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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Lemon Yogurt Cake



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Oh, what a tangled web we weave...." I had not intended to post an Ina Garten recipe today. Don't get me wrong. I love Ina and the only reason I don't feature more of her recipes is that we all have her books and actively cook from them. You don't need me to tell you how good she is. Chances are you have already made this lovely loaf cake and aren't interested in seeing yet another take on it. Mea culpa, but after a quick walk through my day you'll see how the unintended came to be and why you are looking at this lemon yogurt cake for the gazillionth time since the recipe for it was first published. Ready? I had yogurt in the refrigerator and needed the space it was holding for a batch of mascarpone that needed to be chilled. I was also looking for several breads or simple cakes that could be used as fillers on our Easter brunch table, making it look more abundant that it actually would be. I thought it would be great if I could find at least one recipe that used the yogurt I needed to get rid of. Genius moves in great broad strokes like that. I spent some time searching and found three candidates, all were simple to make and all would free the space I needed. I zeroed in on one and set to work, but as I was mixing wet and dry ingredients I had an eerie sense that I had done this all before. I'd past the point of no return, so I carried on and put the cake into the oven, more sure than ever that I had made this cake before. I reread the blog from which the recipe came but could find no reference to another source. I checked my blog to see if I had posted this before. A final key word search finally got me to Ina's recipe on the Food Network. I made this recipe back in 2006 and even though I feel a little foolish, at least I can credit Ina with its development. It is a nice cake and if you are a lemon-head you will enjoy this moist cake. I hope that any of you who have not yet tried it will give this recipe shot. Here's Ina's recipe.

Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-1/2 by 4-1/4 by 2-1/2-inch loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour pan.
2) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extract. Slowly whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold vegetable oil into batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in center of the loaf comes out clean.
3) Meanwhile, cook 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
4) When cake is done, allow it to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While cake is still warm, pour lemon-sugar mixture over cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
5) For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over cake. Let sit till set. Yield: 1 loaf (8 to 10 slices).









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58 comments:

  1. ohhh.. I would soooo have this for breakfast!!! Beautiful pictures;)

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  2. Your cake looks soft, moist and tender. I love lemon cakes and I can tell that this is really good, as most of Ina's recipes are! Have a nice day!

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  3. Mary, thank you for your always kind comments! I'm glad to visit today because I was given a large box of homegrown lemons. Lemon cake and limoncello look good!

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  4. Yummy and aromatic!I can smell the refreshing scent of lemon!Greetings,dear!

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  5. This has everything I need :) Lovely cake!

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  6. This lemon yogurt cake looks lovely & moist. A great tea time treat! :)

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  7. This cake sounds amazing, I love lemon! I've also never baked with yogurt, I'm bookmarking it:@)

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  8. I think you could count me as a lemon-head. I adore citrus flavors in anything and adore is the word I would use for Ina also. Funny, I have all of her books but have never made this cake. Thank you for bringing it to my attention Mary. It would be a lovely addition to a spring dinner.
    Sam

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  9. thanks mary - i think all of us enjoy looking at a beautiful lemon cake like this even if it may be the gazillionst time :-). never fails to make me dreamy.

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  10. I love lemon and also yoghurt so this is a must for me. Thanks Mary, have a great day. Diane

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  11. This is just the recipe I was looking for today. Perfect to take to Bible study tomorrow. Thanks!

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  12. I love yogourt cakes. They are moist just like I love it! Plus, with de taste of lemon, we can't go wrong!

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  13. I am passing this one on to me mom, who still loves baking cakes. She'll love it ( and so will I )
    :)
    Laura

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  14. I always love your stories behind the recipes ... and this one is great.

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  15. How can anyone go wrong with anything "lemon" ! My husbands favorite.

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  16. It's o.k. that you reposted this since we love lemon and our memories are short--not to mention that it is a delicious addition to an Easter brunch table.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  17. This is one of our favorites and like Ina says on her show -- there almost always is one in the freezer at Linderhof -- I've even made minis! This cake is just THE BEST!

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  18. Hi Mary,
    I love lemon cake. Its one of my favourites and yours looks so yummy!!
    Cheers,
    Lia.

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  19. I love it when a plan comes together :) I for one am very glad you posted this recipe. The cake looks so wonderfully moist and perfect! And lemon? Well that is the next best thing to chocolate in my book!

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  20. I ditto this.
    I was looking for something for tonight, for all the same reasons. The only way I can buy whole milk yogurt in my market is by the quart and I have half to still use. This is perfect, thanks for reminding me why I love to visit your site.

    "va tutto bene"

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  21. A lovely moist cake…I would so love a piece of that right now!

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  22. This recipe is new to me and it looks fantastic! I love a good moist, pound cake and the addition of lemon just seals the deal! Thanks!~

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  23. This brings back sweet memories for me. This was one of my mom's special cakes that she always made...We called it Mam Maw's cake.
    Miss my mom and miss this cake.
    Have a great day..

