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Lovely Lemon Cake Recipe
By: Odette Williams
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 ¼ c
all-purpose flour
3 tsp
baking powder
½ tsp
salt
2
eggs, at room temperature
¾ c
grapeseed oil or any mild-flavored oil
1 c
plain Greek full-fat yogurt
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
⅓ c
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c
granulated sugar
Yogurt Whipped Cream
½ c
plain Greek yogurt
½ c
heavy cream, chilled
1 tbsp
sifted confectioners' sugar
Berry Crumble
½ c
all-purpose flour
¼ c
light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ tsp
salt
4 ½ tbsp
cold unsalted butter, diced
2 c
blueberries
Nana's Simple Glaze
1 c
confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp
unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp
freshly squeezed juice of a lemon, orange, lime, blood orange, or grapefruit, according to your taste.
Lovely Lemon Cake Recipe
By: Odette Williams
I’ve always loved the combination of lemon and yogurt in my cakes. One bowl and a whisk are all you need to make this lovely, nurturing cake that makes everyone happy. I’ve adapted this recipe from the French classic gâteau au yaourt. I understand that it is one of the few cakes the French bake at home. If you have a petit chef, this is the perfect recipe to introduce them to baking.
Variations:
- Substitute lime, orange, blood orange, or ruby grapefruit for the lemon. Fold in or sprinkle seasonal fruit on top of cake. Pop in poppy seeds for some crunch.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
- Slice the 9-inch round cake horizontally through the center to make two layers and slather with Yogurt Whipped Cream (recipe below). Dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
- Berry Crumble Yogurt Cake: Sprinkle Berry Crumble (recipe below) on top of the batter and bake in a 10-inch springform pan for 50 to 55 min.
- Drizzle with a citrus glaze (recipe below).
1 9-by-5-inch loaf cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter, line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
- Place a large sifter or a sieve in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and sift.
- In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, yogurt, zest, lemon juice, and sugar until combined.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Cover the top with tinfoil after 30 minutes if it's browning too quickly, or turn the oven down slightly.
- When a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake bounces back when lightly pressed, remove the cake from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the cake to gently release.
- Peel off the parchment paper from the sides. Invert the cake, peel off the bottom piece of parchment paper, and cool on a wire rack.
Yogurt Whipped Cream
- Pour the cream into a large, cold metal bowl. If adding any flavoring (yogurt and confectioners' sugar), add it now. Using a balloon whisk, begin to whisk the cream until it has doubled in volume, has smooth soft peaks, and is light and fluffy. Add some finely grated zest for a delicious tang.
Berry Crumble
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the butter and work it between your fingers until you have pea-size crumbles. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- With the cake batter already in the prepared pan, sprinkle the crumble on top of the batter.
- Bake according to the recipe's directions, adding a few minutes more to the suggested baking time. If the top is browning too quickly, turn the oven down slightly or cover the top of the cake with tinfoil. Bake until lightly browned, crisp, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Nana's Simple Glaze
- Sift the confectioners' sugar into a small mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the sugar and add the butter. Pour the freshly squeezed juice onto the butter. Adjust the consistency by adding a little more juice. Add finely grated zest to boost the flavor.
Reprinted with permission from Simple Cake by Odette Williams, copyright © 2019. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc.
Odette Williams
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