Tuesday, June 2, 2009

lemon everything

so, the Jones' are big fans of lemon desserts. i find myself looking for unique lemon anything to share with my hubby and in laws. I found this recipe for a lemon yogurt cake that is TDF. really good. I made it for the first time when we had my friend Chris Talley and his wife Rachel over for dinner one night. they loved it. Chris and i were missionaries together in Lisbon, Portugal. so many years ago I don't even like to admit it! i like to think the cake is semi-healthy since it has yogurt instead of sour cream or something. really easy to make. enjoy.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. plain yogurt
1 1/3 c. sugar, divided
3 eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. canola oil
1/3 cu. freshly squeezed lemon juice

glaze:
1 c. confectioners sugar
2 Tblsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 c. sugar, the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. with a rubber spatula fold in the canola oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 c. lemon juice and the remaining 1/3 c. 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 for 10 minutes. carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. while the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. cool.

for the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake and serve.