Traditionally served with a little sweetened crème fraiche, this cake easily lends itself to a variety of other toppings too. Sliced peaches or plums, or other fresh soft fruit, work as well as berries with a touch of sugar.  Due to the cake’s plain and lightly tangy yoghurt flavor, it will happily pair with a chocolate mousse or sauce, as it would a lemon cream, mousse, or curd.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
• ½ cup almonds, ground (if preferred, can be omitted & replaced with an additional ½ all purpose flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup flavorless oil (safflower or canola etc.)
•  ½ cup lemon marmalade (strained) Used for glazing the top (optional)
• 1 teaspoon water. Used in glazing the top (optional)

Nutritional Information

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings):
341 calories; 16 grams fat; 5 grams protein; 1 gram saturated fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars;; 71 milligrams cholesterol; 161 milligrams sodium.

Note:
The information shown is only an estimate based on the available ingredients and specified preparation. This should not take the place of a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Preparation

1. Preparation: Place a rack in the center of the oven before preheating to 350. Take an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan and butter generously, place pan on a lined baking sheet, and set aside. Whisk together the ground almonds (if using), flour, baking powder and salt – keep nearby.
2. In a medium bowl, put the sugar and zest and, using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar becomes aromatic and moist. Add the yoghurt, vanilla and eggs into the bowl and whisk vigorously – until everything is very well combined. Continuing to whisk, stir in your dry ingredients. Next, switch to a large rubber spatula to fold in the oil. You should have a batter that is thick & smooth, with a slight sheen. Scrape batter into your pan and smooth its top.
3. Place the sheet into the oven and bake 35-40 min for a round cake or 50-55 min (or until cake starts to come away from sides – an inserted knife should come out clean, and the cake should be a golden brown. Place the pan on a rack to cool for roughly 5 minutes, before running a blunt knife between the sides of the pan and the cake. Unmold and allow to cool to room temp right-side up.
4. Making the glaze: In a small pot or microwave-safe bowl, put the marmalade, stir in a teaspoon of water, and heat (either range or microwave) until your jelly is hot & liquefied. Gently brush the cake with the glaze using a pastry brush.

Tip

• To store: The cake can be kept at room temp for at least 4 days if wrapped well – it also, like most pound cakes, eats better the day after it was made. If you’ve opted not to glaze, the cake can be wrapped airtight and frozen for a max of 2 months – it’s best not to freeze the cake if glazed.