For Easter, a spiced French cake so easy a kid can make it

ONE beloved French cake is so easy that it is often the first recipe children are taught. And the main ingredient’s container is as crucial as the ingredient itself.

Gâteau au yaourt, or yogurt cake, took hold when yogurt began to be sold in tiny jars in the early 20th century. The jar itself doubled as the measuring unit for the cake’s other ingredients.

Simply spoon the yogurt into the mixing bowl, then use the empty jar to measure one container of oil, two of sugar and three of flour. Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately then combine. Pour the loose batter into a pan and bake.

The result is a moist, tender cake with a fine crumb similar to pound cake, but it’s surprisingly light from using oil instead of butter, and the yogurt’s slight tang balances the sugar.

In this recipe from our book “Cook What You