I am very fond of simple, seasonal cakes. Â
They are what I most enjoy baking and what I most enjoy eating. Â
Last week’s Carrot Spice Snacking Cake and this Berry Zucchini Cake are examples of that, and very yummy ones I might add.
My husband loves lemon ANYTHING, so I knew I had to come up with a healthy-ish lemon cake that I could bake and eat regularly and feel good about. The indulgent part of this cake is the frosting, which does use butter, because if I’m frosting a cake it needs to be really good frosting. A simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice is a bit of a lighter option, and one I sometimes use as well.
ingredients:
Almond Flour – using almonds in the cake supply a lot of healthy fats, helping to keep the cake moist without any butter or oil.
Gluten Free Flour – I use equal parts almond and gluten free flour in this cake, but you can use all purpose in place of the GF if you’d like.
Yogurt – Using full fat yogurt also keeps the cake really moist.
“What can i use instead?”
- Almond flour is a must, as it gives fat to the cake, but the GF flour blend can be substituted with all purpose if you eat gluten.
- The cardamom and ginger in the cake give a subtle warmth to it, but if you don’t like either of those spices you can leave those out.
- I have experimented with different sweeteners in the buttercream, and I find that powdered sugar and this monkfruit powdered sweetener give the best results. Â
- I use raw can sugar in the cake, there is only 1/2 cup in the whole cake. Regular granulated sugar is an easy swap here if that’s what you have.
As always, please let me know if you try this cake because I love to hear your feedback. Happy Easter, my friends!
Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Buttercream (Gluten free, Oil Free + Butter Free Option)
Equipment
- 1 9 inch round cake pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 cup GF flour blend or all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup raw cane sugar or regular granulated sugar
- 2 large lemons
- 1 cup full fat plain yogurt of choice
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Option 1 - Lemon Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
Option 2 - Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a round cake pan with nonstick spray and cover the bottom with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar for 30 seconds.
- Add the vanilla, yogurt, zest from 2 lemons, juice from 1 lemon, and mix to combine.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, ginger, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and there are no traces of flour left.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 26-32 minutes until just cooked. You want to be mindful not to over-bake since it will dry out without oil or butter in the recipe.
- When baked, transfer to a baking rack, remove and let cool. While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream frosting or lemon glaze you've chosen as a topping.
Option 1 - Lemon Buttercream
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or with a hand mixer, blend the butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.
- Frost the top of the cooled cake with the buttercream and top with a bit of extra lemon zest.
Option 2 - Lemon Glaze
- Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together until you've reached your desired consistency. Pour on the cake and let harden.
