My husband bought a big container of Balkan vanilla yogurt and my European Kanzi apples were turning brown. So I had to do something because I hate to waste food.
Today is Victoria Day and as we expected in the Praires of Manitoba is raining. So I don’t want to go anywhere and my heart is heavy because I lost my grandmother Julietta 2 days ago on 19 of May, 2017. She was going to complete 106 years in less than one month. My sister joked that she thought vo Julia was immortal. But she was not, in fact her health was very poor in the end and she was not having a good life and I’m sure she is in peace now. She was very present to me until I moved from my birth town of Sao Jose do Rio Preto to Sao Paulo, when my parents who are both physicians got job offers in the big big town. If you asked me if I wanted to move from my beautiful brown house just across my grandmother’s house I would say NEVER. I would rather raised there and I’m sure I would have a better quality of life than living in a rented condo at Avenida Paulista, where all the major Banks of South America are. Here is a photo of the building I lived for 24 years of my life, is the yellow building with large balcony where I planted roses. We lived at 17.o floor, apartment 173.
But my parent made that choice that gave us the best Schools that Brazil could offer on top of other things. Vovo Julia gave me all the love and care she could and I’m grateful for having her on my side when my mother was abroad doing her Ultrasound training. My my dad and his family came up to help with the first baby of Mendonca’s. as well. My grandmother Julietta had 4 kids, 2 girls and 2 boys and my dad was the 3.o one. So Vovo Julia, this will be your Cake, in your memory. It turned out a better creation than I expected, so fluffy , healthy and low in sugar. The Balkan style yogurt gave some richness to it with the smell of spices. Here are 2 photos with her : one she is her holding me when I was one year old in front of my home town house. The other one was the only time Vovo Julia and Vovo Mendonca (he died on his 70’s) came to visit us in Sao Paulo. I was sitting beside her, and my cousins Thais and Milena are beside my sister Beatriz. I choose this cake because is Simple and Good as you were. 
ingredients
- 1 cup and 2/3 all-purpose flour
- 1/3 self raised cake and pastry flour
- 1/2 cup berry sugar ( castor sugar)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 cup of Olympic Krema Balkan style vanilla yogurt
- 1 tea spoon Vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 grated Kanzi apple with skin ( unique blend of a juicy Gala sort and a tangy, sweet Braeburn sort, grown in specially selected orchards worldwide)
- 1 table spoon of melted butter
- 1/3 cup of warm Beatrice 3% White Milk
- 1/2 cup of chopped apricots
- ( for the extra cake only : 1 sliced banana and sprinkle some cinnamon on top )
- TOPPING:
- 5 tablespoons coconut flour
- 4 tablespoons Organic Golden Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoon room temperature butter
- pre heat oven to 400F.
- I used my Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Hand Crank 5-Cup Flour Sifter ( IKEA sells a 250 gr one) and I combined the all-purpose flour and self raised cake and pastry flour, baking powder and salt. Than I transfer to a big container and I added the Berry sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Now combine the melted butter, yogurt, egg, oil and milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in the grated Kanzi apple and the apricots mixed in 1/2 tablespoon of flour so they don’t sink in the batter. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
- The recipe will be enough for an extra small cake. Just get a bread pan and spray oil than add the parchment paper and add the rest of the remaining batter. On top arrange the sliced banana and sprinkle cinnamon and ground cloves on top, you will cover with the remaining Topping.
- For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, butter, sugar, cloves and cinnamon mix with your hands until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. 1 table spoon for each muffins and whatever is left you sprinkle over the bananas of the bread pan.
- Bake at 400° for 10 minutes than turn down to 375 F for extra 10 min for the muffins . For the bread pan after it was left there for 45 min. Basically leave there 25 min extra on 350F.
- Use a toothpick comes out clean. Put in a cooling rack until is room temperature, is ready to eat.
