Lemon Yogurt Cake, Barefoot Contessa Style

If Barefoot Contessa was british, she'd probably be the queen. But alas, as a yank, whe'll have to settle for queen of the Food Network.

As much as I adore her, let's not kid ourselves. Girlfriend is not about cutting back on the fat. Some might even give her the title of queen of butter. She loves the stuff...and sometimes, I'm right there with her. Her shortbread recipe makes an appearance in my kitchen every christmas. But in order to love butter sometimes, you have to love it less other times. So when she took her oh so divine Lemon Cake recipe from her Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook, and revamped it in her Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook by replacing the half pound of butter with yogurt, I wasn't complaining. In fact, I was intrigued...

This recipe still has 1/2 a cup of oil--stirred in at the end of the mixing cycle. I wonder about this technique. Was it the amount or the technique that caused the bread to have that texture and taste so similar to if it had been full of butter and oil? In fact, the bread was so moist and almost oily, I might even attempt it again with a bit less oil.

I also used lowfat plain yogurt because it's what I eat for brekkie. I think it worked perfectly--but note that Ina's recipe calls for whole milk yogurt.

This recipe is not one of those compromises that you make because it's better for you than the fully fatted version. It's just as good. Why wouldn't you use yogurt in that case? Oh, and it's way better the second day after the grated lemon rind has seeped into every molecule of the bread. I took it into my test team at work as a thank you and it was actually all gone within the hour. They love Barefoot Contess too.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain low fat yogurt

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided

3 large eggs
3 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2-3 lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

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.