Yogurt plumcake with chocolate heart

The yogurt plumcake with a chocolate heart is a soft and delicious dessert. Here is the recipe with an Italian twist, suggesting the use of ricotta instead of yogurt to give an even softer texture and a delicate taste.

Ingredients

• 150 g of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125 g of plain natural yogurt (or ricotta for a more Italian variant)
• 50 ml of seed oil
• 300 g of 00 flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 100 g of chocolate chips or dark chocolate pieces
• Vanilla flavor or grated lemon zest (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you have a frothy and light mixture.
3. Add the yogurt (or ricotta) and the seed oil to the mixture of eggs and sugar, and continue mixing until you have a homogenous mix.
4. Gently incorporate the sifted flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt, avoiding the formation of lumps.
5. If you decide to use vanilla or lemon zest, add it to the mixture.
6. Grease and flour a plumcake pan, or line it with parchment paper.
7. Pour half of the mixture into the pan, distribute the chocolate chips or dark chocolate pieces in the center, then cover with the rest of the mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the plumcake comes out clean.
9. Let cool completely before removing the plumcake from the pan and serving.

Curiosity

The plumcake, despite its name that refers to the United Kingdom, is very popular in Italy, especially the version with yogurt that makes it particularly soft and moist. The variant with a chocolate heart adds that indulgent touch that is so popular with both adults and children, making it perfect for breakfast or as a snack. Ricotta is an unconventional substitution but is highly appreciated in many traditional Italian desserts, such as ‘torta della nonna’ or Sicilian cannoli.