I have a nostalgic fondness for this yellow slab of soft goodness flavored with Kashmiri saffron. The cake we call chai cake at home, perfect with hot cup of masala tea “chai”
Orange and Saffron Yogurt Loaf
MAKES 1 LOAF
3 oranges
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain whole yogurt
1 cup 2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon saffron strands
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
Finely grated zest of one lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of one orange
Juice of 1 orange
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter the inside of a 9 x 5 by 3 inch loaf pan.
Finely grate the zest of the oranges. Juice 1 of the orange and reserve. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, saffron and eggs. Add the vegetable oil, lemon zest and lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla bean seeds. Add the flour and baking powder whisking until just combined. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. The cake will be dark golden on top and should pull away just a bit from the sides of the pan. If the crust begin to darken too much, cover the cake with a piece of aluminum foil. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, remove the pan and cool completely.