Sweet lemon yogurt cake has it all- a moist crumb, delicate lemon flavor and a fresh glaze to top it off. Perfect for teatime or dessert, this crowd-pleasing dessert is easy to make with simple ingredients!
Tangy citrus fruit desserts like my key lime pie, Blueberry Lemon Loaf, and lemon shortbread bars are perfect for springtime. What I love about this loaf cake, beyond the taste, is the glorious no-fail rise. The finished texture is a light, tender crumb rather than a dense pound cake.
Simple enough to whip up on a whim, the ingredient list is short and sweet. It’s one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make, but I do have some tips from the trenches since I’ve been baking this for years.
Ingredients and Notes
The ingredients are common pantry staples. Better yet? No fancy kitchen equipment required. Back to basics with bowls and a whisk.
- Lemons – I use 3-4 lemons to create both the zest and the juice. If you skip the lemon syrup after baking, you only need 2 lemons.
- Greek yogurt – I’ve used both whole milk yogurt and regular plain Greek yogurt without issue.
- All-purpose flour – I sift the flour if it is particularly clumpy, but it is always a good idea.
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs are always best for baking. We use the whole egg in this recipe, large eggs or extra-large is fine.
- Sugar – This recipe calls for white sugar for the cake and confectioner’s sugar for the glaze. You could try a sugar substitute like honey or coconut sugar, but I have not done so.
- A simple glaze - Make it by stirring together powdered sugar and lemon juice. So easy!
- 5×9 inch Loaf pan and Parchment Paper – You can use a slightly smaller pan or a well-greased & floured Bundt pan, but the baking times will need adjusting.
How This Cake Comes Together
Lemon Yogurt Cake hails from France where savvy home bakers used glass yogurt containers to measure cake ingredients. However, I use classic American measuring cups and weigh my flour. The full instructions are featured in the recipe card at the bottom, but here’s a visual guide to demonstrate how easy this recipe comes together!
- Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl. (photo 1)
- In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients minus the vegetable oil. Add the zest. (photo 2)
- Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. Use a rubber spatula to fold the vegetable oil into the cake batter. (photo 3)
- Pour batter into greased & parchment paper lined pan. (photo 4) Tilt batter slightly to each side before baking to encourage the cake to rise evenly rather than dome. I use parchment paper because it creates handles to lift the cake out of the pan to cool.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over top of cake after it has cooled.
Chef Tip: Fold vegetable oil in last rather than whisking it in with the other wet ingredients. Oil tends to coat the zest and can interfere with the rise process if it’s added in too early.
Want More Lemon Flavor?
As written, this cake has a beautiful balance of sugar sweetened lemon. But I know some readers see citrus and instantly crave that lip puckering, unapologetically tart flavor. For a punch of bold flavor, add this syrup soak.
Optional Lemon Syrup
- Mix ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar in a small pan.
- Stir gently over medium-low heat burner until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and lift out of the loaf pan within 10 minutes. Turn upside down and ladle or brush the syrup mixture on.
- Allow the mixture to soak in for a few minutes before turning right side up to cool completely.
- At this point choose whether to use the glaze to ice your cake as well.
Garnish Ideas
- Lemon zest sprinkled on top.
- Lemon rind curls.
- Chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts.
- Sliced fruit like citrus, strawberries, or blueberries.
Serving and Storage
Storage: I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap after cooling to keep it moist and in a domed cake travel carrier at room temperature. I store it in the microwave, (mostly so I don't eat the whole thing), but that's simply my personal preference. When stored properly, this cake lasts about 4 days.
Make Ahead/Freezing: The loaf itself can easily be made a day or two in advance. It also freezes well! I like to freeze individual slices. Makes it simple to quickly satisfy a craving when it strikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Its creamy consistency helps keep cake moist while its natural acidity activates the baking soda for a fluffy, light crumb. It is mildly sweet while the tang of the yogurt works well with flavors like citrus, blueberry, and vanilla.
No, you don’t need to refrigerate the cake. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or store in a secure cake box in a cool, dry place for up to four days.
Citrus juice loses some of its strength as it cooks. However, zest survives both cooking and baking, offering the bright properties of the fruit without the acidic punch.
Yes. If you’re making that swap, plan to cut your ingredient measurements in half. For example: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = ½ teaspoon of lemon extract.
Yes, this cake works beautifully in a Bundt pan as well as a loaf pan. Just make sure to grease with butter and flour all the edges of the Bundt pan.
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Lemon Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 212g, scoop and level to measure
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Optional Lemon Syrup Soak (see note below)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Sliced lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Use parchment paper or grease and flour the inside of a 5×9 loaf pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. Then, using a spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a baking rack lined with a baking sheet. If you want more even more lemon flavor, see the note below to add a sweetened lemon syrup soak into the cake.
- after the cake is completely cooled, you can add a white glaze. For the glaze, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Wait a few minutes slightly thickened. Drizzle over the cake.
Recipe Notes
- Mix ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar in a small pan. Stir gently over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear.
- Remove the cake from the oven and lift out of the loaf pan within 10 minutes. Turn upside down and ladle or brush the lemon syrup mixture on.
- Allow the mixture to soak in for a few minutes before turning right side up to cool completely.
- At this point choose whether to use the lemon glaze to ice your cake as well.
Kim says
I just mixed up this cake, it’s baking, but I don’t see where to add the lemon juice into the cake batter. Is it missing from instructions?
Rachel says
It’s part of the lemon soak after baking if you want to, but I can absolutely see how that is unclear. I adjusted the instructions.
Anna says
Made this for a work event and all the lemon lovers raved about it.
Diane says
The texture was perfect top to bottom.
natasha says
Made it twice so far & everyone loved it!
eden says
easy to make. Absolutely delicious, texture has just the right density
Brice says
this is the best lemon loaf ever! The only thing I change is just a bit more sugar in the glaze. Other than that, it’s perfect.
Alleena says
So delicious! I upped the lemon and did 3TBS lemon zest and 5 TBS lemon juice!
Shepherd says
Came out so well!
Chandler says
Great recipe!
gale says
I forgot to add oil! It still came out Good.
dilian says
Absolutely fabulous!
Leah says
Going to definitely make this again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Clayton says
Not overly sweet, perfect lemon flavor! Will definitely make this again! Thank you!
hunter says
Will make again and again. Perfect lemon flavor and moist cake! My kids devoured this cake. Made 2 cakes and they were gone in 3 days.