
I couldn’t sleep.
THEN, I heard this other strange noise…this time, a grrrumbling sound. Sounded a bit like Milou growling at a raccoon outside, but he was snoring away on the couch.
Did you know dogs snore?
Our does.
Anyway, back to the noise.
It was just me. I was hungry.
I grabbed my fluffy robe and headed to the kitchen with some foodie mags and a big yawn.
You’d think a full stomach would make me sleepy again.
But, no.
I was now wide awake
and bored out of my mind.
What to do?
What to do?
Look, at 3 o’clock in the morning, your options are limited here.
Luckily, my mini-Bundt cake pan was already out and my pals at the office deserved a nice holiday treat.
Any excuse, right?
Here’s what I did….
Bouncy Orange Yogurt Cake Iced Twice
Kinda like My French YO Cake
Serves: 6 smiling coworkers
Ingredients
The Cake:
Dry:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons b. powder
pinch of salt
Wet:
2 eggs
juice & zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup oil
splash of good vanilla
Preheat oven to 350*F.
Sift dry ingredients, set aside.
Blend wet ingredients.
Gently mix dry ingredients into wet, until just incorporated.
Pour batter into buttered mini bundt pan
and
bake @ 350*F for ~ 1 hour.
This batter makes great cupcakes that bake in less time, maybe 30 minutes, depending on your oven.
While the cake is baking, get a nice glass of champagne and toast yourself on a job well done!
(You’re not done yet, but this cake will be a show-stopper.)
After about 1 hour, remove the cake from the oven.
If you can smell it, it is done!
Do a toothpick-test to be sure it’s baked well.
Allow it to rest in the bundt pan for about 10 minutes.
Then flip it over and place it onto a metal rack where it
will continue to cool.
Making the two types of icing is a ssssssnap!
Just make sure your cake is completely cooled before you ice it.
Icing #1: Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tb heavy cream
1 Tb honey or corn syrup (optional for shine)
Melt the chocolate chips gently over a water bath
or nuke them in a microwave.
Add the heavy cream and stir until nice & creamy.
Now is the right time to add the honey/corn syrup if
you want a shiny look.
Spoon ganache over half of the baby bundt and allow it
to drip over the sides.
Lick the spoon clean.
Wasting chocolate is a high sin. 😉
Icing #2: Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
zest & juice of 1 lemon
Zest the lemon, then juice it.
Stir into the powdered sugar until lumps disappear.
Spoon over cake and allow the glaze to flow down the sides.
Don’t be afraid to decorate with something festive. I set Papa Smurf onto my cake because he kinda looks like Santa.
Look through your kids’ toys for something cute and unusual.
Voila! Now, you’re a super-star!
By the time the cake was plated and iced, the sun had come up and so had li’l Miss Daisy.
When it comes to cakes, smaller is definitely better.
I hate when I can't sleep but what wonderful use you made of your time. Your little girl is adorable 🙂 Thank you leaving me such nice comments recently!
Thanks for reading, Susan. Love your blog. Merry Christmas!
Cute story! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Never new that about dogs until now lol! Miss Daisy is way too adorable 🙂
Thanks! So glad you enjoy it.
Lovely cakes and grat story. I, too, get up in the middle of the night sometimes hungry and bored… and baking is the perfect calming activity! So, did you enjoy a glass of champagne in the wee hours? It sounds like a lovely idea…
No champagne. I was hungry. So I had tea & toast instead!
Oh wow, making cake when you can't get back to sleep! You're a legend. Me, I just lay in bed, getting mad that I can't fall asleep :-/
Emma, I'll bet you'll come up w awesome recipes on sleepless nights!