Yoghurt Cake with Passionfruit Syrup

A versatile cake. Serve warm as a dessert or as an afternoon tea cake.

You will need for the Cake:

3 Free range Eggs, separated.
¾ Cup of Caster Sugar
1 teaspoon fine grated lemon zest
1 ½ cups of Self raising Flour
Pinch of Salt
80g of butter, melted
2/3 Cup of Plain Yoghurt

For the Syrup:

Pulp of about 6 Passionfruit
¼ cup of water
¼ Cup of orange juice
½ cup of sugar.
Arrowroot to thicken

Pre heat oven to 160c.   Line base & grease a 24cms round springform cake tin

Method:

In a bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Set aside
In a second bowl whisk the egg yolks until thick and then gradually add the sugar while whisking until light and creamy. 
Fold through the lemon zest into the mixture and then sift and fold in to the mixture the sifted flour and salt. 
Add the melted butter and yoghurt and continue folding until all combined and absorbed.
Finally fold in the egg whites gently until all combined.
Pour or spoon mixture into cake tin and bake for about 35 minutes,
or until skewer test comes out clean. 
Should be sponge springy!
Leave cake to rest in tin for 5 minutes. 
Turn out on wire rack to cool.

While the cake is in the oven make the syrup by putting all ingredients in a small saucepan
and simmerfor several minutes to thicken. 
Add arrowroot in a little water at the end to thicken the syrup even more.

To serve: either pour warm syrup over the cake in stages to let it be absorbed
into the top of the cake or serve the cake plain with syrup poured over it.
Try serving with an extra dollop of yoghurt topped with passionfruit pulp on the side!

16th March  2007