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This easy Lemon Yogurt Cake is a quick bread made with yogurt (Greek or regular) and lots of fresh lemon zest. Itโs moist, delicious, and itโs baked in under an hour.
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This sunny Lemon Yogurt Cake has a bright citrus flavor and a soft sweetness that makes it perfect for brunch, afternoon snacking, and if anyone is up for it, tea time. Adding yogurt to the batter increases the fluffy texture and moisture in the cake which makes an absolutely delicious loaf.
Double the recipe for two loaves so you have an extra to give away to a friend, neighbor, or family member who needs some extra lemon in their life. Or, tuck it away in the freezer for a future Saturday morning when youโre craving a little lemon flavor yourself.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Baking powder:ย Instead of yeast, quick breads such as loaf breads, muffins, biscuits, and scones use chemical leavening agents, in this case baking powder (baking soda is another example).
- Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or even French yogurt.
- Lemons: Always zest your lemons before you cut them open to juice. Itโs much harder to zest half of a lemon!
- Vegetable oil:ย Avocado oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all neutral-flavored oils that will work here.ย
Step-by-step instructions
- Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat aย 9-inch loaf panย with nonstick spray and line withย parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: 1 cup sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, and pure vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in batches, whisking to incorporate after each addition.ย Fold in oil with a rubber spatula and stir carefully until uniformly combined.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50-60 minutes. The cake should be fragrant and spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come back clean with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes.ย
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) until smooth.
- Using a sharp knife, slice around the inside of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a sheet pan or baking rack. Slowly drizzle lemon-sugar mixture over the top.
- Cool cake completely. The glaze will harden in 20 to 30 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: 1 loaf cake makes about 8 slices.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Order of operations: The lemon glaze can be made while the cake is baking. Leave the glaze at room temperature.ย
- Lemon syrup: For a stronger lemon flavor, cook โ cup lemon juice and โ cup sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Pour or brush this lemon syrup over the cake while itโs still warm, before adding the glaze.
- Extra-large eggs: The recipe calls for 4 large extras, but you can substitute 3 extra-large eggs instead.
- Orange Cake: Substitute orange juice and orange zest for the lemon juice and the lemon zest for a lovely orange-flavored loaf.
- Olive Oil Cake: This easy Lemon Olive Oil Cake is soft, moist, and 100% vegan. Itโs a thoughtful addition to a potluck or picnic menu or a great loaf cake for a weekend brunch.
- Lemon Bundt Cake: This amazingย Lemon Bundt Cakeย uses two secret ingredients (cake mix and instant pudding) to make the easiest, most delicious lemon cake youโve ever had.
- Lemon Cake with Limoncello Cream: Topped with a sweet lemony glaze, Limoncello whipped cream, and plenty of fresh berries, this Lemon Yogurt Cake is a bakery-quality dessert recipe that youโll turn to time and time again.
- Lemon Blueberry Cake: This deliciousย Lemon Blueberry Cakeย is a bundt cake made from a boxed mix and either fresh or frozen blueberries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does yogurt do in a cake?
Adding yogurt to cake batter increases the fluffiness and moisture in the cake which makes an absolutely delicious loaf. In a pinch, you can use sour cream or buttermilk instead of the yogurt.
What size is a loaf pan?
There can be slight variations, but look for an 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch by 2-inch loaf pan.
More luscious lemon desserts
Cake Recipes
Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Eats
Lemon Squares
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Lemon Meringue Pie
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
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Lemon Yogurt Cake
This easy Lemon Yogurt Cake is a quick bread made with yogurt (Greek or regular) and lots of fresh lemon zest. It's moist, delicious, and it bakes in under an hour.
Ingredientsย
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (see note 1)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek, see note 2)
- 4 eggs
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest (see note 3)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (see note 4)
For the powdered sugar icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Instructionsย
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in batches, whisking to incorporate after each addition.ย Fold in oil and stir carefully until uniformly combined. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50-60 minutes. The cake should be fragrant and spring back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes.ย
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) until smooth.
- Using a sharp knife, slice around the inside of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a large plate. Slowly drizzle glaze over the top. Cool cake completely. The glaze will harden in 20 to 30 minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Baking powder:ย Instead of yeast, quick breads such as loaf breads, muffins, biscuits, and scones use chemical leavening agents, in this case baking powder (baking soda is another example).
- Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or even French yogurt.
- Lemons: Always zest your lemons before you cut them open to juice. Itโs much harder to zest half of a lemon!
