Simple Lemon Yogurt Cake (New & Improved!)
This simple Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe combines the tangy zest of lemon with creamy Greek yogurt to create a moist and soft one-bowl wonder. Freshly squeezed lemon juice infuses the cake with vibrant flavor, complemented by an easy two-ingredient lemon syrup!
Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe
Similar to my plum yogurt cake and this delightful lemon syrup cake, these types of easy yogurt cakes are irresistible and morish.
Unlike traditional basic vanilla cake recipes, yogurt in the batter creates a wonderfully moist and delicate crumb.
You can also achieve an incredibly moist texture without eggs in my One Bowl Eggless Vanilla Cake!
Or try olive oil to create a scrumptiously moist crumb which you’ll find in my Moist Blueberry Cake.
This simple lemon yogurt cake, like my lemon curd cake and this simple coconut cake recipe, are great single-layer cakes to serve with a cuppa tea or coffee or as lunch box filler’s.
What does adding yogurt to a cake do?
Adding yogurt to cake enhances moisture, adds a slight tanginess, and helps activate baking soda, which can make the cake fluffier. Overall, it’s a great addition to boost the moisture content making the cake moist and tender.
Does yogurt make cake moist?
Yes, adding yogurt to cake batter can increase the moisture content, giving the cake a rich and moist texture.
Ingredients to make lemon yogurt cake
How to make lemon yogurt cake?
A full and detailed recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Step one: In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Using electric hand beaters, beat on low-medium speed for 30 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides if needed with a spatula.
Step two: With the beater running on low-medium speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify, about 30 seconds in total.
Step three: Add yogurt and vanilla extract, and beat for 15 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides if needed.
Step four: Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds but do not over-mix, just until it’s incorporated into a smooth batter and no lumps of flour remain. Scrape down the sides.
Step five: Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Smoothing out the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean and it’s lightly golden on top.
Step six: In a small mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice. Mix with a spoon until well combined and the icing sugar is dissolved. Take a pastry brush and brush the lemon icing over the cake whilst it’s cooling.
Step seven: If desired, dust over a light layer of extra icing sugar using a fine mesh sieve. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make sure to measure your baking ingredients accurately to achieve the best results. Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.
- Ensure your yogurt and eggs come to room temperature before making your yogurt cake. Using cold ingredients in cakes will not emulsify and blend appropriately with the rest of the ingredients, which results in problems with the final product.
- Use plain-style Greek yogurt and fresh lemon zest and juice for the best lemon yogurt cake.
- Make sure to emulsify the oil into the batter by slowly drizzling it in with the beater running.
- Do not over-mix this cake batter as it will result in a tough cake texture after baking.
Does yogurt cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes, cakes containing yogurt should be refrigerated after 1-3 days from sitting at room temperature to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage due to the dairy content.
What type of yogurt is best to use for cake?
Plain Greek yogurt is ideal due to its thick consistency and mild flavor which complements the lemon well. It helps to keep the cake moist without overpowering the lemon flavor.
How can I tell if my lemon yogurt cake is fully baked?
To check if a lemon yogurt cake is fully baked, insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, the cake is done.
How to store lemon yogurt cake?
Store your lemon yogurt cake in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. This is a moist lemon yogurt cake and is best consumed the day you bake it and a couple of days after.
Freeze this lemon yogurt cake by allowing it to completely cool after baking. Do not add the dusting of icing sugar. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap it again in tinfoil. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
To defrost your lemon cake with yogurt, remove it from the freezer and place it in your refrigerator, it’s wrapped up, for a full 24 hours to slowly thaw.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Simple Lemon Yogurt Cake (New & Improved!)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup golden or white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, (approx. 55g-60g each in shell)
- 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest, from one medium-sized lemon
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one medium-sized lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla bean extract
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup plain greek style yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt or Kosher salt
Lemon Icing
- 1 1/2 Tbsp icing sugar, plus extra if desired to dust over
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, use any leftover juice from the lemon above or from a small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF). Line a round 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside. NOTE: Alternatively, if you have a non-stick pan, liberally grease it with melted butter and dust it with a light layer of flour. This will leave your finished cake with smooth sides.
- In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Using electric hand beaters, beat on low-medium speed for 30 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides if needed with a spatula.
- With the beater running on low-medium speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify, about 30 seconds in total.
- Add yogurt and vanilla extract, and beat for 15 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides if needed.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds but do not over-mix, just until it’s incorporated into a smooth batter and no lumps of flour remain. Scrape down the sides.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Smoothing out the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean and it’s lightly golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- While the cake is cooling, make the lemon icing.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice. Mix with a spoon until well combined and the icing sugar is dissolved.
- Take a pastry brush and brush the lemon icing over the cake whilst it’s cooling.
- If desired, dust over a light layer of extra icing sugar using a fine mesh sieve.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store your lemon yogurt cake in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. This is a moist lemon yogurt cake and is best consumed the day you bake it and a couple of days after.
- Freeze this lemon yogurt cake by allowing it to completely cool after baking. Do not add the dusting of icing sugar. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap it again in tinfoil. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
- To defrost your lemon cake with yogurt, remove it from the freezer and place it in your refrigerator, it’s wrapped up, for a full 24 hours to slowly thaw.
Approximately how many muffins would this recipe make?
Hi Ella, I have not made this cake into muffins but I would think you could get 10-12 muffins out of this batter. Remember to adjust the baking time as muffins usually bake faster than a whole cake. I hope this helps! Kindest, Sam 🙂
I added a pinch of salt. A cake batter without that little bit of salt is missing on the overall taste.
Hi Lorraine, glad to hear the addition of salt lifted the overall taste of this cake. Thanks for sharing that tip! Sam x
Hi there! Could I use plain yogurt instead of the Greek style? I’ve got lots of extra lemons and this looks delish!
Hi Ashly! So far i’ve only made this cake using greek style yoghurt however, I definitely think you can go ahead and use the plain yoghurt instead. Plain yoghurt is looser than greek but I don’t see that being an issue in this recipe. You can use the same quantity as well, use one cup of plain yoghurt. Hope that helps and enjoy this delicious cake! Sam 🙂
I just squeezed a bunch of lemons and this cake sounds delicious. I’ll have to try it this weekend. One question, is the zest necessary?
Hi Audra! Sounds like the perfect time for you to make this cake then! The zest just adds extra lemon flavour but you can certainly leave it out, the lemon flavour just wont be as intense, still delicious though! Hope you enjoy 🙂
I ended up adding a little extra lemon juice to make up for the zest. I love one bowl recipes and this was super easy and yummy!
Hi Audra! That’s wonderful to hear, so glad you were able to use those lemons you juiced with some extra added. One bowl cakes are amazing aren’t they? This is also one of my absolute favourites! Thanks for sharing 🙂