For The Love Of Lemons!!!

I am not a baker!  Don’t get me wrong I can bake, I just don’t like to.  Baking requires that you stick to the recipe, the measurements…basically baking is like colouring between the lines and I’m an outside of the lines kind of gal!

But fear not, I’ve come up with a cake recipe that works every time whether I measure or just eyeball it, whether I mix up the ingredients list or not!  Oh and did I mention it is delicious!!!!  My husband asks for this over and over and over.  I call it Citrus Yogurt Cake and I’ve made it with lemons, limes, oranges, etc.  I’ve added nuts, chocolate chips, you name it…this is one versatile cake.  It is similar in density to a pound cake yet somehow still light and spongy and oh so moist! 

Today’s version is a basic lemon.  Now here is where I could go off about lemons, one of my top 5 ingredients for sure and a staple in my kitchen.  I use lemons everyday, no exaggeration.  But I digress.  (Again find recipe, written in standard recipe form, at the bottom.)  So here’s how we do….

First take all your ingredients out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature.  I may not be big on baking but I know the tricks and this is the big one.  Always, ALWAYS bring your ingredients to room temperature when baking.  It’s the biggest reason baking recipes don’t turn out! Next turn your oven on to 350 degrees to get preheating, this cake comes together uber fast.  In fact it is so quick and easy I can’t even be bothered to use my stand mixer. 

Next butter and grease a loaf pan.

Grab a bowl and sift together 1 1/2 cups of flour and 2 tsps of baking powder.  Don’t skip this step or your cake might be lumpy and gross, in fact don’t ever skip this step in any recipe that calls for sifting.  If you are going to use unsalted butter add 1/2 tsp of kosher salt in here too.  Personally I don’t bake enough to be bothered buying unsalted butter. 

Now grab another bowl and whisk together 1 cup (hint: 1/2 a large container) of yogurt (flavour of your choice, this is where you can really get into mixing and matching, today I used organic vanilla), 1 cup of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tsp real vanilla extract (or mix it up and try almond extract, etc) and 2 tsps citrus zest (hint: the zest of 2 lemons).

Now here is where I could go on and on about how everyone needs a good rasp in their kitchen tools collection but I won’t, lol! 

Ok now pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and whisk slowly just until combined.  Melt 1/2 cup of butter and add, again mix just until combined. 

Why, you ask, does the butter go in last…well if it’s too hot and you add to the wet ingredients you run the risk of scrambling the eggs and if you add to the dry ingredients you’ll likely get a lumpy mess.  But add it to the mix and all is well with the world. 

 

It may seem wet for a cake mix but I assure you it’s not.  Ok so now just pour it into your buttered and floured pan.

Throw in the oven for about 1 hr or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While the cake is baking make the simple syrup to go on top.  Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and “water” heated just until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear.  In this case the liquid is lemon juice. 

So in a saucepan combine 1/3 cup of sugar with 1/3 cup of lemon juice (hint: the juice of one large lemon) and cook over low heat just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Do not walk away while making this, if left to heat too long it will turn into caramel!  Set aside.

When the cake is done, remove from oven and allow it to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Flip out on a plate and stab it all over with a skewer, this helps the syrup flavour get right down into the cake not just sit on top. 

While the cake is still warm, pour the syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in. I flip the cake all around and pour all over to get it evenly distributed throughout.  And voila….

While it is good still warm I actually prefer it when it’s a day or two old, my husband however prefers it when it is in his stomach, so it rarely makes it to day two!
 

  

Citrus Yogurt Cake

Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
1 cup yogurt
1 cup sugar
2 tsp citrus zest (2 lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter

Syrup
1/3 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice (1 lg lemon)
1/3 cups sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan.
Sift together the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, 1 cup sugar, citrus zest, and vanilla. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the melted butter into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Flip out onto a plate and perforate all over with a skewer.  While the cake is still warm, pour the syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in.