Lemon cake with yogurt, thyme and lemon glaze

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Funny how the season dictates not only the ingredients we cook with but also the type of cooking we do. I don’t tend to bake too much in the summer but comes autumn and I am happy to be in the kitchen baking all kinds of things. Since it’s only the two of us at home on a regular basis I don’t bake a lot of big, rich cakes as we’ll never get through them, but bundt style cakes seem to be the right thing. I can leave in on a covered cake stand on the counter and whoever is around can can help themselves to without a lot of fuss. Sometimes it is a banana cake, often a chocolate cake and my personal favourite is a lemon cake.

This recipe lends itself to adaptation according to what’s in season and what is in your fridge. In the summer I make it with lavender from my garden and now I have added fresh thyme leaves that I picked just outside my kitchen on my rooftop garden.

Not being one for too many dishes to wash I mix the cake by hand with a whisk or a spatula  so it’s a one dish cake more or less. The olive oil keeps it moist and the little bit of lemon glaze adds to the tangy flavours throughout.

Serve on its own with coffee or tea or as a dessert with whipped cream.

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Ingredients

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2 cups cake or all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola or olive)

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Zest of 1 lemon

 

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Directions

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Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda  and salt in a bowl and mix.

Combine eggs, sugar and oil in another bowl and mix by hand or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Start adding the flour to the egg mixture alternating with the yogurt. Do not over mix. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all the flour is blended.

Add the thyme and lemon zest and mix in gently with a spatula.

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray and pour the batter into it.

Place on a baking pan lined with silicon sheet.

Bake at 350F about 45-50 minutes. It should be springy to the touch and golden when ready.

Cool in the pan and then invert onto a wire rack to release.

Spoon or brush the lemon glaze over while cake is warm.

Serve as is  or as a dessert with whipped cream.

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Lemon Glaze

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1 cup icing sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl.

Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Pour over the warm cake and leave to cool completely.