I have had all week off, because of some very unexpected snow days, and though I have been quite productive, I have not done ANY baking. So, tonight, after dinner, I finally got an itch to bake, and I set into making a lemon yogurt cake (after a quite trip to the store to pick up some eggs that I waved off buying earlier today with a comment, "I don't think we will need any eggs this week." pshaw!). I saw Ina Garten make this cake last week on food network, and have been thinking about it ever since. Though it is still in the oven baking, the batter was delicious, and I decided to make a post (since I have all but abandoned this little blog as my adventures in student teaching has begun). There are two beauties of this cake. First, it is made from things my fridge generally contains. The only things you might not have on hand are two lemons and plain yogurt (though if you bake frequently, plain yogurt is a must have). Second, the cake is virtually mess free! Everything I used to make the cake is already neatly tucked into the dishwasher (1 bowl, two measuring cups and a teaspoon, fork, spatula, lemon juicer, and loaf pan). All in all, not very many dishes, which pleased me very much because we (husband and I) have already done the dishes three times today (what with leftover dishes from yesterday, cleaning out the fridge, and dinner dishes...yikes!). This being said, I encourage you to try this cake. It's so easy you could whip it up on a weeknight, like me, or for unexpected guests, or whenever it catches your fancy. Here is the recipe:
Lemon-Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon 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
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the glaze (I omitted this)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan. Sift
together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.
