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Mango Strawberry Yogurt Cake

SAVE ✓ SAVED ADD TO MEAL PLAN PRINT VIEW IN SPANISH

"Bringing up Bébé" by Pamela Druckerman is a great book about French parenting. This American author describes her experience raising children in Paris and the observations on the French way of parenting. I found the information on how French kids are raised to be adventurous eaters particularly fascinating.

In one chapter Druckerman describes a scene of a three year-old French child calmly making cupcakes with her mother on the weekend. Apparently, the practice of baking on the weekend is quite common in France, and many lessons are imbedded in this ritual. Besides the obvious cooking skills from baking, children also learn patience. In France most children only have ONE snack per day, called le goûter, which is served in the afternoon. Baggies full of fish cracker, cheerios, and fruit snacks at the park are rarely if ever seen. When children bake a treat in the morning, they then wait until their afternoon snack to enjoy it.

In Druckerman’s book she has a recipe for a basic Yogurt Cake that is often made by French children when they learn to bake. Yogurt is the main ingredient, and the 6 oz. containers are then used as measuring devices for the remaining ingredients. Kids can decide how sweet they would like it, and what add-ins to use. I gave my kids the task of designing and making their own yogurt cake and they rose to the occasion. Deciding to use the mangos and strawberries we had on hand, the kids were excited to get to bake without my interference. My five year-old happily cut up strawberries with his special “dog knife” and the nine year-old spun around collecting and measuring ingredients. After the cake was done I added a little drizzle of glaze, and hours later we enjoyed their confection! This cake is our version of the one introduced by Druckerman.

This can be made dairy-free by using a nondairy yogurt and dairy-free milk substitute.

Ingredients

Food
Amt
Units
Prep
Notes
12 ounces yogurt, plain (6 oz containers x 2 and use containers to measure other ingredients)
yogurt
12
ounces
plain
6 oz containers x 2 and use containers to measure other ingredients
2 eggs
eggs
2
1½ containers sugar
sugar
containers
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
vanilla extract
1
teaspoon
1 container oil, fill just under 1 container (vegetable, canola or other oil of choice)
oil
1
container
fill just under 1 container
vegetable, canola or other oil of choice
4 containers all-purpose flour
all-purpose flour
4
containers
1½ teaspoon baking powder
baking powder
teaspoon
1 mango, Finely diced
mangos
1
Finely diced
2 containers strawberries, Finely diced
strawberries
2
containers
Finely diced
optional: glaze
optional: glaze
1 tablespoon milk (dairy or nondairy milk substitute)
milk
1
tablespoon
dairy or nondairy milk substitute
½ cup confectioner's sugar
confectioner's sugar
½
cup

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round pan cake pan (a springform pan works even better). Empty yogurt containers into a large bowl. Use cleaned and dried containers for the rest of the measurments. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil and mix gently.

In a smaller bowl combine flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to the large bowl. Mix until combined without overmixing. Add in strawberries, mangoes, or other add-ins of your choice and fold.

Bake in the prepared pan for about 40 minutes. If toothpick does not come out clean, bake longer in 5 minute increments until done (may be browned on top and springy in the middle). Let cool slightly and remove from pan. For the optional glaze, drizzle milk into powdered sugar stirring with a whisk or fork until you reach the desired thickness. Drizzle onto warm cake.

Prep time
15 min
Cook time
40 min
Yields/Serves:
12 slices
Contains Eggs, Contains Wheat
Nutrition Information

Yum Ratings

😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum. I like the mangoes!” —Scott, age 7
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum. It’s sweet. I like it.” —Alexander, age 9
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum! I love the mangoes!” —Asa, age 5
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum! This cake is great!” —Zane, age 9