Lemon Yogurt Cake

This classic french lemon yogurt cake is a reliable, one-bowl recipe that always turns out perfectly. Whole milk yogurt, lots of bright lemon zest, and a beautiful lemon glaze that soaks into the top of the cake make it stand out.

This cake is as simple as can be to put together; I especially love that it’s a one-bowl, which means less mess and less time. I like a lot of lemon flavor so I added a bit of lemon juice here and it turned out tart and perfect. I served slices of cake with whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries as the dessert to my Mother’s Day celebration dinner, but had a slice the next day plain with a cup of tea and that was delicious, too.

[print_this]Lemon Yogurt Cake, adapted from orangette

This cake is as simple as can be to put together; I especially love that it’s a one-bowl, which means less mess and less time. I like a lot of lemon flavor so I added a bit of lemon juice here and it turned out tartly perfect. I served slices of cake with whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries as the dessert to my Mother’s Day celebration dinner, but had a slice the next day plain with a cup of tea and that was delicious, too.

For the cake:
1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt (I used Clover organic cream on the top)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring and whisking until well blended. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir well to incorporate. Keep stirring until it forms a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan or a very well-buttered bundt pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup. [/print_this]