This lemon yoghurt cake recipe is a traditional Fench lemon yoghurt cake. It has a light, tender crumb, is covered in a simple lemon syrup, and only takes minutes to come together; the best part is that it’s delicious. Grease and line a round cake with parchment paper, if you do not have a round cake tin you can use a mini bundt pan or a loaf pan. In a mixing bowl add half of a cup of granulated sugar and zest in the zest of one lemon, mix the sugar and lemon zest to infuse the lemon zest into the sugar.
Add a third cup of whole milk of Greek plain yoghurt and substitute yoghurt with sour cream of the same amount. Add one egg and half of a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Whisk everything together, ensuring the egg is broken and incorporated into the mixture, then add a quarter of a cup of vegetable oil. The oil will give the cake a fantastic texture and make it tender and moist.
Mix the oil until everything is incorporated, then sift in three-fourths of a cup of all-purpose flour, a quarter teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. Using a spatula, mix until the dry ingredienst are combined and you have a smooth batter with no lumps; you do not want to overmix the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. You want to prepare the syrup before the cake comes from the oven. You want to pour the syrup over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven because that will allow the syrup to seep into the cake and almost form a little crystalization on the edge, which is so yummy. Into a mini mixing bowl, add half a cup of powdered sugar and juice, half a lemon, and mix it up until you get a nice thin glaze.
If you get it too thin, add more powdered sugar. You want it just nice and runny. Once your cake is out of the oven, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then invert it on a cooling rack and brush the syrup over the cake. Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve. This cake is perfect for tea time, brunch, or just anytime.
Ingredients;
- 3/4 cup (90 grams/ 3.1Oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (100 grams/ 3.5Oz) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest or zest of one lemon
- 1/3 cup (93ml) whole milk plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup (60ml) canola oil
- 1 egg large
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze;
- 1/2 cup (100 grams/ 3.5Oz) powdered sugar
- dash of vanilla
- enough lemon juice to make a runny glaze
Instructions;
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 3-cup bundt pan, a 6-inch cake pan or a 7. x 3-inch loaf pan that holds 3 cups of liquid with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In another bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Stir to combine the two, or use your fingers to rub it together.
- Add yoghurt, oil, egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture.
- Add dry ingredients, such as flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until the flour is absorbed. Don’t overmix.
- Mix up the glaze while the cake is baking.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes, then put it onto a wire cooling rack.
- Brush the cake with glaze until it soaks into the cake, both the top and the sides.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
