Lemon Yogurt Cake

The easiest lemon yogurt cake recipe for a moist and flavorful result every time!

5 from 12 votes

Course: Cake, Cakes, Dessert, Sweet, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: slices

Calories: 276.13kcal

▢ 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180 g)
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt (sal grueso or sea salt work too)
▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder (8 g)
▢ 1 cup yogurt (240 ml) Use unsweetened, full-fat yogurt for the best results. I like Greek yogurt.
▢ 1 cup sugar (200 g)
▢ 3 eggs
▢ 2 teaspoon lemon zest from 1-2 lemons
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (2.5 ml -- optional)
▢ ½ cup olive oil (120 ml -- preferably extra virgin -- see notes for substitutions)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your baking pan of choice and optionally line with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking power.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Stop when everything is fully combined and the batter is smooth.
Slowly stir in the oil, stopping as soon as everything is mixed together.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the oven on the center rack for 30-45 minutes. Make sure to check with a toothpick starting at 30 minutes and remove from the oven as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, and then remove it from the pan. Enjoy!

Substitutions

Sugar: Here in Spain we generally bake with white refined sugar, but you can experiment with other sugars if you wish.
Olive Oil: We bake a lot with olive oil in Spain (usually extra virgin) meaning our baked goods have a delicious and unique taste and are a bit more healthy than if we used other oils. But if you prefer to use another vegetable oil you may. Sunflower oil, Canola oil, and walnut oil all work well.
Vanilla Extract: This is totally optional and actually not very traditional in Spain. But I love vanilla so I add it!
Yogurt: I use full-fat Greek yogurt for this recipe. I think it contributes to the moist texture of the cake. But you can use any plain, unsweetened yogurt or even sour cream.

Notes

Pan size: a 9-inch loaf pan or a bundt pan both work well. But people in Spain use whatever they have, and just keep an eye on the cake for cook time!
Cupcakes: these can even be cupcakes -- just use cupcake tins and cut down on the baking time -- start checking after 20 minutes.
To freeze: this cake freezes well. Simply allow to cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months and thaw completely before eating.

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