Lemon Yogurt Cake

I made this simple but fresh-tasting lemon yogurt cake for a dinner party with friends. It was dense and sturdy, but moist and excellent with some vanilla ice cream! I would definitely make this again if I was looking for a citrusy, not-too-sweet dessert.

I got to use my beloved Greek yogurt again for this recipe, although I will say that despite fat-free yogurt working fine for me, probably a low-fat or full-fat yogurt would have tasted a bit moister/richer. For the lemons, I used the juice and zest from some Meyer lemons I had picked up at Costco (and thus I reduced the sugar a teeny bit from the recipe since Meyer lemons are not quite as sour as regular).

Lemon Yogurt Cake (adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used skim Greek-style yogurt)

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons worth)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (8.5x4.5x2.5 inch is recommended by the original recipe). Line just the bottom of the pan with some parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt). In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, 1 cup sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients slowly. Then, fold in the vegetable oil with a silicone spatula until just incorporated. 

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make a simple syrup with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup lemon juice. Combine sugar and syrup in a small saucepan on the stove at low-medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves. Let cool and set aside until later.

When the cake is done baking, let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then de-pan it and pull off the parchment paper on the bottom. Place right side up on a wire cooling rack positioned over a cookie sheet or some other drip-catching surface. While the cake is still warm, slowly pour the lemon syrup over the cake and allow it to absorb into the cake. You can poke some holes all over the top of the cake before doing this to facilitate the syrup soaking in, or you can also use a brush to brush the sides of the cake with the syrup too. Once the syrup is poured/brushed on, allow cake to cool completely.

To glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, adding any extra juice or sugar needed to get the right pourable consistency. Pour onto cooled cake and let set. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!