- Vegetable oil: Avocado oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all neutral-flavored oils that will work here.ย
- Yield: 1 loaf cake makes about 8 slices.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 470kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 225mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 2mg
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The powdered sugar for icing conversion to metric is wrong. If 2 cups is accurate amount required, then that converts to about 230-240 gm depending on whether sifted or not. Drastic difference. And 1/4 cup lemon juice would be 60-65gm. Not sure why the miscalculations.
Hi Steph, thank you for noticing and taking the time to write. There is a program that does the conversions, Iโll look into it. Thank you again! โ Meggan
Very good. Made mine with 1:1 gluten free flour, and lime because I didnโt have lemon. I also often bake with mild flavor olive oil as I did here, and it works great! Baked in glass loaf pan, in toaster oven (my actual oven is a drag to use). Really yummy. One quibble, I think thereโs a mistake in the wording of the heading info. It easily took me 30 minutes to make it, then another 55 minutes to bake (as recommended in the wording of the recipe which says 50-60 minutes to bake, as opposed to title saying under an hour), so itโs really almost an hour and a half total. Not a problem for me, just misleading. Recommended!
Thank you so much Elizabeth for your thoughtful comment. I noticed there definitely is a mistake in the time in the recipe, likely due to when it was changed from a round cake to a loaf. Iโll look into it and correct it asap. Thank you so much again, I appreciate the time you took to share. โ Meggan
This is my third time making this cake and itโs delicious.
Very easy and quick to make, I havenโt tried it with blueberries yet. I highly recommend this recipe.
Thank you Kasia! โ Meggan
Hey There. I found your blog just now. This is a really well presented. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
You officially decided my Easter dessert! Thank you for that and for the Limencello replacement suggestion. Iโve tried and tried to give Limencello a chance but we have agreed to disagree. ๐
Thank you, Sarah! I think itโs great to know what you like and donโt like. Makes these things so much easier! Happy Easter and thanks again. ๐
This looks so bright and fresh! Definitely pinning!
Thank you so much Patrick!
Do you think this would keep in the fridge two days without getting smushy if itโs well covered?
Hi Judy! I think it would probably be okay. Homemade whipped cream usually lasts 2-3 days in the fridge. What I would do is keep the whipped cream in a separate container (and also keep the berries separate) and assemble it when you need it. So store everything in the fridge separately. That would be your best bet. If you need to assemble it 2 days in advance for some reason, Iโd at least keep the berries aside. I hope this helps! Thanks for your question.
One more suggestion: Get an instant-read thermometer and measure the internal temperature of your baked goods into the center in several places โ depending on the moisture of the batter used, toothpicks or straws donโt always work well. Digital thermometers are inexpensive and, for me, indispensable. I use either CIA, Taylor or ThermoWorks products. Since all ovenโs are not created equal, check the commonly used temperatures of your oven with a GOOD thermometer. 200ยฐ (if you bake cheesecake low and slow like I do) 225ยฐ, 250ยฐ, 275ยฐ, 325ยฐ, 350ยฐ, 375ยฐ, 400ยฐ, 425ยฐ and 450ยฐ. See if your settings are really correct and at least eliminate one variable.
Hey all you bakers out there hereโs what Iโve learned: This may not be a new fact but with some ovens, you may have to turn the item half-way thru baking to ensure even cooking throughout. Get a GOOD oven thermometer and put it inside close to your item to ensure youโre baking at the the correct temperature.
I bake gluten-free and itโs touchy but leaving it in a cooling oven for an additional 15 โ 20 minutes will ofttimes finish the inside without over baking it. Not enough lemon taste? Add more lemon โ Iโve found that citrus taste, like chili heat, diminishes somewhat with cooking heat. Everybodyโs idea of โrightโ is different and it takes playing with a recipe to make it work for you. Anyone who does not play with a recipe while making it, is missing out on all the fun of DIY. Adjusting seasonings will seldom ruin it. Taste before throwing it into the oven. Gosh, itโs what, $1.00 worth of ingredients, and electricity at most plus an hour of time? A teaspoon or two here or there wonโt make a spit of difference in the finish, unless itโs a delicate French recipe. Remember that, depending on the sensitivity of your tastebuds, the yogurt will somewhat overpower the sweet-tart of the lemon-sugar . Thatโs my story and Iโm sticking to it. ๐
If this is an application to be a the Food Editor on my site, consider yourself hired! LOL! But seriously, everything you say is spot-on. As always. Thanks for contributing your genius.