Lemon Yogurt Cake

I had some yogurt that needed to be used and I'm so happy it was used to make this yummy lemon cake.  My house smelled delicious while it was baking and I could hardly wait for it to cool before slicing into it right before dinner (I told myself it was a light appetizer).  It was perfectly lemony and light.  Instead of baking the cake in one loaf pan, I used ramekins to make mini cakes and then the rest of the batter I baked in a smaller loaf pan.  I watched as the cake sat on my kitchen counter tempting my little family to slice a piece each time one of us would walk through the kitchen.  It's lemony goodness was too hard to resist and so we sliced (sometimes only a half a piece only to return soon after for the other half) until nothing remained but crumbs.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

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 cup sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat 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 a medium sized bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, 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 toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture is clear.  Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for ten minutes.  Carefully remove cake from pan and place on a cooling rack.  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 in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Pour glaze over cake once the cake has cooled.

*Instead of making the cake in the size of loaf pan used in the recipe, I used a smaller loaf pan and then used a few ramekins to make little mini cakes that turned out super cute and fun.

Recipe from Ina Garten