Sometimes the best recipes are born from random ingredients in my refrigerator. During a recent healthy kick, I purchased a big container of Greek yogurt. I wanted to try a simple, citrus-y sauce that would pair well with a dessert. I started experimenting and later paired this tangy sauce with a chocolate-orange loaf, a perfect fudgy vehicle for my creation. Enjoy and happy baking!
Chocolate-Orange Loaf with Greek Yogurt Sauce Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe Makes 1 loaf
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 oranges
½ cup plus 5 Tbsp. butter, softened, divided
1 large egg at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla or orange extract
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
¾ cup thick Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1¼ cup powdered sugar
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a standard loaf pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, rub the brown sugar, white sugar and orange together with your fingers
• Use a hand mixer to cream ½ cup butter into the sugar on high speed at least 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla or orange extract and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the buttermilk.
• Use a spatula to gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter and honey on high speed at least 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the Greek yogurt and orange juice until smooth, then add the powdered sugar into the mixture until incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To serve, slice the cake and drizzle with the yogurt sauce or serve it on the side.
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2015.