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  24. I love this cake and actually made a vanilla bean version. Of all the food network cooks, I think I like Ina's stuff best. Here is the link to the vanilla bean version, which I think is just as good as the lemon one! http://mykitchenadventures1.blogspot.com/2011/02/vanilla-bean-yogurt-cake.html

    Have a lovely day, Mary!!!

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  25. Resounding YES, I am a lemon-head and delighted to have this recipe!

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  26. An Ina recipe is always appropriate, want her life and not her waistline . . . I think I've replaced oil in most of my recipes at this point for yogurt, love it in baked goods especially with lemon!

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  27. My motto is "great things are worth repeating". I think the kitchen gods really wanted you to make this cake again anyway. It sure is a keeper.

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  28. O.K. Mary, you get the last apple. I would like an invitation to partake of whatever you create using that apple.

    Thanks for your kind words on my photo. Those flowers are from our Japanese Quince. They are so lovely and so fleeting!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  29. Dear Mary, Know need to worry, like Frank Sinatra sang, "love is lovelier the second time around", so is this cake!! Blessings my dearest, Catherine xoxo

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  30. Oh yes, I've had similar days for sure! I'm glad you posted this cake again because I'm not familiar with it and it looks fabulous! Wish I was a guest at your Easter table .......... or at least a mouse scavenging the scraps under the table :)

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  31. What a lovely cake...looks so moist...I love everything lemony so my kind of cake...bookmarking this :-) No I do not have Ina's cookbook, so when you share her recipes I am not bored...reading your blog am feeling inspired to buy her book :-)

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  32. That looks about right for the craving I'm feeling! Haven't been eating a lot of baked sugary things but if this were in front of me I'd definitley have to have a piece. Or two! Looks wonderful, Mary!

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  33. Es una delicia aromática me encanta ..limón y yogurt una buenísima combinación y un color perfecto... quiero probar un trozo,abrazos hugs,hugs.

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  34. Love this cake Mary, look awesome, xxx gloria

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  35. The cake has so smooth and fine crumb. Wonderful!

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  36. I have already done it. Very good cake.
    See soon

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  37. I haven't made this one yet, but it's probably in the top three of her recipes that I'm looking forward to making. And when I finally bake it, I'll post it too!

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  38. Looks so very tempting! :-)

    How wonderful that you were able to give Ina Garten the well-earned dues.

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  39. Sometimes good tried and true recipes are worth repeating! I like seeing things come up and around again, then it reminds us that we aleady have it on our "to make" list. :) I still have a couple of lemons on my tree I might just have to make this!

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  40. wuau ficou super fofinho adorei o interior que esta 5* bjs

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  41. One of my first roommates in college gave me a recipe for lemon bread that is much like this except for two parts. Mine does not call for the yogurt. So I will try yours. This has been extremely popular with the grandchildren. One even asked for it as his birthday cake. The other difference is that when we were to put on the glaze, we were to take a toothpick and poke holes all over the top before pouring it on. I think this is the real reason the kids loved it.

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  42. This looks wonderful!!! They have lemon pound cake at Starbucks, and I like to get a slice from time to time. But I know this would be ten times better!

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  43. A friend makes this when she knows we are coming to visit. Now I don't have to wait for an invitation to her home to have this lemon cake. Thank you Mary.

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  44. Ha, very nice with my cup of tea, possibly without the glaze for me :-).

    Ciao
    Alessandra

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  45. Are we on the same wave length?? Funny. I've made Ina's cake....think I served blueberry sauce on it. It was fabulous....I like the texture of hers better than Sophie's, but liked the orange flavor better.

    BTW: Sophy Dahl is Roald Dahl's daughter. Am sure you've read many of his amazing stories.

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  46. I want that slice :) Beautiful recipe, Mary...us always. This cake looks so moist and delicate! Love the flavors of lemon :) HUGS <3

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  47. I LOVE lemon quickbreads and can't believe I haven't tried this one of Ina's! It looks so good.

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  48. I don't have Ina's cookbook, I know shocker! So this is totally new to me and I have to say, it looks so delicious! I love lemon in baked goods, it gives everything such a nice tang. The yogurt keeps whatever you're making really nice and moist which is great. This recipe looks fabulous, I'll have to give it a try :)

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  49. Yum yum...Love lemon yoghurt cake! Best of all it's so easy to make!

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  50. I am making this. Today! Thanks, Mary!

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  51. You can never see too much lemon cake or Ina recipes in my book! It looks fabulous and perfect for a spring day. ;-)

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  52. Mary,

    This looks delicious. It's on my list of cakes to make since I'm a lemon lover. I have made the Dorie Greenspan yogurt cake, which Ina says was the inspiration for this cake, which is also luscious.

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  53. Thanks for visiting my blog today! This cake caught my eye when I came to check out your blog (I know I've been here before, actually, I remember the fork!) because I love to bake above everything else. It made me smile to read about how you unknowingly made a recipe you've made before. For shame that the person who posted it didn't give credit where it was due! But I suppose making this cake twice couldn't really be a bad thing, even if you did have to research a little to find out where it came from. I love the sound of a lemon yogurt cake, and it looks so moist. Yum.

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