Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

We interrupt the baby related posts for an actual recipe! Imagine that :)

I had my eye on a recipe for chocolate yogurt snack cakes from David Lebovitz (by way of SmittenKitchen) for awhile when I decided that last week's book club was the perfect time to try them out. I like chocolate but I am not a huge fan of super chocolatey things, so I was intrigued by these little cakes that promised to be light and airy with just a hint of chocolate.

They did not disappoint. Moist and delicious with a hint of almond, they were not overwhelmingly chocolatey but had that cocoa depth that was just right. They were also pretty easy to make--no mixer required! I went with mini-muffin sized cakes (you could also use regular sized muffins or even put it into a loaf pan) which was perfect for book club and after dinner treats the rest of the week!

(Note: I bet these would be amazing with some strawberries and whipped cream for a springy dessert!)

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes
Adapted (barely) from David Lebovitz and SmittenKitchen

Ingredients:
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain, whole fat yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (if you use regular table salt, cut it down to 1/4 teaspoon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini-muffin tin, making sure you also grease the top.
2. Place chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave again in 15 second increments until chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining vegetable oil, yogurt, sugar, eggs, and extracts (vanilla and almond).
4. In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt). Add yogurt mixture and stir lightly. Add melted chocolate and mix until just combined.
5. Scoop batter into muffin tins (I had a little extra left over and put into a small baking dish for a brownie-like treat). Bake for about 12-15 minutes until just done and toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes or so and then remove from the pan (if you let them cool too long in the pan, they become harder to get out--trust me!)