Name: Orange Blossom Yogurt Lemon Loaf Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes one 8 ½-by-4 ½-inch loaf
Cuisine: CALIFORNIAN
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 orange blossom water

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By Genevieve Ko

May 19, 2020

Orange blossom water (see Note) gives this cake a lovely floral scent and a unique citrus aroma that’s much lighter than the taste you get from orange oil, which would overpower it. If you can’t find blossom water, use pure vanilla extract instead.

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1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

2 lemons

⅓ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon orange blossom water

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8 ½-by-4 ½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Place 1 cup sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Use a Microplane grater to remove the zest from both lemons, letting it fall directly onto the sugar. Juice the lemons into a bowl and reserve; you should have at least 6 tablespoons.

Pulse the sugar until it’s evenly yellow and has the texture of wet sand. Add the oil and pulse until well mixed. Add the eggs and pulse just until incorporated. Add the yogurt, 1 tablespoon reserved lemon juice and ½ teaspoon orange blossom water. Pulse just until the last streak of white yogurt disappears. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the wet ingredients and pulse just until smooth. 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.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar with ¼ 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 the pan from the heat and stir the remaining ½ teaspoon orange blossom water into the syrup.

Unmold the warm cake and brush the bottom and sides evenly with the lemon syrup. Cool completely on the wire rack.

Variations:

Glazed Lemon Loaf: Stir 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and ½ teaspoon orange blossom water into 1 cup powdered sugar to make a very thick glaze. Spread evenly over the cooled cake, letting the glaze naturally drip down the sides.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake: Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the vegetable oil.

Yogurt Citrus Cake: Substitute other citrus, such as oranges, Mandarins, clementines, grapefruit or limes or a combination, for the lemons.

You can buy orange blossom water, preferably the Mymouné brand, online or in Middle Eastern or specialty stores.

You also can make the batter by hand: Place the sugar in a large bowl, zest the lemons over it and rub in the zest. Whisk in the oil, then the eggs, then the yogurt, lemon juice and orange blossom water. 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.

Make Ahead:

The cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.