Lemon Yoghurt Buttercake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

I love the combination of lemon and yoghurt in baking … it always gives you a beautiful moist cake, and when lemons are plentiful there is nothing like a delicious lemon and yoghurt cake … this batter can be baked in a jumbo loaf tin (base measurement 27cm x 10.5cm) or a round 24cm (base measurement) cake tin.

I prefer the loaf to be drizzled with a little lemon glaze (just lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together) or you can op for a more extravagant icing using the lemon cream cheese icing mix when making the round cake.

With the icing you will be adding the icing sugar in four lots, slowly incorporating it into the cream cheese and finally adding just a tablespoon of lemon juice to loosen it a touch (use a 20ml tablespoon to measure the juice into the mix so that you don’t use too much – you can always add another teaspoon if you need a runnier consistency).

For added texture you can finish off the icing with some pepitas, sunflower seeds and shredded coconut but that is totally optional.

NB:  the baking temperature for making this cake was updated July 2021 from 170 fan to 160 fan (because of my new oven!)

Lemon Yoghurt Buttercake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour 10 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 12 to 14 serves

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE

• Rind of 3 lemons
• 250g butter, can be straight from the fridge, cubed
  
  
• 250g plain yoghurt (see # note below)
• 100g fresh lemon juice
• 4 x 60g eggs, room temperature
  
  
• 420g golden caster sugar
• 400g self raising flour
• 40g custard powder
• 
  # if you only have Greek yoghurt then use 200g Greek yoghurt and 50g whole milk to thin it down
  
  

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 125g full fat cream cheese, cold from the fridge, cubed
• Rind of 1 lemon (I use a zester / save juice to add later)
• 400g icing sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tbls fresh lemon juice, or a touch more if you want a runny mix
• Pepitas, sunflower seeds and shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions

METHOD FOR CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan forced and arrange oven rack to middle of oven
2. Grease and line jumbo loaf tin (27cm x 10.5cm base measurement) or round 24cm cake tin (base measurement) with baking paper
3. Place lemon rind and butter into TM bowl and mix 40 seconds / 50 / speed 4 to loosen up the butter, but not melt it completely
4. Scrape down sides of bowl
5. Insert butterfly and add yoghurt, lemon juice and eggs and mix 10 seconds x speed 3 to lightly combine, scrape down sides
6. Add sugar, flour and custard powder ... the bowl will look quite full but all is okay ... slowly turn your dial to mix 10 seconds x speed 3 (by turning your dial slowly to speed 3 you will stop the flour from "fluffing up" and sticking to the underside of your lid) to start the mixing process
7. Scrape down sides and mix for a final 30 seconds x speed 3
8. The batter will be quite thick ... place it into the cake tin of choice and smooth over the top
9. If using a loaf tin: bake for 1 hour and then test with skewer … add another 10-15 minutes if necessary (it takes an hour and 15 minutes in my oven)
10. If using 24cm round cake tin: bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes and then test with skewer … add another 5-10 minutes if necessary (it takes an hour and 10 minutes in my oven)
11. Cool in tin 15 minutes then turn out onto cake rack to cool
12. Finish as desired with lemon glaze (icing sugar mixed with lemon juice) or lemon cream cheese icing
13. Keeps well for a few days
    
    

METHOD FOR LEMON CHEESE CHEESE ICING

1. Place cream cheese and lemon rind into TM bowl and mix 20 seconds / speed 4
2. Add first 100g icing sugar and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
3. Add second 100g icing sugar and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
4. Add third 100g icing sugar and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
5. Add final 100g of icing sugar, lemon juice and salt and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
6. Scrape around bowl and remix for another 5 seconds / speed 4
7. Check consistency and if you prefer a slightly runny icing add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mix 5 seconds / speed 4 (do not add too much as it will just run straight off the cake ... unless that is what you want)
8. Sprinkle with pepitas and sunflower seeds if desired
9. Allow icing to set for an hour at room temperature before serving

Notes

I prefer the loaf to be drizzled with a little lemon glaze (just lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together) or you can op for a more extravagant icing using the lemon cream cheese icing mix when making the round cake.

With the cream cheese icing you will be adding the icing sugar in four lots, slowly incorporating it into the cream cheese and finally adding just a tablespoon of lemon juice to loosen it a touch (use a 20ml tablespoon to measure the juice into the mix so that you don't use too much - you can always add another teaspoon if you need a runnier consistency).

For added texture you can finish off the icing with some pepitas, sunflower seeds and shredded coconut but that is totally optional.

NB: Please note that with my new oven I found I had to bake this cake at a lower temperature 160 degree fan, instead of 170 degrees fan ... so the recipe was updated for this in July 2021 ... if you have printed off an earlier copy of this recipe and your oven bakes your cake successfully at 170 fan please keep to that temperature

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