Yogurt and Granola Loaf Cake. Scott Suchman/photo; Lisa Cherkasky/food styling, for The Washington Post

Nutrition-minded critics have noted for years that modern-day granola, given its sugar content, more closely resembles a dessert than the whole-grain, breakfast-appropriate health food that it often masquerades as.

I embraced that argument by turning the stuff into my one-bowl Yogurt and Granola Loaf Cake. The deeply satisfying result confirmed my suspicion that granola might represent a shortcut for transforming a simple cake into one with complex flavors and textures. In short: Think of granola as a kind of spice mix for your bakes.

Granola is a mixture with a base of, traditionally, rolled oats (although there are quinoa-based or even grain-free options available) enriched with fat (usually a vegetable oil, sometimes butter) and a sweetener (typically cane sugar, maple or honey), and frequently flavored with nuts and spices. It’s then baked until dried, clumped and crunchy. When you grind granola to a powder, you make all of its complexly sweet, toasted-oat, nutty flavors available to disperse into a preparation – a cake batter, for instance – under the guise of just one ingredient. What’s more: Granola can also be deployed as a zero-effort, streusel-like topping for a cake, such as Blueberry Yogurt Coffee Cake, or crisp, such as Granola Apple Crisp, adding a crumbly, sweet crown that is hard to resist. It’s a shortcut to multidimensional flavor and texture.

There’s no shortage of packaged granola options, which means it’s easy to customize the cake to your preferences. Flavors include honey and almond, chocolate and peanut butter, pumpkin and cinnamon, and countless other combinations. For this cake, it’s important to avoid granolas that contain chewy dried fruits (crispy, freeze-dried fruit is fine), as they resist being ground in the food processor, where the cake batter is assembled. (If you’re making or using homemade granola for this recipe, simply leave out or remove the dried fruit.)

I’m partial to my homemade granola with pistachios and olive oil, featured in my book, “Good & Sweet.” (Actress Jennifer Garner recently declared it the “Best. Granola. Ever.” on Instagram. Just saying.) In fact, my homemade granola production is what inspired this cake. My partner, Ben, who so often inhaled the heady aroma of oats, date sugar, vanilla and pistachios as I prepared to sell the granola at farmers markets last year, said he wished that the fragrance were linked to a cake: An idea was born.

Granola doesn’t often linger in my home, but if you end up with some that has gone stale, a granola cake is a good way to upcycle it.

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Loaf cakes, and their slices, are easy to transport, so this makes for an ideal school, office or picnic treat. (Just be sure to keep in mind any potential allergens, as the recipe uses almond flour and, potentially, granola with nuts.) Serve slices for dessert, with a side of frozen yogurt, or for breakfast, with a side of (not frozen) yogurt. That brings us to the other notable ingredient in the cake: yogurt, which is, of course, a classic pairing with granola. In the case of this cake, yogurt’s acidity and milk solids yield a tender, flavorful crumb, an ideal contrast with the scattering of crunchy granola that adorns the top.

Yogurt and Granola Loaf Cake

Granola’s toasted-oat flavor harmonizes with creamy, tangy yogurt in a loaf that yields a new way to enjoy a classic combination. Any crunchy granola that does not contain dried fruit will work, so it’s endlessly adaptable.

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time

Servings: 8-10 (makes one 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf)

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze slices for up to 1 month. Reheat slices in a toaster oven, if desired.

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Substitutions: If you already have strained/Greek-style yogurt, combine 3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons (180 grams) of it with 4 teaspoons (20 grams) of water in place of the unstrained yogurt. Light brown sugar >> dark brown sugar. Extra-virgin olive oil >> neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed.

Variations: The loaf can also be baked in a 9-by-5-inch pan, with a slight reduction in baking time; start checking at 45 or 50 minutes.

Notes: The volume of the granola may vary depending on the size of the clusters. If possible, it’s best to measure it by weight.

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons (90 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

2 to 2 1/2 cups (210 grams) crunchy granola (without dried fruit), plus more for optional topping (see Notes)

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Generous 1/2 cup (75 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup (35 grams) almond flour

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3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (200 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt (not Greek/strained; see Substitutions)

3 large eggs

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with oil; then line with a piece of parchment paper, long enough to leave a generous overhang on the long sides.

In a food processor, combine the granola, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and process until the mixture is a uniformly fine powder. (If you don’t have a food processor, put the granola inside a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin, then proceed with the following steps using a large bowl and flexible spatula.) Add the sugar and almond flour, and pulse to combine.

Add the yogurt, oil and eggs to the dry mixture in the food processor, and pulse just until the batter is homogeneous; do not overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle a handful of granola (broken up into small pieces) in a thin layer over the top and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or just until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the loaf out of the pan. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional information per serving, based on 10: 301 calories, 18 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 28 g carbohydrates, 220 mg sodium, 58 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 2 g fiber, 16 g sugar.

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