French Yogurt Cake (TWD)

I was looking forward to making this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, French Yogurt Cake w. Marmalade Glaze. I was soooo tempted to try the olive oil variation (w. citrus and herb flavors --- sounds so delicious), but stayed the course and stuck with the original version first.

With the exception of the glaze, I followed recipe instruction as exactly as written. As I didn't have any marmalade handy, I nixed the marmalade glaze and instead made a lemon syrup (1/4 C lemon juice, 1/4 C sugar - gently warm until the sugar melts) and brushed the top of the loaf as it was cooling.
This cake is really wonderful and delicious on its own! I could tastle a sutble nutty flavor from the ground almonds, along with a terrific tart, tangy flavor from the lemon and yogurt. The lemon syrup also lent a nice tang and kept the cake moist.

Although I don't think you need to adorn this cake with anything else, Dorie Greenspan suggests serving this with some fruit and something creamy like creme fraiche. In my case, I had some lovely mini kiwis that needed some attention. This terrific find comes from Trader Joe's. These minis are the size of a kumquat and unlike it's full-sized cousin, you can pop these in your mouth and enjoy them, skin and all:

I also had some lemon cream leftover from a prior bake-a-thon:

With minimal fuss, this cake (with or without its accompaniaments) is a simple yet special treat. I typically dispatch my baked goods to my colleagues or my husband's work, but in this case I hoarded this cake all for myself ... should I feel guilty for not sharing?...naw!!!

Thanks to Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction for the delicious pick this week! Please visit Liliana's blog for the recipe, and make sure to check out the TWD blogroll to see how my fellow bakers fared.