Lemon yogurt pound cake by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

In my estimation, pound cake is not a dessert, rather it’s a snack to keep around the house when a craving for sugar occurs (which tends to happen regularly in this household). This lemon yogurt pound cake serves this purpose perfectly, because it will sit on your countertop beckoning to be sliced. And while so many pound cakes lean toward being dry and crumbly, this one, thanks to the inclusion of yogurt and oil (I used olive), is surprisingly moist. If you prefer the taste of oranges to lemons, don’t hesitate to make the substitution. Once you see how easy it is to make (and subsequently how moist and flavorful), this cake will certainly become a part of your repertoire. One thing I altered was I made vanilla glaze instead of the lemon. If you choose to do this, simply add milk instead of lemon juice to the confectioners’ sugar. Either way, you’ll have a hit.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Make the cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

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