French yogurt cake is a plain and simple loaf cake, something like a cross between a lemon pound cake and a traditional sponge cake. This is a classic, easy lemon loaf cake recipe for home bakers. It’s moist, lemony and foolproof to make!

A baked cake in a loaf pan, cooling on a wire rack.

There’s no shortage of lemon cake recipes on this website, but my list would not be complete without a classic French yogurt cake. It’s one of those baked treats that’s extraordinarily simple to make.

You basically only need two bowls and a loaf pan to make the cake — no need for a mixer at all.

  • You probably have all the ingredients on hand to make the cake right now.
  • There’s no need to haul out the electric mixer — all you need are two bowls and a whisk to mix.
  • A slice of French lemon yogurt cake is just about perfect with a cup of tea.
  • Possibly the best reason to bake this: You get to massage lemon zest with sugar! If you’ve never rubbed lemon zest between grains of sugar, you’re missing out. It’s like an aromatherapy session times ten 🙂

This recipe is adapted from baking maven Dorie Greenspan. She writes that pretty much every home cook in France makes this “absolutely foolproof” cake at one time or another — for birthdays, afternoon tea or impromptu dinner guests.

Slices of lemon yogurt cake on a cooking rack,

Yogurt in cake batter

Adding any kind of fat to a cake batter makes it moist. Even though there’s no butter in the recipe (except for coating the loaf pan) this cake has the pleasingly rich taste of a pound cake, but with a lighter texture.

  • In addition to plain whole milk yogurt, this cake is enriched with neutral-tasting vegetable oil instead of butter. I sometimes use a mix of 1/2 canola oil and 1/2 Italian lemon olive oil for an extra lemony flavor.

Like most cakes, this one is even better the next day. The texture stays tender and moist, and somehow seems improve with age (if it lasts that long).

Sliced lemon yogurt cake on a wire rack, with a napkin and lemon wedge next to it.

Serving the cake

  • For cake more than a day or two old, bring it back to life by toasting it and spreading with a little butter and jam (YUM).
  • For serving, I love to just dust the loaf with some powdered sugar and cut into thick slices. Easy peasy.
  • If you want to dress this cake up, follow Dorie’s suggestion for serving the cake with a side of lightly sweetened crème fraîche. It’s lovely, tangy match with the lemon-scented cake, even better than whipped cream. Plus it makes this dessert seem extra-French. Ooh la la!
French Yogurt Lemon Loaf Cake
4.91 from 11 ratings

French Lemon Yogurt Cake

Karen Tedesco
French yogurt cake is a plain and simple loaf cake, something like a cross between a lemon pound cake and a traditional sponge cake. This is a classic, easy lemon loaf cake recipe for home bakers. It's moist, lemony and foolproof to make!
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Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon softened butter for pan
  • 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (42 g) almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • ½ cup (120 g) plain whole milk yogurt, I like Greek yogurt
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup (125 ml) neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower

Instructions
 

  1. Center oven rack and preheat to 350 (175C) degrees. Butter a standard loaf pan and lightly coat with flour, tapping out the excess.
  2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Put the sugar in a medium bowl with the zest and rub with your fingertips until sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the yogurt, and eggs. Whisk until blended, then add the oil and whisk until emulsified.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until no flour is visible.
  5. Scrape the batter into pan and bake 50-55 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  6. Transfer pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes. Run a blunt knife around edges before unmolding onto a rack to cool, right side up.

Notes

  • Lemon yogurt cake can be frozen and stored up to 2 months. Be sure to cool completely, then wrap the loaf securely in two layers of plastic wrap before placing in the freezer.
To make a creamy, dairy-free glaze:
  • Put 1 1/2 cups powdered confectioner’s sugar in a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to make a thick glaze. 
Variations:
  • You can sub the same amount of vanilla yogurt for plain. If you do, reduce the amount of sugar in the batter to 3/4 cup.
  • If you’re into it, use a half and half blend of neutral vegetable oil and extra-virgin olive oil. Italian lemon oil is amazing!
Slightly adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 357kcal Carbohydrates: 40g Protein: 6g Fat: 21g Sodium: 299mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 26g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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