French Lemon Cake- tart and so moist!

I love to cook, especially bake. If you've even glanced at any other posts, lots are about baking. Sweets are my bliss and I can get really obsessive over recipes. If something turns out pretty well, then I note the things that I would change on the paper. I try it a second time, implementing the changes. If it doesn't seem an improvement over the original I probably won't make it again. However, if it does improve, I make it again and tweak it a bit more. Then it's a keeper and goes in my recipe book. Let's just say that once I finished fiddling with this recipe I made it three more times in one month! If you know me, that is astronomical. I have waaay too many new recipes whispering insidiously in my ear to waste time making the same thing over and over. But this loaf. Bread. Cake. Whatever you call it, it's divine.

This recipe originally caught my eye in a Bon Appetit magazine, because the author was talking about how he was a chef and not skilled at baking. He tried the French Yogurt Cake so that he could make something sweet for his little daughter. Then he mentioned that it was such a wonderful and simple recipe that it was generally the first one that French children learned. That got me thinking. What would be the first recipe most American children learn?? My first foray into cooking was making cinnamon-sugar toast under the broiler when I was yet to be in school (ask me sometime about losing my eyelashes and eyebrows...). But my first real recipe was No-bake Cookies on the stove. I can remember making them when I couldn't see into the pot without a chair. What do kids make now? Microwave coffee mug cakes? I can only aspire to the culinary level of  French youths, because this is stinking amazing.

The original recipe had only lemon zest in the sugar, no juice. The French are subtle that way; it was lemon "scented". But I'm an American and Southern. I don't do subtle real well. So in the second attempt, half of the zested lemon got juiced into the batter and the other half went into a glaze on the top. Better. But the cake wasn't quite as moist as I wanted, and I get kinda cranky about unglazed sides. Yeah- want, want, want. So then I decided to make it again and make double the glaze and make it nice and thin. I poked holes all over the hot loaf, to the very bottom. I drenched the top in glaze, letting it seep down into the warm crumb, drizzling all the way through. Then I poured it down the sides, while still in the pan. The result is the most lemon-y, moist, succulent lemon loaf you have ever had. I know everyone promises things like that. It delivers, I PROMISE. 

You know what else? It only gets better. It's luscious while still hot, who could wait for it to cool? It is even better the second day. Now, I am one of those snooty "no cookies or pie after the 2nd day" people. They're just not as good anymore. This loaf is best on the third day. It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's the perfect thing to make ahead of time when you know you're having company. It's great to make and let your family eat most of it, and then save that last little bit. Oh, the sacrifices momas make. Only you know that it will be better the next day!

It's just a beautiful thing, people. And versatile! The easiest way to enjoy it is baked in a loaf pan. But you can see that it lends itself perfectly to tiny tin molds, or even Easter egg shapes while retaining its wonderful moistness.

Here is the recipe, in my humble opinion, perfected.  And after doing all the work (and having to eat all that cake in the process- big sigh :), I am giving the finished version to you, Dear Reader. 'Cause I love you that much...

French Lemon Loaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put 1 cup of sugar into a medium bowl and zest over it 1 lemon. Use your fingers to massage the zest into the sugar, rubbing it between your fingers for a few moments until the sugar begin to look moist and starts to clump. 

Add one half of the lemon's juice to the sugar, along with 3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup veg oil, 2 eggs, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Mix well.

Into the wet ingredients add 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt.  

Mix in until just combined and pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes, watching closely for the last ten minutes. Test the center with a skewer. It should not come out wet, but it is fine to have moist crumbs.

Once out and still hot, poke all over with a skewer, 1/2 inch apart and all the way to the bottom. Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/8 cup plus 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to make a thin, pourable glaze. (I don't usually measure, so I made this up to give you some approximates. I didn't end up using quite all of this) Pour about half of it slowly over the top, brushing over, allowing to soak into holes. 

Pour the last amount down the sides, using a butter  knife to press the cake away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan to allow all the glaze to soak into the cake. 

Very moist, even better the second or third day!

HINT: Don't think about skipping the step of massaging the zest into the sugar. This is a very old method of using the abrasiveness of the sugar to extract the essential oil from the citrus rind. The oil in the peel is many times more powerful than the juice, and simply stirring it into the batter will not have the same effect. (see Rose Petal Syrup for another example of massaging with sugar to release oils)

I hope you'll try this recipe. In fancy molds or a humble loaf, it is delightfully tart and moist! 

*I wanted to add a post note (April 22)- the other day I didn't have any yogurt and I substituted sour cream. It worked perfectly, so you can interchange the two :) And then I had a brainstorm! What about lime zest and juice? Or orange zest and juice? Oh, the possibilities! If you try one of these changes, let me know how it was...