Yogurt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

Hey y’all! Welcome back — it’s been a minute! While I was away, I worked on some pretty cool projects, went to France and Italy for vacation, and went to Lana Del Rey’s concert at the Hollywood Bowl (best concert of my life). Summer’s basically gone, but I’ve still got some good berries and I had a ton of yogurt left over from a shoot, so let’s make a super easy cake! It can all be made in one bowl — just rinse out the batter while the cake is baking and make the glaze in the clean bowl.

This is only my second cake on my blog! Since making my Citrus Buttermilk Loaf back in March, I’ve decided I do actually like making cakes… I just like to do it on my own terms! Which means: not a lot of fuss (unless a big occasion calls for it), simple decorating, simple mixing. Sometimes it’s fun to dive into a lengthy project, like puff pastry or macarons, but other times I just want something that can be done from start to finish (cleaning included) in an hour or two. This cake falls in the latter category!

Recipe Notes: I used a thick greek yogurt and loosened it, but a regular yogurt will still work, just omit the extra 3 tablespoons of liquid. As far as the oil goes, I used grapeseed, but any oil of your choice could technically work here. When you make the glaze, be sure to sift the powdered sugar to ensure it’s smooth.

Cake:

1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 vanilla bean
3 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Fruit, for decorating (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350º and grease and line a 9-inch cake pan with a circle of parchment. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, lemon zest, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the honey, yogurt and milk and whisk to combine. The mixture will start out clumpy, but should come together as you incorporate everything.

3. Pour all of the dry ingredients (both flours, baking powder, baking soda) into the bowl and stir in with a spatula until no flour streaks remain.

4. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, or until the center of the cake bounces back when gently poked. Cool completely before glazing.

5. While the cake bakes, make the glaze. Rinse and reuse the bowl you made the cake batter in! Whisk together the powdered sugar, scraped vanilla bean, yogurt, and lemon juice. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time just until it’s around the consistency of glue.

6. Place the cake on a wire rack and pour all of the glaze on top. Spread around the edges using a spatula. If using fruit, decorate while the glaze is still setting so it will hold in place. You can decorate with whatever you like - citrus peels, berries, poppy seeds, and dare I say edible flowers?

7. Once the glaze is set, slice and serve. Enjoy!