This French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze is simply wonderful! It is so moist and rich and the beauty is that it uses a combination of yogurt and vegetable oil instead of butter, so it’s considerably lower in fat and saturated fat!
How much lower, you ask? Well a typical pound cake contains 1lb of butter. That equates to 3240 calories, and 366 grams of fat (236 grams saturated fat). This recipe uses 1 cup of yogurt, 160 calories with 9 grams of fat and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with 964 calories and 109 grams of fat (14 grams saturated fat). So that about 65% less calories and 67% less fat.
Giving up the bad stuff, in this case, does NOT equate to less taste or inferior texture. One bite will convince you I am right and make you believe that this recipe is a keeper. It’s bursting with a wonderful citrus flavor, and the yogurt and oil make it very moist. I came across this recipe when it was first published in Bon Appetit magazine in February 2005. I was looking to grow as a home cook then, so I subscribed to the magazine before venturing out to culinary schools in N.Y.C. and abroad. I have to say that I got some great recipes from Bon Appetit, and if you are a new cook, I wholeheartedly recommend a subscription. I have been making this French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze since it was first published. It looks and tastes like it is difficult to make, but it’s quite the opposite, super easy and effortless. It’s the perfect cake to serve when company arrives, or at dinner parties because it can be made ahead of time, and it keeps well.
Serve this French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze with some whipped cream and berries on the side, have it for breakfast, or with your afternoon tea. Make one and keep it in the cake dish for when guests unexpectedly stop by. It’s really great at any occasion.
Bon Appetit!
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup lemon, orange, or grapefruit marmalade (for glaze)
- 1 teaspoon of water
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
- Generously butter an 8½x4½x2½-inch metal loaf pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the oil. Transfer batter to a prepared pan.
- Place the pan on a baking sheet on the middle rack and bake until cake begins to pull away from the sides and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before unmolding. Cut around the sides of the pan to loosen cake, and then turn the cake out onto the rack.Turn the cake upright on the rack and cool completely.
- Stir marmalade and 1 teaspoon of water together in a small saucepan over medium heat until the marmalade melts. Brush the hot mixture over the top of the cake. Let the glaze cool and set.
- Cut the cake crosswise into slices. Serve it on it's own or with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.)
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