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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 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.
And it's one of the easiest cakes I've ever made! How easy? Check out the video below and you'll see for yourself!
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!
Café Tips for making this Lemon Yogurt Cake
- I often use Greek yogurt for this cake but you can also use regular yogurt. In fact, in a pinch, you could also use buttermilk or sour cream. They'll all work! (You just might need to give the cake a new name if you're not using yogurt.)
- I'm a big fan of butter in cake recipes. This cake calls for oil (no butter) and I was a bit skeptical until I actually tasted the cake. Don't be tempted to substitute butter as the oil keeps the cake light yet moist at the same time. And the flavor is wonderful!
- Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. I have made it with sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil and avocado oil. They all work well.
- This recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice. Always zest your fruit before squeezing for the juice. The best way to zest a citrus fruit is with one of these microplane zesters. They're not expensive and can be used for many years before having to replace.
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
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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.
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In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs - stirring until well blended.
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Add the flour, baking powder, salt and zest, mixing to just combine.
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Add the oil and stir well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth.
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Pour the batter into prepared pan.
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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.
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Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack.
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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.
Dina says
Thanks for the recipe. I used EVOO and Oui brand vanilla yogurt. It was delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Dina, so happy you enjoyed this cake!
Heidi Hellriegel says
Hi, I am going to make this cake and also the French Almond one. Guess what I found those little yogurt glass jars in my Publix and also Walmart here in Florida. I was so excited and bought all flavors. Thanks for all your great recipes and beautiful presentations. You are an artist. Happy holidays that are coming. Lots of good wishes, Heidi
Chris Scheuer says
That's so cool Heidi, I will look for those! Thanks for your kind encouragement!
Danielle says
This is a perfect lemon yoghurt cake recipe! I added some finely chopped rosemary because I love the herby flavour with the lemon. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Danielle, so happy you enjoyed it. LOVE the idea of rosemary!
June Robbs says
It took 55 minutes in my oven...so worried it might over bake as cautioned...but stick finally came clean. I used a 8 " round corning ware dish as I didn't have a 8" pan. Covered it with foil last 10 minutes to keep it from getting too brown. It was lovely and I topped it with a few organic strawberries and a dab of whip cream.
Donna Oliphint says
I'm making this cake for a luncheon my husband is giving on Wednesday in appreciation for the women who work in his department at our church. (He's been working this last month on a volunteer basis in the absence of our financial officer.) I was looking for yogurt today to make it and came across Oui, French style yogurt in those adorable little jars (slightly different design) in...wait for it...WalMart! Not a fancy WalMart, just our plain old Montgomery, Alabama WalMart. It's made by Yoplait and is really light and delicious. And the little jars are so cute! I immediately got 4 and can see using them to serve condiments and my home made jellies (yes, Freezer Cherry Jam!) I know you probably already have enough of the little jars from France, but thought your followers might want to know about this.
Rick says
Great cake , I made it exactly as presented, delicious, Thank You.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Rick, we love this cake too! We appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Leisa says
Oh me too. I made my way through yoghurt to bring home the jars to Australia!! At least 12 of them 😊
Claudia says
Came out perfectly!!! I used EVOO, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly! Love the small size ..... and Yum! I'll definitely make this again and again.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay!!
Tulips says
I can't praise enough this cake, always turns out beautiful and delicious. Today I added 1 cup of leftover homemade pumpkin pie filling and the cake was perfect!!! Thanks again.
J. says
Been meaning to make this for ages and it looks wonderful! But one problem I always have with my cakes is they rise much faster in the middle than on the sides when baking, resulting in a cracked dome-shaped end product, regardless of how thin the cake is. This makes it hard to put icing or glaze. I was wondering how you get your cakes to be so flat and uniform on top?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi J! That seems to be a age old problem. I do sometimes use the cake strips and the cake nails but with this cake I don't seem to have much trouble. After I flip it out of the pan, the bottom becomes the top and it's nice and flat.
Anastasia Widiarsih says
Your oven might be running a bit hot. Try reducing the temp slightly, to 325-340.
Mary says
Hi J.
Just a little trick to get a more level cake is to make the middle lower than the edges when you pour the batter in. Just make a little dip in the middle when you're spooning the batter around the cake tin. That should help 😊
Great recipe by the way so thanks a lot.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Mary! I also addressed this topic in this post: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/easy-spice-cake-maple-glaze/
Kay Schulz says
Your trouble with the cake rising in the middle too much can some times be because the oven is too hot. Try a cooler oven. Good luck.
