Lemon Yogurt Cake

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

This easy Lemon Yogurt Cake is a quick bread made with yogurt (Greek or regular) and lots of fresh lemon zest. It’s moist, delicious, and it’s ready in under an hour.

A lemon yogurt cake on a wooden cutting board.


 

This sunny Lemon Yogurt Cake has a bright citrus flavor and a soft sweetness that makes it perfect for brunch, afternoon snacking, and if anyone is up for it, tea time. Adding yogurt to the batter increases the fluffy texture and moisture in the cake which makes an absolutely delicious loaf.

Double the recipe for two loaves so you have an extra to give away to a friend, neighbor, or family member who needs some extra lemon in their life. Or, tuck it away in the freezer for a future Saturday morning when you’re craving a little lemon flavor yourself.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for lemon yogurt cake.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Baking powder: Instead of yeast, quick breads such as loaf breads, muffins, biscuits, and scones use chemical leavening agents, in this case baking powder (baking soda is another example).
  • Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or even French yogurt.
  • Lemons: Always zest your lemons before you cut them open to juice. It’s much harder to zest half of a lemon!
  • Vegetable oil: Avocado oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all neutral-flavored oils that will work here. 

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: 1 cup sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, and pure vanilla extract.
Lemon yogurt cake dry ingredients in a glass bowl next to lemon yogurt cake wet ingredients.
  1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in batches, whisking to incorporate after each addition. Fold in oil with a rubber spatula and stir carefully until uniformly combined.
Lemon yogurt cake batter in a clear bowl.
  1. Pour into prepared pan.
Lemon yogurt cake batter in a loaf pan.
  1. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50-60 minutes. The cake should be fragrant and spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come back clean with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes. 
Lemon yogurt cake in a loaf pan.
  1. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) until smooth.
Icing in a clear rbowl.
  1. Using a sharp knife, slice around the inside of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a sheet pan or baking rack. Slowly drizzle lemon-sugar mixture over the top.
Someone drizzling icing on a lemon yogurt cake.
  1. Cool cake completely. The glaze will harden in 20 to 30 minutes.
A sliced lemon yogurt cake on a wooden cutting board.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: 1 loaf cake makes about 8 slices.
  • Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • Order of operations: The lemon glaze can be made while the cake is baking. Leave the glaze at room temperature. 
  • Lemon syrup: For a stronger lemon flavor, cook ⅓ cup lemon juice and ⅓ cup sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Pour or brush this lemon syrup over the cake while it’s still warm, before adding the glaze.
  • Extra-large eggs: The recipe calls for 4 large extras, but you can substitute 3 extra-large eggs instead.
  • Orange Cake: Substitute orange juice and orange zest for the lemon juice and the lemon zest for a lovely orange-flavored loaf.
  • Olive Oil Cake: This easy Lemon Olive Oil Cake is soft, moist, and 100% vegan. It’s a thoughtful addition to a potluck or picnic menu or a great loaf cake for a weekend brunch.
  • Lemon Bundt Cake: This amazing Lemon Bundt Cake uses two secret ingredients (cake mix and instant pudding) to make the easiest, most delicious lemon cake you’ve ever had.
  • Lemon Cake with Limoncello Cream: Topped with a sweet lemony glaze, Limoncello whipped cream, and plenty of fresh berries, this Lemon Yogurt Cake is a bakery-quality dessert recipe that you’ll turn to time and time again.
  • Lemon Blueberry Cake: This delicious Lemon Blueberry Cake is a bundt cake made from a boxed mix and either fresh or frozen blueberries.
Slices of blueberry lemon yogurt cake on a baking rack.
You can add 6 ounces fresh or 1 cup frozen blueberries to make a Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does yogurt do in a cake?

Adding yogurt to cake batter increases the fluffiness and moisture in the cake which makes an absolutely delicious loaf. In a pinch, you can use sour cream or buttermilk instead of the yogurt.

What size is a loaf pan?

There can be slight variations, but look for an 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch by 2-inch loaf pan.

