blueberry nectarine pistachio "yoghurt" cake

are any of you just curious? i am all the time.

i am not planning on having my own family any time soon, however i am always curious how other people and cultures choose to raise their children. my curiosity was sparked over at leslie grahams blog while reading one of her "what I'm reading posts"- Bringing Up Bebe. it sounded interesting and it is, it is written from an ex patriots point of view and narrows in on the differences of how the french raise their children from the start than many american parents do. well anyway, in this book they go on to say how the french begin baking with their children from a very young age. it is meant to teach them patience, independence and a life skill. the very first recipe many french children learn to make is the yoghurt'cake. so here it is, my vegan version of the yoghurt cake.

the recipe in the book goes on to tell you that the base of the cake is very standard, it is up to you if you wold like to add in any berries or other goodies to the final cake.

i opted for a combination of wild blueberries, nectarines & pistachios.

i am head over heels in love with the colors of this cake, it is just so pretty!

the cake is baked in a 9" cake pan, I opted to bake mine in a spring form pan - it was so much easier to remove the cake for display using the spring form pan.

the cake comes together very quickly and with minimal effort- keep in mind very young french children make this cake with little or no assistance from their parents other than popping it into the oven.

in the book, i found it interesting that french children quickly adapt to schedules - and almost all children are on the same "unspoken" schedule - a very similar schedule to their parents.

this cake is normally baked on the weekends and served at 4pm, which is the typical snack time in france.

we enjoyed this cake for both a snack and breakfast the next morning. the cake is subtly sweet and has the perfect balance of sweet and salty from the added fruit and pistachios.

serve with freshly whipped vegan cream or vegan ice cream.

in the book they recommend creme fraiche - so by all means if you have it on hand try some with this cake.

one of the simplest cakes and tastiest cakes i have made to date. i plan on making this with my nephews when they come up for a visit in october - i hope they will have as much fun as i did making it.

tell me, do you bake with your little ones often?

have any of you read the book bringing up bebe?

Blueberry Nectarine Pistachio "yoghurt's" Cake

serves 12

you will need:

2 - 6oz containers soy yoghurt's

2 flax eggs

(2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp warm water blended)

1 - 2 containers sugar - i used (1)

1 tsp vanilla

just under 1 container vegetable oil : substitute mashed banana

1 container almond milk

4 containers flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 containers blueberries

1 nectarine, pitted & sliced

1/2 container shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

assembly:

pre heat oven to 375*

in a large bowl blend wet ingredients

in a medium bowl combine dry ingredients

add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just moistened

pour batter into a 9" cake pan or spring form pan greased with vegetable oil

sprinkle berries, nectarines & pistachios over the top

bake 35 minutes - test the cake for doneness, if not done continue to back for an additional 5 minutes

once done, remove from oven and allow to cook prior to serving

serve with freshly whipped vegan cream, vegan ice cream or creme fraiche

enjoy!