Carmela Villegas-Agosta is one of my favorite dessert makers. I love how she describes her desserts: “My desserts in one word : comforting.”
I met Carmela when she was just starting out as a home baker and I’m so happy to see how her business has expanded! After training in a Patisserie in France, Carmela moved back to the Philippines to start Casa San Luis in 2011. Today, Carmela is not only the owner of CSL Pastries by Carmela, she also is the dessert chef and part owner of Crisp on 28th.
I have not just seen her expertise grow, I’ve tasted and enjoyed so many of her creations. I recently raved about her Calamansi Cake with Marshmallow Frosting in my list of favorite things for September. Calamansi is favorite local ingredient, she told me! She shares, “I’m French-Filipina and my culture is my influence in the kitchen. I enjoy mixing French techniques with Asian flavors.”
For The Spoiled Mummy, Carmela is sharing a twist on a classic French “goûter” or merienda snack, the Gâteau au Yaourt or Yogurt Cake. (Btw, this isn’t Carmela’s first recipe on TSM! See also her Butterscotch Nutella Cookies recipe.)
She explains, “This cake is one of the first recipes that anyone learns in a French household. It is traditionally served plain but I wanted to tweak it a bit to add more flavor to the tangy yogurt. Mixed berries add an additional flavor to the cake and peaches bring sweetness to the yogurt flavor. This is made with ingredients readily available in your local grocery stores. I really want to show how easy it is to make desserts at home and that it can be fun.”
Mixed Berry Yogurt Cake topped with Peaches
This recipe yields a 9-inch cake.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup frozen mixed berries, crushed
25-30 pieces of peach slices
Procedure:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of the pan and line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment or wax paper.
- In a medium size bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Using a wire whisk or an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until pale and creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix after each addition.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract and the yogurt, mix until well combined.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the berries and then pour the cake batter into your prepared pan.
- Top with peach slices, start with the outer circle and then finish with the inner circle.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before serving.
Best served with a berry coulis and a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!
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All photos for this recipe are by Chichi Tulao of Happy Tummy Travels.
For more of Carmela’s baked creations, find them at:
Casa San Luis Pastries
+63 916 6448522
casasanluispastries@gmail.com
Facebook
Crisp on 28th
G/F Alveo Corporate Center, 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City
+63 2 958-5039
Facebook / Instagram
Or connect with Carmela on Instagram: @mariacarms