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’s baked in under an hour.

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 you’re craving a little lemon flavor yourself.

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: 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. It’s 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. 

Step-by-step instructions

1. Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with 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.

2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in batches, whisking to incorporate after each addition. Fold in oil with a rubber spatula and stir carefully until uniformly combined.

3. Pour into prepared pan.

4. 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. 

5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) until smooth.

6. 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.

7. 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. 
• Lemon syrup: For a stronger lemon flavor, cook ⅓ cup lemon juice and ⅓ 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 it’s 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. It’s a thoughtful addition to a potluck or picnic menu or a great loaf cake for a weekend brunch.
• Lemon Bundt Cake: This amazing Lemon Bundt Cake uses two secret ingredients (cake mix and instant pudding) to make the easiest, most delicious lemon cake you’ve 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 you’ll turn to time and time again.
• Lemon Blueberry Cake: This delicious Lemon Blueberry Cake is a bundt cake made from a boxed mix and either fresh or frozen blueberries.

More luscious lemon desserts

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Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

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Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake

Lemon Yogurt Cake

By Meggan Hill

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.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Cooling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 470

5 from 21 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

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)

Instructions 

• Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
• 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. 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. 
• 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

1. Baking powder: 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).
2. Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or even French yogurt.
3. Lemons: Always zest your lemons before you cut them open to juice. It’s much harder to zest half of a lemon!
4. Vegetable oil: Avocado oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all neutral-flavored oils that will work here. 
5. Yield: 1 loaf cake makes about 8 slices.
6. 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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