Italian Lemon & Yogurt Cake
This moist, rich cake combines everything you love about an olive oil cake with the lightness of a sponge-cake. Our take on a classic Italian ricotta cake, this lemon & yogurt cake is the perfect pairing for your morning coffee. With notes of honey, almond, and lemon, it’s both refreshing and comforting. And of course, not too sweet to keep from accidentally eating the whole thing in one sitting!
Origin of My 2nd Favourite Cake
The original recipe that inspired this cake was completely in Italian and was for a Ricotta Orange Cake. The ingredients in my pantry were immensely different and it turns out I mistranslated some of it anyway, but didn’t realize until much later. This recipe is the result of my version of a cake that now ranks as the second-best cake I’ve ever made or eaten. We’ve affectionally come to call it a “Nonna Cake” in our house. I’ve never taken so many liberties with a recipe, adding things like Almond Flour to change the texture and olive oil to change the structure, and I’m incredibly pleased with how it’s turned out. Hopefully this will be the turning point I needed to be more creative in my baking recipes!
As for ricotta cakes, they are primarily known for their heavy Italian origin, although there is some evidence dating ricotta all the way back to the Bronze Age. Yogurts and ricottas are both fermented whey products, coming from sheep, goats, or cows, and are often difficult to preserve for long periods of time. That’s why things like baking are such a good way to utilize such an abundant and labour-intensive ingredient.
What’s the Point of the Yogurt?
Yogurt is a bacterially fermented product of milk. This fermentation is the process of (good) bacterial colonies digesting the sugars found in milk in order to produce lactic acid. This increase of acidity is the natural tang you taste in yogurt. These acids react with the milk proteins in milk to create the structure and texture you see in normal yogurt. This reaction is also why many lactose intolerant people are unaffected by dairy yogurts; there’s less milk protein left to hurt your stomach. The milk proteins are also eliminated through the initial heating process used to make yogurt, where the proteins are heated to a level that causes denaturing, or the unravelling of the protein.
Lactose conversion
The thick texture of the yogurt caused by the lactic acid / milk protein reaction is an excellent catalyst to form new bonds. The low pH (high acidity) of this product also aids in bond creation. Together, these components act to thicken and strengthen the batter of our cake. It means that is helps retain the moisture while also giving it the structure to rise without collapsing. It also gives a very unique flavour to your cake that helps enhance the other flavours being included.
Italian Lemon & Yogurt Cake
Simone Peironnet | 11/14/2022
prep time: 10 minutes | cook time: 40 | total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 95 g All Purpose Flour
- 30 g Almond Flour
- 5 g Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 75 g Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 10 g Honey
- 60 ml / ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 75 ml / ⅓ Cup Milk of Choice
- 100 g Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Lemon, zested
- ½ Lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Serving Suggestions:
- Strong Cup of Coffee
- Cabin in the Woods
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease and flour bundt cake or circular cake mold.
- In a medium bowl, combine your flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine your sugar and eggs. Beat until frothy and slightly enlarged. Slowly add in your honey, olive oil, milk, yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add in your flour mixture until well combined. Pour into your greased mold.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown and passing the toothpick test. Allow to cool slightly, around 10 minutes, and enjoy with a cup of coffee!
Product Suggestions for this Recipe
Our favourite cake molds havembeen thrifted but we tried to find some of our favourite types of baking equipment at easier-to-access-locations.
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