More luscious lemon desserts

Join Us

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
A lemon yogurt cake on a wooden cutting board.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

This easy Lemon Yogurt Cake is a quick bread made with yogurt (Greek or regular) and lots of fresh lemon zest. It's moist, delicious, and it’s ready in under an hour.
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 470
5 from 20 votes

Ingredients 

For the Cake:

For the powdered sugar icing:

Instructions 

  • Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in batches, whisking to incorporate after each addition. Fold in oil and stir carefully until uniformly combined. Pour into prepared pan.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50-60 minutes. The cake should be fragrant and spring back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes. 
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) until smooth.
  • Using a sharp knife, slice around the inside of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a large plate. Slowly drizzle glaze over the top. Cool cake completely. The glaze will harden in 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes

  1. Baking powder: Instead of yeast, quick breads such as loaf breads, muffins, biscuits, and scones use chemical leavening agents, in this case baking powder (baking soda is another example).
  2. Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk yogurt, or even French yogurt.
  3. Lemons: Always zest your lemons before you cut them open to juice. It’s much harder to zest half of a lemon!
  4. Vegetable oil: Avocado oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all neutral-flavored oils that will work here. 
  5. Yield: 1 loaf cake makes about 8 slices.
  6. Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 470kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 225mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

Quick & Easy Meals in Under 30 Minutes!
15 simple recipes for busy weeknights.

You May Also Like

Questions and Comments

Thank you for your comments! Please allow 1-2 business days for a reply. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST, excluding holidays. Comments are moderated to prevent spam and profanity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. This is my third time making this cake and it’s delicious.
    Very easy and quick to make, I haven’t tried it with blueberries yet. I highly recommend this recipe.

  2. Hey There. I found your blog just now. This is a really well presented. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.

  3. You officially decided my Easter dessert! Thank you for that and for the Limencello replacement suggestion. I’ve tried and tried to give Limencello a chance but we have agreed to disagree. :)

    1. Thank you, Sarah! I think it’s great to know what you like and don’t like. Makes these things so much easier! Happy Easter and thanks again. :)

    1. Hi Judy! I think it would probably be okay. Homemade whipped cream usually lasts 2-3 days in the fridge. What I would do is keep the whipped cream in a separate container (and also keep the berries separate) and assemble it when you need it. So store everything in the fridge separately. That would be your best bet. If you need to assemble it 2 days in advance for some reason, I’d at least keep the berries aside. I hope this helps! Thanks for your question.

  4. One more suggestion: Get an instant-read thermometer and measure the internal temperature of your baked goods into the center in several places – depending on the moisture of the batter used, toothpicks or straws don’t always work well. Digital thermometers are inexpensive and, for me, indispensable. I use either CIA, Taylor or ThermoWorks products. Since all oven’s are not created equal, check the commonly used temperatures of your oven with a GOOD thermometer. 200° (if you bake cheesecake low and slow like I do) 225°, 250°, 275°, 325°, 350°, 375°, 400°, 425° and 450°. See if your settings are really correct and at least eliminate one variable.5 stars

  5. Hey all you bakers out there here’s what I’ve learned: This may not be a new fact but with some ovens, you may have to turn the item half-way thru baking to ensure even cooking throughout. Get a GOOD oven thermometer and put it inside close to your item to ensure you’re baking at the the correct temperature.

    I bake gluten-free and it’s touchy but leaving it in a cooling oven for an additional 15 – 20 minutes will ofttimes finish the inside without over baking it. Not enough lemon taste? Add more lemon – I’ve found that citrus taste, like chili heat, diminishes somewhat with cooking heat. Everybody’s idea of “right” is different and it takes playing with a recipe to make it work for you. Anyone who does not play with a recipe while making it, is missing out on all the fun of DIY. Adjusting seasonings will seldom ruin it. Taste before throwing it into the oven. Gosh, it’s what, $1.00 worth of ingredients, and electricity at most plus an hour of time? A teaspoon or two here or there won’t make a spit of difference in the finish, unless it’s a delicate French recipe. Remember that, depending on the sensitivity of your tastebuds, the yogurt will somewhat overpower the sweet-tart of the lemon-sugar . That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. :-)5 stars

    1. If this is an application to be a the Food Editor on my site, consider yourself hired! LOL! But seriously, everything you say is spot-on. As always. Thanks for contributing your genius.

View all comments