Paula E says
Lemon is my favorite flavor. This cake looks so easy. I will be making it soon. I LOVE little jars and boxes. The little yogurt jars are perfect! I would bring home as many as I could fit in my suitcase. I hope one of my friends goes to Paris this year so I can request some of the jars. Thanks for the recipe.
DanDan says
So thrilled I just found this recipe, can't wait to try it tomorrow.
Funnily enough, we just returned from our ten year anniversary holiday (a surprise trip to Paris) and I brought back a bunch of the yoghurt jars - they are so cute! Glad to hear about them and to use them for more than flowers. Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
The Paris trip was so much fun packed into one week of our lives, but we relive it all the time; even two years later!
tulips says
This recipe is the best for French Grandmother"s Cake ever, I have tried a few others, but it is has been a year since I started using yours and I always get this beautiful tasty cake. And I can use your recipe as a base and turn it into so many other cakes, like Blueberry Heaven Cake, Spicy Carrot Cake, Orange Cake, Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Cake, etc. Thanks a million!!!
Chris Scheuer says
You're so welcome! I can see you're a kitchen "inventor" like me!
Elizabeth says
I just made this with coconut oil instead of veg and some finely shredded coconut in the batter with the lemon zest. It was delightful!
Chris Scheuer says
Yum! Sounds delicious Elizabeth!
GiGi says
Chris, the cake looks amazingly delicious! I was wondering about the yogurt though. Regular yogurt is *much* more thin & watery than Greek yogurt. The ingredients list says to use either. I am wondering which one you used, I am guessing not Greek.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gigi,
Actually I've used both and had good results. In France, they probably use regular yogurt because that's what's sold in the little "jars". Hope you enjoy it!
Jocelyne says
Can this be frozen
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! Just let it cool completely then freeze, uncovered. After an hour, or once it's well frozen, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil. When you thaw it, unwrap and allow to thaw completely. Enjoy!
Sha says
May I know what's the reason it needs to be uncovered for the first hour, when freezing it?
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sha, if you cover it right away, there's a tendency for it to get squished. If you let it get semi frozen, you can then wrap it tightly and it will come out really nice when thawed.
Elizabeth says
I thought you might like to know that this recipe is my son's most favourite cake recipe, ever. He's 8, and he can't get enough of it. I think I've this recipe about 20 times already for him since I found it some time ago!
sandra says
I have just made this cake again but this time added 4 tbs poppyseeds. A hit.
Have you made it with limes yet.
Tammy says
What are your feelings about making this in a 3" cake pan? I'm making a wedding cake for a friend and she wants a lemon cake.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm not sure Tammy, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a sample cake and see if it works.
TeeCakes says
It works, I also make it in a 6 inch pan. It makes two 6 inch cakes. It's delicious. I also made it for a bride with raspberry filling and lemon cream cheese icing.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome! Thanks for letting us know! Sounds delish 🙂
Menji says
love this cake. i've made it 2 times now however it's never as tall and pretty as yours. Also I have the brown crust on the top as well - but when covered with powdered sugar and dehydrated lemon slices it's not bad looking.
Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated.
Chris Scheuer says
Meiji, try wrapping the pan in foil to prevent the brown crust. Make sure it's an 8" pan, not a 9", that will make it taller. Enjoy!
Carey says
Hi,
The cake is amazing and so easy thank you! But I was wondering- mine came out with kind of a brown crust on top, did you cut this off and flip the cake so the bottom is the top?
Thank you,
Carey
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Carey,
I do flip my cake and use the bottom as the top but I don't have to cut anything off. I didn't have to do this, but you might want to check the cake as it bakes next time and cover it with foil if it's getting too brown towards the end.
Sandra says
Has anyone tried this cake with fresh limes. If so, how many would you suggest.
The cake is sensational with lemon but I have a number of limes ready to use.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sandra, I haven't actually tried it with limes but I think that's about to change. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Michael Turner says
I just had my first three pieces of this cake, is to die for. I did just somethings, firstly used limes instead of lemons. Secondly used half a cup of coconut, desiccated. Thirdly used coconut oil instead of any of the suggested oils. Truly delightful Kate
Chris Scheuer says
Glad you enjoyed it! Your substitutions sound delicious!
Dale says
I have tried this recipe twice. I love how easy it is to prep and the flavor. However, as it cools, it sinks in the center. Am I doing something wrong or does it need to be adjusted for high altitude? I live in Denver, the mile high city!. Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
I am not familiar with high altitude baking but I suspect that you might need to just bake the cake a little longer. A cake will sink when it's not fully cooked in the center.
shazu1990 says
How do I turn this cake into a regular vanilla cake? Can I just skip the lemon?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you could skip them lemon and add a little extra vanilla.