When I was thinking about today's recommendation, I remembered that in a little over a week, school will be starting. And also how much different that would be this year. With the (at least start) of the school year being virtual, parents like me will--amongst all the other life things we will be juggling--be trying to come up with creative and "sciency" things for their home-bound students. And as an old Alton Brown afficionado, I know there are few more secretly sciency things than baking. So, I dug through the mental filing cabinet and remembered a recipe I read in a book called Bringing Up Bebe, which extolled the virtues of French parenting. To be honest, the book was a little too self-satisfied for my tastes, but it did include this recipe, which is apparently one of the first taught to kids in France...yogurt cake. The beauty of the recipe is that it's nearly entirely based around easy measurements using one vessel...the cup the yogurt comes in. It's a great way to get kids into the kitchen and baking without a lot of equipment tutorials that will bore them. And the ingredients (minus possibly the yogurt) are generally found in most cupboard or pantries. Plus, it's pretty tasty. Give in a try this weekend!

GATEAU AU YAOURT (YOGURT CAKE)

2 six ounce containers of plain whole-milk yogurt (not sweetened or flavored)

2 eggs

2 containers sugar (or just one depending on how sweet you’d like your cake)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Just under 1 container of vegetable oil

4 containers flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Creme fraîche (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Use vegetable oil to grease a 9-inch round cake or loaf pan.

Gently combine yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. In a separate bowl mix together flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix gently until combined (do not over mix). You can add 2 containers of fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips or any flavoring you’d like. Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. It should be almost crispy on the outside but springy inside. The cake is delicious with a dollop of créme fraîche.