0 French Style Yogurt Cake

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.