Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake

This lemon-yogurt cake combines whole Meyer lemons (yep, whole!) with cornmeal and yogurt for a moist, bright, winter snacking cake.

Inspiration:

We are still embracing citrus season over here. All those oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are delicious color-bombs amidst the cold, wet weather most of us are experiencing. Lemons are great, but if you haven’t had the chance to eat a Meyer lemon, you’re definitely missing out! Sweeter and less tart than a regular lemon, Meyers have a rich yellow skin, like a perfectly sunny egg yolk, and tend to be smaller with thinner skin and less pith. They smell incredible and are great for eating (check out my Kale Citrus Salad). This cake combines whole Meyer lemons (yep, whole!) with cornmeal and yogurt for a moist, bright, winter snacking cake. Oranges or tangerines would work very well in place of Meyer lemons, but regular lemons are too tart, so I don’t recommend them as a substitute.

Ingredients:

Serves 6

Cake:
2 Meyer lemons
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
½ c butter, melted plus more for pan

Topping Option 1, Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Grated lemon zest (optional)

Topping Option 2, Honey Yogurt:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoon honey
Fresh berries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan or standard loaf pan and line with parchment paper.

Cut off and discard the ends off the lemons and then cut them into 2-inch pieces and remove the seeds. Put the lemons, peel and all (yes, really!), into a blender (a mini chopper, Bullet or Vitamix will work best) and blend to slightly chunky puree. If you find that you don’t have enough lemon in the blender to make a puree, add a little water to help it along. You’ll want about ½ cup puree.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, and yogurt until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir gently until barely combined. Add the melted butter and lemon puree, stirring again until no lumps remain. Pour batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven until golden and a toothpick poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 35-40 mins for an 8-inch cake or 55-60 mins for a loaf cake.

Remove cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, choose & prepare your topping. I couldn’t decide between a glaze or a simple yogurt topping - so it’s up to you to choose your destiny. You can’t go wrong with either.

Topping Option 1, Lemon Glaze:
Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once cool, turn the cake out of the pan and pour glaze over the top. Finish with grated lemon zest. Slice & serve.

Topping Option 2, Honey-Yogurt with Berries:
Combine yogurt and honey in a small bowl and mix until completely smooth. Once cool, turn the cake out of the pan, slice and top with honey-yogurt + your favorite berries.