This crazy delicious French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake has a moist, tender crumb, takes minutes to make and has a delightful history!
I made this delicious French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake a few weeks ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. The problem is that I’m not in my own kitchen right now and can’t make another one for a while. Sad!
Greetings from London Paris!
Are you having a hard time keeping up with us? Yes, I’m feeling a bit like that myself!
A few days ago we were in London visiting our daughter and her family. But Scott and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary this year, and we were busy this spring, planning a week together in Paris. We bid adieu to our family in London on Tuesday and headed to France on the Eurostar.
We’ve been here for two days now, and are having the time of our lives in a delightful little (very little) flat that we rented in the heart of the Paris Latin District.
You’re going to laugh when you hear one of the things that I couldn’t wait to see when I got to Paris.
These adorable little yogurt jars.
A super charming history
I know, I know, that sounds a bit strange, right? But I read about this wonderful Lemon Yogurt Cake a few weeks before we left for our London/Paris trip. I was so intrigued by its charming history that, not only could I hardly wait to make the cake, I was also dying to see these fun little jars in person.
What’s the history of this French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake? The story’s told, that this humble, simple recipe is one that grandmothers (and lots of other people too, I’m quite sure) all over France are renowned for. In French, this cake is called Gâteaux de Mamie, which translated is: Granny Cake. The part of the story I love is the way these French grandmothers measure the cake ingredients – with yogurt jars!
Yogurt in France has been traditionally sold in small, round glass jars (these days you can find it in all kinds of containers; but in the past, it was mostly sold in little jars). The recipe starts out with one jar of yogurt. The rest of the ingredients are measured in that same jar: two jars of sugar, 3 jars of flour, one jar of oil…
Don’t worry though, you don’t need to have French yogurt available to make the cake. It turns out that each jar holds one-half cup (120 milliliters), so it’s easy to translate the recipe into more classic cooking measurements.
I tried out the cake before we left on our trip and it truly is fantastic! Definitely a keeper recipe! The cake is super moist and a simple lemon syrup that’s brushed on while still warm yields an amazingly delicious, crisp, citrus glazed crust. It doesn’t really need any embellishment, but a dusting of powdered sugar is a lovely finishing touch.
Score!
The first day Scott and I were in Paris, we stopped at a small grocery store near our little apartment. The dairy case was the first place I checked and, sure enough, there were the famous little jars used to make the lemon yogurt cake. I served the yogurt the next morning for breakfast and discovered that, not only are the jars quite charming (I’m taking a bunch of them home!), the yogurt is smooth, creamy and incredibly delicious; definitely a win-win-win!
So there you have it, French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake. I love the name, especially when you know the story behind it. Whatever you decide to call it, make it! I know you’re going to love it!
P.S. Wondering what our tiny, but charming Paris abode looks like? We’ll be sharing a post tomorrow titled “Our Little Paris (very little) Apartment” with lots of pictures.
- ½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- grated lemon zest from 1 medium-size lemon
- ½ cup sunflower grape seed or canola oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup of powdered sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray, rub inside surface of pan with a paper towel to cover evenly with the spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs - stirring until well blended.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt and zest, mixing to just combine.
- Add the oil and stir well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (every oven is different, so check with the toothpick test rather than the time). Be careful not to overbake though.
- Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack.
- Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. With a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the cake. Just keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve.
Adapted by Chris Scheuer from Orangette.
Dolly says
Hi Chris, love this little cake! I also brought home from Paris little yogurt jars but mine are blue ceramic from La Fermiere. They are are 3/4 cup size though. You may have also seen here in the states a brand from Yoplait called Oui. They are 3/4 cup also. So I won’t be using them for measuring, but I have found other decorative ways to use all my charming little jars. Thanks for the delicious recipe!!!
Chris Scheuer says
That’s so fun, Dolly, that you too brought home the jars. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Anne says
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but was wondering if this lemon yogurt cake can be frozen?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, it freezes well!
