I was hungry a few days ago and craving sweets; but I was tired of my homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies.  I wanted something a bit lighter and it had to be easy.  So, I took a walk through the grocery store and as I was browsing, I saw strawberry yogurt.  But I thought to myself, “Get real…..that would only curb my appetite for about a minute and just make me angry.” And most people wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

So I kept moving through the isles at the store until I received a revelation of what I could make that would use less refined sugar and maybe even be healthier for me and my family.  I saw these wonderful whole wheat cookies that reminded me of shortbread cookies.  So I decided to combine the strawberry yogurt, the whole wheat cookies and a simple yellow cake with a little strawberry glaze to make a quick and easy dessert that looks like it took a lot of effort.  It will have less sugar and less fat and tastes great.  Trust me, your family and friends will love you for it!

What you will need for my Easy Strawberry Yogurt Cookie Cake:

My Yellow Cake:  2 eggs, 3/4 cup of milk (non-animal source preferred like coconut, almond), 1/4 cup of water, 1& 1/4 cup of sugar, 3 teaspoons of oil (sunflower but definitely not canola), 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup of white flour & 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or 1&1/2 cups white flour if whole wheat flour is not available), a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons of butter optional (saves on calories and fat if not included), fresh strawberries are great if in season.

You need 2-3 cups of strawberry yogurt, your choice of about 300 grams of whole wheat cookies (store bought is fine), and about 12 teaspoons of strawberry glaze or jam.

Combine eggs, sugar, oil and softened butter (optional) and mix well.  Add milk and stir until mixture is consistent, add baking powder, vanilla and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour and mix well.  Batter will be thick like a pound cake batter.  Add about 1/4 cups of water.  Bake at 350 degrees F/175 degrees C for about 30-35 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch pan (ovens may vary so test with a toothpick in the center and if dry when it comes out, your cake’s ready)!

In the meantime, blend the cookies until they are crumbs.  Usually you would add butter with other recipes for richness and flavor, but remember, this is a healthier alternative.  DO NOT ADD BUTTER even though tempting!!!

Once the cake is out, let it cool to room temperature.  Take 1/4 of the yogurt and spread it all over the cake. Combine the other 3/4 of the yogurt with 1/2 of the cookies and spread this as the next layer onto the cake.  Top the cake last with the remaining cookie crumbs. Add a teaspoon of strawberry glaze or strawberry jam as pictured above.  This cake yields 12 servings.  If you were fortunate to get fresh strawberries, place them on top of the glaze of each piece.

Refrigerate for at least an hour, serve and enjoy! 

Reply back if you tried this recipe or if you have a healthy recipe that you think viewers will want to try.  Would love to hear from you!