Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake was inspired by two things: reading a baking blog about cake and free yogurt! First, I got caught up reading 30 Cakes in 30 Days by Sarah, an American living in England, and her cake-filled posts had me craving something sweet. Then, a freebie landed in my lap—a coupon for a big carton of yogurt. You don’t get much for free these days, so I used the coupon right away and made this cake.
Lemon Yogurt or Greek Yogurt Pound Cake
So originally this cake was adapted from one off a yogurt company website, but I've improved it a bit. Also, it seems the original is no longer there so I can't link. At any rate, it’s an easy, extremely delicious, lemon pound cake with a tender crumb and a good crust. Here are a few tips for making good pound cake. I originally called it Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake because I made it with lemon zest and lemon juice, but you could flavor this cake with all sorts of things. So really, it should be called Greek Yogurt Pound Cake.
Soaking Poppy Seeds
I've made this cake a few times since originally posting the recipe and in my last cake, included poppy seeds. One thing I recently learned was that you should soak your poppy seeds for 15 minutes before using. This softens them and brings out their flavor. You just soak them in water, milk or diluted yogurt, then drain before using.
Making a Smaller Loaf
This recipe works well in a standard size 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch or 9x5 inch loaf pan, but you can halve the ingredients and use a small 8x4 inch loaf pan.
Greek Yogurt Pound Cake (and Hyperacusis) Tips
- If you can find a soft flour like White Lily, use it! The soft flour, which is made with a soft wheat not just a lower protein wheat, makes a difference.
- Sift the flour if it is lumpy. If you used White Lily it probably will be.
- Weigh the flour.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Use a stand mixer so you can do other things while creaming the butter and sugar. I used to not cream my butter and sugar long enough because I couldn't stand the noise. When I got a remote control outlet, I was able to turn on my stand mixer from another room and let it go. What an improvement in cakes! Compare the fist picture to the old one (below).
- Use bake times as a suggestion only and go by smell and the wooden skewer test. If skewer comes out with moist crumbs, cake is ready. This cake was done in exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Pound cake is a great blank canvas for showcasing fruits of the season.
Recipe
Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour (260 grams)
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar (330 grams)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla if using vanilla yogurt, use ¾
- ⅔ cup plain or vanilla whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 Tbs. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon peel (zest) grated
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)
Optional Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice plus a little zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the salt.
- Cream butter in large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
- Reduce mixer speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Mix together yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest. If using the poppy seeds, add them too. Add dry ingredients and lemon mixture alternately to egg mixture, mixing until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into pan. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes until lightly brown.
- Cool 10 minutes on a rack before removing from pan.
Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter, then add powdered sugar and stir until blended. Once blended, beat really well. Add the vanilla and a little lemon if you'd like.
Katherine says
I made a couple of these for my 4th of July trifle. Super good! Dense, moist and a nice hint of lemon. Thanks for the "tips"... I will be making this cake again.
Louise says
I'm so excited to discover this delicious sounding recipe. I just "whipped" up a new batch of yogurt. I was going to make/freeze some yogurt pancakes but oh my my Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake sounds so much more inviting.
Anna says
I just cut a small piece for Todd. Like a lot of pound cakes, this one has a better (denser and smoother) texture after sitting around for a bit.
Lisa, I like loaf shaped cakes too. Tube pans and Bundts are good for big families are parties, but loaves are more practical. I gave half of this to a friend and saved the rest for us.
Lisa says
Nice cake! I prefer to make it in a loaf pan like this one.
30cakesin30days says
That looks delicious! I'm discovering that the best cakes have a little citrus zing in them. I will keep this recipe in my reserves.
Gina says
My favorite pound cake tip is to toast it (in the toaster) or brown it in a (dry) saute' pan or even grill it before you top it with what you prefer. In the summer, grilled pound cake with grilled stone fruits is ideal. However you cook it, that carmelized butter and sugar flavor is to die for--perhaps literally. 😉
Erin Mylroie says
Love the CareBear plate! Your toffee bars look really outstanding. I've been itching to try a lemon yogurt cake. The textue looks so dreamy.
Joe says
One thing I have been doing since reading the tip from Dorie Greenspan is to rub any zest into the sugar (especially for these types of baked goods) instead of adding it near the end. The oils from the zest get better distributed and it seems to intensify the end result a bit.