Lovely? Lemon Yogurt Cake

This picture has taught me two things.

One: My oven is hotter in the back. See how nice and golden brown the cake is on the right? And how it doesn't quite get that lovely golden on the left? Hmph. I rotated my pan at twenty minutes! This is absurd!

Two: I did not cook this cake quiiite long enough. Note the sunken center... I must add that this part was delicious and gooey and I quite enjoyed it, but it isn't cooked through. You can see that better in a slice photo.


[Sidenote - isn't this a cute plate? My mom did a lot of legwork to mix and match together a whole bunch of vintage restaurant plates (maybe someday I'll take pics of all my different plates), and because I am sneaky, I now have them. Well, sneaky and she gave them to me. Thanks, mom!]

Anyway, I bought some plain yogurt for something... and I can't quite remember what, but now! luckily! I have plenty of yogurt so I can try this cake out again. Thank goodness. It's delicious and all, and I love the history of the recipe with the cute yogurt jars and all, but I will need to make this again to get it right. If you want to try, here is the recipe, translated from yogurt jars into cups:

For the cake:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I had bleached flour, it was still good)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine yogurt, sugar and eggs in a bowl, stirring until blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing just to combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. Molly noted here that it looks an oily mess - and it does - but just keep stirring. My final batter had a couple of lumps, but it's mostly smooth and pretty. Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan. Also if you DON'T have one of those round pans with the arm that rotates so you can easily release the cake, I strongly recommend them. SO easy to get the cake out, just let it cool first so you don't rip it to bits.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. [This is what freaked me out. I took the cake out at 30 minutes and clearly I should have waited the extra 5.]

Cool cake on a rack for 20 minutes; then remove from pan to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

When the cake is cool (all the way cool, don't cheat!) whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar and spoon/drizzle/pour/apply to the top of the cake where it will soak in and be delicious, especially if there is a sunken undercooked spot in the middle. Eat, with ice cream and/or strawberries if you want. Also a delicious breakfast, and there's yogurt in it, so it's ok.