So when I went to Columbus to meet my boyfriend's parents for the first time, I knew this would be the perfect thing to make for them. They loved it! They even asked me to make them another one before I left. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to do that. But I did give Matt's mom a copy of Molly Wizenburg's book, A Homemade Life. Next time I visit, I hope we can make it together.
I usually make it in a round baking pan, but it's such an adaptable recipe that a square one works just as well. It would probably make good cupcakes, too! I'll be posting a recipe for a different lemon cake (it's my mom's' favorite kind of cake, so I'm constantly trying different variations) that has a lemonade buttercream frosting. That would go well with this, too . . . Hmm . . .
Recipe for French-Style Lemon Yogurt Cake
From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg
Makes one 9-inch round cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the Lemon Syrup:
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
For the Lemon Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar and eggs and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture in with the yogurt mixture and blend. Mix in the oil and stir until well combined. The batter should be very smooth.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then turn out onto a cake rack or serving plate to cool.
While cake is still warm, mix together lemon syrup ingredients and spoon over cake. Let cake cool completely.
For the lemon icing, whisk together ingredients and spoon over cooled cake. Wait until icing has set, about one hour. Serve.
(If you can't wait, don't. Who cares.)