I've been super busy at work lately so I haven't had too much time to bake in the evenings like I normally do. But when I saw this French style "grandmother's cake" on Molly's blog, I knew I had to try it right away. Luckily it takes no time at all to mix up the batter and get it in the oven. My ancestors may not have been French, but there's something so nostalgic and comforting about the flavor and texture of this cake. It's not quite a sponge cake nor is it a pound cake. Some of the ladies at work absolutely loved this cake and they kept asking for the recipe. So, ladies, here it is!
French Style Yogurt Cake (with Lemon & Poppy Seeds)
(adapted from Orangette)
Cake
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/3 cup canola oil
Glaze
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Line with a parchment circle and butter the paper.
In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, sugar, and lemon zest with a wooden spoon. Mix in eggs (all 3 at once is okay).
Add the flour, baking powder, and poppy seeds. Mix until flour is just incorporated.
Add the oil and mix well. The batter will look curdled at first but it will come together.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until your cake tester is clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Allow cake to cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes.
Gently remove cake from the pan and set on a rack to cool completely.
Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.
Notes: For my version, I made some modifications to Molly's recipe.
~ I used meyer lemons because my tree keeps on giving.
~ I added some poppy seeds. You can omit them or even increase the amount from 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons.
~ I decreased the amount of canola oil and increased the amount of yogurt.
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47 comments:
One of my favorite cakes...always so moist! Yours looks wonderful.
Oh... This looks like the ultimate lemon poppyseed muffin, um cake. I am sooo jealous of your lemon tree.
Lemons and poppyseeds - what a happy combination! I hope work slows up a bit so you can catch up with your Meyer lemon tree. I'll be watching for more of your wonderful creations.
you are so lucky to have a growing meyer lemon tree! I have just used up my last meyer lemon to make the sable au citron from your blog. :)They are fantastic!
I just made this same cake not long ago. I love your addition of poppy seeds!
This is one great looking cake. And so moist too. Molly's recipes are always a hit in my kitchen and the lemon yogurt cake has a long story that goes with it." it brings people together!"
That looks so yummy ... and totally cafe-ish! I just bought a container of poppy seeds from WF ... now I have something to use them in! (Other than cabbage salads, that is.)
I love lemon and poppyseed... sounds moist and delicious!
Your recipe sounds great! I've been looking for a lemon poppy seed cake that uses yogurt and less oil. I will definitely try this. Thank you!
that looks so utterly delicious! I wish I could eat my computer screen. You're such a lucky woman to have a Meyer lemon tree in your garden.
Mary, I wish I could "borrow" some of those lemons. :)
This cake is delicious!
That looks so so moist. I have never tried a yogurt cake. Yum.
This is the first cake I ever learned to bake. I used to make it with my mom and my aunt almost every sunday. I love nostalgic moments like the one you just provided me. Yum!
I love the idea of a yogurt cake and this looks SO moist! YUM!
This looks tremendous! A dangerous cake to have in front of me....i am afraid I would turn into a Hoover vacuum!
it's funny how we can "adopt" nostalgia from others. Maybe that's what makes a truly great recipe?
I love how the cake looks decadent and refreshing at the same time. yum!
I love lemon desserts. Your lemon poppyseed cake looks fabulous.
Look at that glorious crumb. I never thought to use yoghurt in a cake before but this looks absolutely delicious...and moist!
I truly enjoy the lemon-poppyseed combo, but don't believe I've ever baked anything with it myself. Hmmm...Gorgeous cake. Sounds delicious.
I love poppyseeds! And this beautifully moist cake looks so easy to make.
Mary, thanks for your adaptation of the recipe. I made this today but I used a loaf pan. It was so easy to make and the results so satisfying. The only problem I had was when I poured the sugar syrup over the cake it went straight to the side, so I pierced the surface of the cake with a tooth pick to help the absorbtion of the syrup. This recipe is a keeper!
This looks so beautiful and moist! Amazing...invite me over!
This cake looks so moist and tender!! Very nice pictures also.
Best regards from Spain
That has got to be the most moist and delicious lemon cake I've ever seen.. it's stunning, Mary!
Wish I had been caught up on my blog reading when you posted this so I might have got a piece.. hehe
xoxo
i must make this cake. thanks for persuading me!
Very nice cake! :)
I found your blog through Nora page. I will visit again soon.
Margot
Thank you so much for the recipe! I am not a very good baker, but this is a very forgiving recipe. I did not have poppy seeds (although I would have loved to include them)... but the cake came out moist and delicious anyway!
Yukari: Happy to hear that your cake turned out well. It's still great without poppy seeds.
Lovely blog, I will stop by again. I am trying a different Kuchen recipe today. I will let you now how it turns out.
You've brought me out of baking stupor.
For a long, long time I couldn't seem to find the motivation to bake. Nothing seemed interesting. I didn't seem to want to bake anymore.
I remember I made a mango peach yogurt many months ago and I remember how soft and delicate the texture was. Till this day, it remains as a fond memory.
I googled yogurt cake and your blog came up. I love anything french and this seem to make complete sense to me. I've also started reading some of your posts and I'm deeply touched by how you've been challenged. I'm glad you're over the hill and back to blogging.
We are complete strangers, and yet through our words and experiences, we become friends. Please take care and may you be always blessed with good things in your life. Why not? We all deserve to be happy.
Love,
Mable
www.mabletan.com
I love this recipe!! I made it several weeks ago and am making it again today for friends who are coming over for dinner. Thanks for providing a quick and wonderful dessert.
Just wondering if this cake would freeze well.
S - A glazed cake will not freeze well. However, you can freeze the cake unglazed.
wow thanks for the recipe...i have to try it...sounds realy yummy :)
..Oh it looks so good! I am making it right now!.. greetings from Colombia!
... can it be baked in an aluminum pan?
Elviritayjose - An aluminum cake pan should be fine as long as you butter it well.
Looks like a great recipe. I'd like to make one with butter though. Would it be ok to replace the oil with butter? or part of the oil? thanks for the help.
Anonymous on 03/01/2010 - You could use butter instead of oil but the texture might be a little different.
No salt? I added about 1/4 tsp of salt because the batter tasted to me like it was missing. I didn't go with lemon flavor. I added 2 tbl spiced chai tea latte mix, then when it was in the pan I distributed coarse bits of brown sugar over the batter and swirled it in like a marble effect.
This basic cake does remind me of one my mother used to make - dense and moist. Great taste!
I forgot to say I used cinnamon bun flavored yogurt.
I'd like to try it with a pear flavor yogurt next and maybe garnish the top with thin sliced fresh in season pears drizzled with honey.
L.Wiebe - Like in most sweets, a little bit of salt would definitely help enhance the flavor. Love your chai - brown sugar - cinnamon bun flavor combination.
can make the chai-brown sugar-cinnamon bun @ home?? I love this cake... but I want to try this suggestion .....
WHY IT IS ALWAYS RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE??WHAT IS HAPENNING WITH ME??
Hi, thanks for sharing the recipe. i tried baking this cake but mine is not as moist as yours, instead, mine has a very thick texture. but the skewer came out clean. i wonder what went wrong. how do i know if my oven is too hot? can you help me out? appreciate it very much
thanks
Hi Alpineberry,
Thanks for the recipe! Your cake looks real good. I tried to bake the cake, however my cake became solid and deflated. Are we supposed to leave it in the oven to cool or something? I'm really not sure what happened!
I made this cake for my family and they loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe :)
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