We got this recipe from the LA Times via our local paper, and decided to try it. It’s delicious!

Read through the entire recipe before starting!

freshly glazed and ready to eat

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°.
2. Lightly coat an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.
3. Combine flour,  baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside for next step.
4. Place 1 cup sugar in a separate bowl. Zest both lemons directly over the sugar. Rub the zest by hand into the sugar to the texture of wet sand. Juice and strain the lemons into a separate bowl and reserve; you should have at least 6 tablespoons. Into the sugar/zest bowl, whisk in the oil, then the eggs, then the yogurt and 1 Tbl of the lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp of the vanilla extract. While whisking slowly, sprinkle in the flour mixture until the batter resembles pancake batter. Add half of the remaining flour and fold with a spatula just until incorporated and repeat with the remaining dry  ingredients.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with 4 Tbl (1/4 cup) of the reserved lemon juice in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then boil until the liquid is clear, about 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat and stir the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into the syrup.
7. Unmold the warm cake and brush the bottom and sides evenly with the lemon syrup. Cool completely on the wire rack. The cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or…add Glazing to the top.

Glaze: Stir remaining lemon juice (about 1 Tbl) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into 1 cup powered sugar to make a very thick glaze. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled loaf, letting the glaze naturally drip down the sides.

Note: you can substitute other citrus, such as oranges, mandarins, clementines, grapefruits or lime, or any combination, for the lemons. [have not tried that yet, but maybe in the future].

– recipe from LA Times

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. It’s really good.