Lemon Yogurt Cake

How cute is that apron? This picture doesn't even do it justice. One of my Christmas gifts to my daughter was this apron from Anthropologie. She loves it and will say, "Mom, let's be apron girls and do cooking today." She likes the smaller whisk that I have ("It's perfect for me, mom") and tasting the batter.

I decided to make this lemon cake when my friend Erika gave me some amazing Meyer lemons from her tree and my husband had a lousy day. The recipe is from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa at Home) and it got incredibly mixed reviews online - they would alternate between "the best cake I've ever made" to "I'll never make this horrible cake again." But still, I went ahead and made it.

I made a few changes to the recipe and we liked it a lot - great lemon flavor. However, the texture was sort of spongy and eggy so if you like more of a crumb texture, this might not be for you. The recipe is originally supposed to be made in a loaf pan but a major complaint of reviewers is that the sides and top got way too brown before the middle was cooked through so I put it in a 9 inch springform pan. I liked that it wasn't super thick. Don't skip the syrup part at the end!

Lemon Yogurt Cake (adapted from Ina Garten)

1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. plain yogurt (I used low-fat)
3/4 c. sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a springform pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, 3 T lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a spatula, fold in the vegetable oil until it's all incorporated. Pour the bater into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is slightly cracked.

While the cake is cooling for about 10 minutes, cook the 1/3c. lemon juice and the 1/3 c. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Poke some holes in the cake with a fork and pour the syrup over it. Let it soak in and cool.