Tammy Bailey says
Just made this with my 4yr old grand daughter. Turned out well! Easy to put together and tastes delicious. I’ll definitely make it again!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Tammy! You’re making wonderful memories!
JO MARIE CUCCHIARA says
HOW WOULD I FIND A SMALL APARTMENT IN PARIS TO RENT FOR 2 WEEKS? YOUR PLACE LOOKS WONDERFUL.
ALSO, CAKE LOOKS AWESOME AND I PLAN TO MAKE FOR CARD PARTY I AM HAVING.
THANKS FOR THE RECIPE
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jo Marie, we went through Paris for Rent and they were great. They have lots of lovely little flats in Paris. Here is the link: https://www.parisforrent.com
Cathy J says
I was searching for a recipe to use up some yogurt that wasn’t being eaten. OH MY….this recipe is quick to assemble and oh so delicious. I was a bit concerned it might be too wet as it seemed moist enough before I added to oil, but it came out perfect. Nice lemon flavour. This one is a keeper! Thank you for sharing this.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Cathy! So happy you enjoyed it!
Kathleen says
I just made it but like a dummy I went downstairs to put on laundry and missed the timer!😬 I hope I didn’t try it out. Looks good.
Angela Cianchetti says
Thank you so much for sharing this. I made it this morning and can’t wait to try. I love your story 😊
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Angela – I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
This is a super easy and quick cake. I love that it’s the perfect (for my taste) sweet and lemony flavor- not too sweet or too sour. For guests I plate with a little extra swirl of the lemon/ sugar sauce and add a few raspberries or blueberries. LOVE that i don’t have to make frosting! Just don’t over cook as this isn’t a light delicate cake. It’s almost a cornbread texture so if you bake too long it can be very dry.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Cheryl, so happy you enjoyed it.
Ecara says
Hi… I made this cake this morning to the recipe.. I was so disappointed, when I opened the oven after 30 minutes the center of the cake did not rise but the rest of the cake did… removed the cake from the oven.. let it cool… glazed it … the cake was good but not as moist… would using non fat yogurt be the cause of cake not rising?.. all of the ingredients used were fresh.. 😊😊😊😊 smiles
Chris Scheuer says
Hmmm… it’s hard to say, Excara, without having been in the kitchen with you. I don’t think that non-fat yogurt would make that much difference. It could be that your oven would need a bit longer to cook the cake all the way through, every oven is different. The cake should be nice and moist with the amount of oil specified.
Claudette d’argent says
Omg. Those little jars, I thought I was the only one, I love them so much ,, I took a bunch of them home too the last time we were in Paris..lol..your cake looks so good, I will definitely be trying to make it soon and will let you know how I go…
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Claudette! That’s so funny that you fell in love with the jars too 🙂 Hope you enjoy the cake!
Cheryl MacBride says
Has anyone baked this at high altitude? 7,000 ft?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cheryl, we’re in the NC mountains at 2600 but that’s not anywhere near 7,000. Perhaps there are some other readers who might be able to offer some good advice.
May says
Could you use sour cream instead of yogurt?
Chris Scheuer says
You definitely could – but you might have to give the cake another name 🙂
Fran says
I made this other night and it was super easy to make and was soooo DELICIOUS!! The only change I made to the recipe was I bought French style vanilla yogurt (Oui) instead of plain yogurt. It did Not have too strong of a vanilla flavor, so it blended nicely . Beware: this cake is ADDICTING!
Thanks for the recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Fran, so… happy you enjoyed it!
Freda sultana says
So simple to make, the cake is light with hint of lemon tang. The cake was put together and in the oven in 15 minutes. I served it with fresh whipped cream mixed wirh l lemon curd. I made if as part of an afternoon tea i was holding. Thank you so much for this delightful cake that was enjoyed by all.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Freda! This is one of our favorite cakes!