Noosa Yoghurt Blogger Recipe Contest


Disclosure statement: this post and recipe were created in partnership with Noosa Yoghurt, for which I have received free samples of yogurt, a $50 Visa gift card to cover purchasing other recipe supplies, and they’ll be sending some kitchen tools for both me and for someone who votes for the recipe. The contest itself could yield further prizes. All of the content of this post is my honest opinion unfettered by these gifts.

For this contest, bloggers were challenged to create an original recipe using one or more flavours of Noosa Yoghurt. I actually developed two recipes, a Blueberry Cake with Lemon Frosting and some Hearty Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Yogurt Pancakes. Since the recipe contest only shows the cake and frosting, however, I’ll put off the pancakes for another post to come soon.

The voting for the contest is on Noosa’s Facebook page. I don’t use Facebook much myself so I’m probably at a significant disadvantage, but if you’re a Facebook user please vote here. If you enter your email address after you vote (Noosa is collecting the addresses, not Facebook), you could win a free month’s supply of Noosa Yoghurt! And as mentioned above, they said they’re sending a prize pack for me to send out to someone who votes, but I am still waiting for details on that and how to tell who voted.

cake and frosting

Blueberry Cake with Lemon Frosting

I wanted to make a blueberry cake that was moist, flavourful, light enough to not feel like a brick in the tummy, but dense enough to support the blueberries throughout as opposed to having them sink to the bottom. I decided to combine techniques form multiple cake styles to incorporate the dense, rich yogurt flavour but fluff it up by folding in beaten egg whites as opposed to mixing the eggs straight. Using cake flour instead of AP also lightens the overall result.

I also added extra blueberries beyond the yogurt. Ever since we finally got a Trader Joe’s here in Austin, my family has been enjoying their organic frozen wild blueberries. These tiny treasures are the best of the best when it comes to blueberries with nary a sour one in the bunch. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s store near you and/or fresh blueberries are in season, those will work as well, but try to get wild ones if you can because they’re smaller and therefore make for better flavour distribution through the cake.

cake without frosting

Blueberry Cake without frosting: very pretty and also very tasty!

Note that the frosting is optional. The cake itself is very nice, mildly sweet with a lot of blueberry flavour and the tanginess of the yogurt. The frosting adds a snappy lemon punch and more sweetness. I’m generally one to go for less frosting on a cake but I know those with a sweet tooth want more, so the recipe for the frosting makes lots but you don’t have to use it all. I used about half and my daughter loved it that way, but my husband and I would’ve been happy with a bit less. Go for what suits you and your audience best!

An important note regarding the Noosa Yoghurt – which my daughter has declared to be her new favourite, especially the Lemon – is that unlike most yogurts, it comes in an 8 oz container with a lid and a foil top instead of the standard 6 oz pottle with only a foil top. This makes it good for recipes because 8 oz is a full cup and many recipes call for a cup of yogurt. And for smaller amounts it’s neat and easy to put the lid back on and pop it in the fridge for someone to finish up as a snack later.

Blueberry Cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A mildly sweet cake packed with blueberries. By separating the eggs and folding in the whites, the cake is lighter than most blueberry cakes but still dense enough to support the blueberries throughout.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 8oz tub of Noosa Blueberry Yoghurt
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • approximately 1 ½ tbsp lemon zest (from two large lemons)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1⅓ cup frozen organic wild blueberries, divided
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, yolks separated from whites
Method
  1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. For perishable ingredients like the eggs, milk, and yogurt, be sure not to leave them out too long. For the frozen blueberries, put them out on paper towels to stay dry as they thaw.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9” springform pan (I like my glass-bottomed one with non-stick sides), or use a cooking spray containing flour.
  3. Wash lemons thoroughly before zesting to remove any wax, pesticides, or dirt. I recommend using a microplane grater for zesting to get the maximum amount in a very fine grain. Juice enough of the lemons to get ¼ cup of juice, reserving peels and remainders.
  4. Combine the milk and yogurt thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, oil, and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 cup of the blueberries and toss in the dry mixture to coat.
  6. Degrease your mixer's bowl and whisk attachment thoroughly. Use one of the reserved lemon peels to help this by wiping all surfaces with the inside of the peel, then wiping away any lemon residue with a clean paper towel.
  7. Set the egg whites to beat in the mixer at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  8. While the egg whites beat, combine the wet mixture and the dry mixture until even but do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy.
  9. When the egg whites have finished beating, turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the sugar in small amounts until combined.
  10. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the batter and pour it all into the springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cup of blueberries on the top.
  11. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove sides of the pan. If your pan base allows for direct serving as my glass-bottom one does, put it on another wider plate before frosting. If your pan base is non-stick or otherwise can be damaged by serving, carefully remove the cooled cake to another serving platter.
  12. Cool completely before frosting.

 

icing on a cake

Close up of the icing as it drips down the side of a freshly cut slice of cake.

 

Lemon Yogurt Frosting
 
Prep time
Total time
 
A rich and tangy soft frosting/glaze that goes well atop fruity cakes.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 1-2 cakes
Ingredients
  • 300 g/10.6 oz (about 3 cups) powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup (half stick) butter, softened
  • 4 oz Noosa Lemon Yoghurt (half tub)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • zest of one medium lemon
  • juice of one medium lemon
Method
  1. Put the butter in a mixer and beat until fluffy and no lumps remain.
  2. Add the powdered sugar gradually and mix until thoroughly combined with the butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater as needed.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar for an extra minute or two on medium speed to whip in some air and to ensure it's smooth without any unmixed lumps.
  4. Add yogurt, vanilla, zest, and lemon juice. Beat the entire mixture on medium speed for three minutes.
  5. Put a dollop of the frosting on the cake and spread out to the sides, but not down the sides. This icing will flow until it sets up. Once your cake is frosted, put it in the fridge. This frosting contains uncooked yogurt and should be considered a spoiling hazard if warm for more than four hours.

 

I hope you love the recipe as much as my family did, and please remember to vote for it!

Here’s the recipe card Noosa made for the contest, if you’d like a single graphic to print for both recipes together (click for a larger version):

recipe card

Click to embiggen. It’s a perfectly cromulent word.

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4 Responses to Noosa Yoghurt Blogger Recipe Contest

  1. nerskine says:

    Just a note… Safeway also stocks frozen organic wild blueberries-
    and this looks really scrumptious- I'm a dedicated Noosa slurper so will have to try this. Thanks

  2. suelau says:

    I usually get my berries from TJ's but have seen them elsewhere. Recipe looks great!

  3. GreekYogurt says:

    Great idea using Noosa for the topping. I'll have to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry you didn't win the contest.

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