Lemon Yogurt Cake

Hi everyone! My name is Danae and I’m the blogger over at Recipe Runner! I’m so excited to be over here at Coffee Cups and Crayons sharing a delicious spring treat with you! Today I’m sharing my recipe for Lemon Yogurt Cake.

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be more excited that spring is here. Living in Colorado our winters aren’t awful, we still get tons of sunshine, but I’m looking forward to packing away the coats and snow boots and pulling out the shorts and sundresses. I’m loving that the tulip and daffodil bulbs in my front yard are blooming and that there are buds returning to the trees. Before you know it everything that was brown and dormant will be bursting with color!

One of my favorite things to cook and bake with in spring are lemons. I love their bright color, that fresh citrusy flavor they give food, and their amazing smell! When we were living in Arizona we had a huge lemon tree in our backyard that was so full of lemons the branches would be sagging almost to the ground. I can’t even tell you how many pieces of grilled lemon chicken, lemon bars, glasses of lemonade, and slices of this lemon yogurt cake we ate. While I miss my lemon tree dearly, I don’t miss the 110 degree Arizona summers! I’ll gladly buy my lemons at the grocery store here in Colorado for perfect summers.

Back to this delicious ultra moist lemon yogurt cake! This cake is so healthy it almost seems wrong to call it cake. Most of the butter in the cake has been replaced with plain non fat Greek yogurt. As you get to know me and my blog, you’ll discover that Greek yogurt is a staple in my cooking and baking. Not only does it cut out extra fat, but it adds wonderful moisture to this cake.

I also added a generous amount of whole wheat pastry flour to the cake. I promise you won’t even notice that it’s been added, but your body will thank you for the whole grains! This loaf cake not only has lemon in the cake, but also has a lemon syrup that is poured over the top of it while it is still warm AND a delicious lemon glaze. The cake is perfect to serve with Easter brunch or as dessert after Easter dinner. I love this cake because not only does it scream spring, but it’s light enough that I can have a couple slices without any guilt. Enjoy!

Yield: 1 loaf

Lemon Yogurt Cake

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This moist, sweet, lemony loaf cake is lightened up with creamy Greek yogurt!

Ingredients

Lemon Yogurt Cake

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Syrup

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, spray and flour the pan.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a smaller bowl whisk together the yogurt, egg, egg whites, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and melted butter.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together until everything is incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to finish cooling on a wire rack.
8. While the cake is cooling in the pan cook 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
9. Place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper underneath the wire cooling rack then remove the cake from the pan and place it on top of the rack.
10. Drizzle the lemon syrup over the warm cake then allow the cake to cool completely.
11. While the cake is cooling whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in a small bowl.
12. Once the cake is completely cooled drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake.

More Lemon Recipes: 

Lemon Baked Donut Holes with Lemon Sugar

Strawberry Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Dip