The French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake is Simply Delicious

I have been on a mission to find a cake recipe that is not only easy and quick to make but also delivers on flavour while remaining deliciously moist. After countless hours of research - yay for Google! - I came across The French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake. This lemon yogurt cake stands apart from others with its simplistic method and soft moist crumb. 

You might be wondering why it is called the "French grandmother's" lemon yogurt cake. the story goes that Grandmother's in France added yogurt to their cakes for added moisture and then measured their remaining cake ingredients with the glass yogurt jar. Unlike North America, yogurt in France is sold in adorable little glass pots. The yogurt is cultured in the little glass jars that they are sold in. Each little yogurt class jar is approximately 1/2 Cup in measurement. So one jar of yogurt, two jars of sugar, 3 jars of flour, 1 jar of oil etc! 

If you are looking for the thick creamy traditional pot-set French yogurt, I am sure you can find some at the bougie grocery stores like Whole Foods, but for the purposes of simplicity, I just used regular plain yogurt. Greek yogurt can be used too, but I have never been a fan of it because I find Greek yogurt to have a very dry mouthfeel. 

I frosted my cake with sweetened whip cream; however, the French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt cake would be completely fine on its own. The lemon glaze adds loads of flavour, so you hardly need the additional frosting or in my case the whip. It would definitely make a lovely tea accompaniment. 

CAKE:

1/2  cup plain yogurt

1     cup granulated sugar

3     large eggs

1.5  cups all-purpose flour

2     tsp baking powder

1/2  tsp salt

1     lemon's zest

1/2  cup neutral oil

GLAZE:

1/4  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4  cup powdered sugar

Oven: 350 ºF

Bake: 30 - 40 minutes 

1. Combine yogurt, sugar and eggs. Mix until blended. 

2. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest and stir until just mixed.

3. Stream in the oil. Do not panic if the batter begins to look like it is separating. Just keep mixing and it will come together as a luscious smooth batter. 

4. Pour your batter into a greased and parchment-lined pan of your choosing (8-inch is perfect). Bake at 350 ºF for 30 - 40 minutes or until the sponge springs back.

5. Cool your cake for 10 minutes and flip it out onto a wire rack. 
6. If you want to glaze your cake, this is the time to do it. Combine the fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar until there are zero lumps. Brush it onto the cake and keep going until you have used up all of your lemon glaze. Do not forget to brush the sides! 

BYES