I used to hate orange zest. If orange zest was called for in a recipe, I knew immediately that I wouldn’t like it. That nasty bitter orange peel just turned my tongue anytime I used it, and I thought I would never figure out exactly why so many people seemed to love the added flavor of orange zest. Then I broke down one day and bought myself a
microplane zester. My life in the kitchen would never be the same. With the tiniest flick of my wrist I could finely zest any citrus fruit my heart desired- and I could leave every scrap of that bitter white pith behind. For that bitter white pith is what turned me off of orange zest. It didn’t take me long to discover that a tiny shaving of orange peel transformed the most boring of muffins and quick breads into nirvana. As a result, I now love orange zest, and I love my microplane that made this all possible.
So when Joelen of Joelen’s Culinary Adventures announced a blogging event called Tasty Tools that would feature my beloved microplane, I knew I had to participate. Even better, I knew just what I was going to make, because it’s been on my list to try for the longest time.
Orange Yogurt Cake is about the easiest cake I’ve ever made short of a cake-mix cake. 
What makes this cake special, and what you cannot make it without is the finely grated zest of one orange. That’s where the delightful flavor of this cake comes from. What I particularly love about this cake is how quick it is to come together. I had it mixed up in less than 5 minutes, and it baked in a 9-inch pan in 20. That makes this cake ideal for unexpected company or a last-minute dessert scramble. You can serve it warm out of the oven, or let it cool completely. You can serve it plain with simply a dusting of powdered sugar, or you can use my example and throw together a quick glaze to top it. It really doesn’t need the glaze though. It’s lightly sweet, extremely moist and flavorful all on its own, but feel free to add the glaze.
The recipe is below, but be sure and take some time to head over to Joelen’s Culinary Adventures for a complete round-up later this week. I expect to see quite a few recipes that simply wouldn’t be possible without the microplane.
Orange Yogurt Cake 1 cup flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup oil
zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Additional orange juice and powdered sugar for glaze (optional)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a second bowl combine yogurt, oil, zest, orange juice, egg, and vanilla. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold together. Batter will be quite thick.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your cake pan. The cake is done when it is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then invert onto a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar or glaze to serve. Can be served warm, at room temp, or chilled.
To make a glaze, combine about 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of orange juice. Stir to combine, adding more orange juice if too thick, or adding more powdered sugar if too thin. Spread over the cake and garnish with additional orange zest if desired.