Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon Glaze

Set the oven to 340. Butter the pan. Lemon zest goes in twice—once in the batter, once you taste it. Yogurt makes this dense and tender at the same time, which shouldn’t work but does.

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Yogurt Cake

Takes 20 minutes to mix. An hour and ten minutes to bake. That’s it.

The crumb is tight. Not dry. Thick with yogurt and crème fraîche, bright from two lemons. Citrus without being sharp about it.

Makes a weeknight dessert that doesn’t need a reason. Works for breakfast too—nobody questions you.

Glazed lemon cake that keeps for days. Freezes fine. Room temperature or cold, doesn’t matter.

What You Need for Yogurt Cake Recipe Using Yogurt

All-purpose flour. Two and a quarter cups. Packed down slightly or fluffed—measure either way, doesn’t matter much.

Baking powder and kosher salt mixed with the flour. A quarter teaspoon salt. One and an eighth teaspoons baking powder. That ratio holds.

Plain yogurt. Whole milk. Not Greek. Crème fraîche is better than sour cream—tangier, smoother. But sour cream works.

Sugar, eggs, butter. A cup of sugar. Three eggs. Half cup butter melted and cooled. The butter can’t be hot or you’ll cook the eggs.

Lemon zest from two medium lemons. Finely grated. The extract is optional but add it. One teaspoon vanilla. One teaspoon lemon extract if you have it.

For the glaze: apricot jam warmed. A tablespoon honey. Powdered sugar. Milk or water to thin it.

How to Make Cake Using Yogurt

Preheat to 340. Butter a 9 by 5 bread pan or spray it. Sit the pan on a baking sheet—spills happen and this saves your oven.

Whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Set it aside. Do this part now. Dry mix lifts more evenly.

Room temperature ingredients matter here. Cold batter resists mixing. Grab the yogurt and crème fraîche ahead. Let the eggs sit out.

In a mixer bowl or a regular bowl with a hand mixer, combine the yogurt, crème fraîche, sugar, and eggs. Beat about a minute until it’s pale and slightly fluffy. Don’t overdo it.

Add the lemon zest and vanilla and lemon extract. Beat just to combine. Now drizzle the melted butter in slowly while the mixer runs. The fat coats the proteins and tenderizes the crumb.

Fold in the flour gradually. The batter might look lumpy. That’s normal—yogurt does that. Resist the urge to overmix or you’ll end up with a tough cake.

Pour it into the pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Should fill most of the pan without overflowing.

How to Get Lemon Cake Made With Yogurt Golden and Set

Bake on the middle rack. Around 58 to 70 minutes. Watch for the crust to crackle and the top to turn golden brown.

Press the top lightly. If it springs back, you’re close. Use the toothpick test in the thickest center. If it comes out wet, let it go longer.

If the top threatens to burn before the inside is done, tent it loosely with foil. Keeps moisture in without messing with the oven temp.

Cool it in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. The cake shrinks slightly from the sides. Run a knife around the edges if it’s stubborn. Tap the pan bottom gently.

Lemon Yogurt Cake Tips and Common Mistakes

The glaze is important. Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir in the honey. Off heat, whisk in powdered sugar gradually until it’s thick enough to pour but not runny. Too thick? Add a splash of milk or water. Too thin? More sugar.

Test the glaze on parchment before you commit to the cake—you’ll see exactly how it drips.

Pour it evenly over the cooled cake. Let it set before you slice. You can chill it a bit for cleaner cuts but room temperature slices cleaner than cold.

Serve it at room temp or slightly chilled. The crumb is dense with pops of citrus. It keeps several days wrapped tightly. Freezes well as slices.

Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon Glaze

By Emma

Prep:

20 min

Cook:

1h 10min

Total:

1h 30min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt, whole milk preferred
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche (sub for sour cream)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• Zest of 2 medium lemons, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional, for punch)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (instead of oil)
• 1/3 cup apricot jam, warmed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Powdered sugar to taste for glaze consistency
• Splash of milk or water as needed

Method

1. 1 Preheat oven to 340F. Butter and lightly flour a 9x5 inch bread pan or coat with baking spray. A pan on baking sheet is lifesaver for spills.
2. 2 Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Dry mix is key for even lift; no shortcuts.
3. 3 In stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl with paddle/hand mixer, cream together yogurt, crème fraîche, sugar and eggs—beat about 1 minute till pale and slightly fluffy. If too cold, batter resists. Room temp ingredients help.
4. 4 Add lemon zest, vanilla, lemon extract. Beat just to combine. Then gently drizzle melted butter while mixing slowly. Fat coats proteins, tenderizing crumb.
5. 5 Gradually fold in flour mixture. Batter might look uneven or lumpy—that's normal from yogurt lumps. Resist overmixing or cake turns tough.
6. 6 Pour into prepared pan, smooth top with a spatula. Batter should fill most of pan but not overflow.
7. 7 Bake on middle rack around 58-70 minutes. First signs: crackling crust, golden brown top. Press lightly—if springs back, nearly done. Use toothpick test in thickest center. If it comes out sticky, more bake needed.
8. 8 If top threatens to burn before interior is set, tent with foil loosely. Keeps moist without messing with oven heat much.
9. 9 Cool cake 10-15 minutes in pan. Cake will shrink slightly from sides; loosen edges with a knife if stubborn. Tap pan bottom gently to release.
10. 10 For glaze: warm apricot jam in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in honey. Off heat, whisk in powdered sugar gradually till glaze thickens but pours easily. Add splash milk/water if too thick. Too thin? More sugar. Test drip on parchment before glazing.
11. 11 Glaze evenly over cooled cake. Set glaze before slicing for cleaner cuts—can chill a bit but room temp slices better.
12. 12 Serve at room temp or slightly chilled. Dense crumb with pops of citrus. Keeps several days wrapped tightly or frozen slices well.

Nutritional information

Calories

310

Protein

6g

Carbs

45g

Fat

11g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Yogurt and Lemon Cake

Can you use Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt? No. Greek yogurt is too thick. The cake needs the liquid from plain yogurt. It won’t rise the same way.

Do you really need crème fraîche? Sour cream works. It’s less tangy, changes the flavor slightly, but the texture comes out fine. Haven’t tried anything else.

What if the top cracks while baking? That’s normal with yogurt cakes. The glaze covers it.

How long does this cake made with yogurt actually keep? Several days wrapped tight at room temperature. Longer in the fridge. Slices freeze for a month easy.

Can you make this as a sheet cake instead of a loaf? Yeah. Adjust the bake time down—maybe 35 to 45 minutes in a 9 by 13. Check earlier.

Why lemon extract when you already have lemon zest? The extract hits different. You don’t need it. But if you want the citrus to punch through, it does that.