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Nothing could be easier than this lemony blender breakfast cake. It uses an entire lemon – zest, juice, pulp, and all. A simple batter is whipped up in a blender, baked, and topped with a tangy lemon glaze. It’s easy enough to make before you’ve even had your morning coffee!
Cake for breakfast? Sure – especially if it’s tangy, light, and not too sweet, like this Whole Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake.
This cake is very tender and moist, with a muffin-like texture. The acidity from the yogurt as well as the lemon juice give it a pleasant tang, which is offset by the sweet glaze on top. I particularly like this cake with a cup of coffee or tea.
I was inspired by the idea of a blender cake – because I can be a little lazy about breakfast. I love the fact that the batter mixes up in the blender, then you pour it right in the pan and bake. The blender whips just the right amount of air in the batter, and you have no extra bowls to clean.
The lemon is the hero here – and when you have a tree full of perfect bright yellow lemons, what better way to use them?
Growing Your Own Lemons
You know how a lot fruits and vegetables are SO much better if fresh picked? I’m thinking of tomatoes, peaches, salad greens, blackberries…well, now, add lemons to that list.
Home grown lemons are far juicier, sweeter, and more flavorful than the ones you buy at the store. Those lemons are picked purposely under-ripe so that the skins are thick enough to stand up to the shipping process.
Learn more: 6 Secrets to Growing HUGE Lemons
This is one of the reasons that I used a whole lemon for this breakfast cake. Homegrown lemons, if left to ripen on the tree, have a much thinner skin and pith, and a lot more juice. The skin is tender enough to blend right up, and the pith is so thin that it hardly adds any bitterness (and what was there I liked – it tastes more lemony).
But you can absolutely use a store-bought lemon for this recipe – I have. Just be sure to peel off the zest first, then remove as much of the pith as possible before blending.
There are tons of articles about growing your own lemons on The Fruit Grove. Check them out here!
Can you use frozen lemons?
This recipe works great with frozen lemons. Freezing and defrosting softens the lemon, brings out the juice, and allows it to be blended up easily. If you use frozen lemon in this recipe, be sure to defrost it before blending.
I store a lot of my garden produce in the freezer, and lemons are no exception. I freeze them whole, zested, juiced, and everything in between.
Check out the video below to see my favorite ways to freeze and preserve lemons for long-term use.
How to Make Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake
First prepare the lemon. If you are using the entire lemon, pith and all, just cut it into quarters and take out any seeds you see.
For lemons with a thicker rind and pith (like the ones you usually find at the store), first peel the zest with a vegetable peeler. Then use a paring knife to remove the white pith. Then quarter the lemon and remove the seeds.
Add the seeded lemon, yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla to the blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth, although there will still be a little texture from the lemons.
Add in the all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Pulse in the blender until the dry ingredients are combined, but be careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way (run a knife around the edges of the pan first to loosen them).
To make the lemon glaze, mix the powdered sugar with two teaspoons of lemon juice (use a little more if the mixture is too thick to pour). Then drizzle the glaze over the cake, slice, and eat!
Looking for more lemon breakfast recipes? Try Easy Lemon Muffins with Pistachio-Lemon Streusel.
Whole Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake
Equipment
- Blender
- 8 x 4-inch loaf pan
- cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 whole large lemon*
- ½ cup whole milk plain yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable, canola, or other neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the loaf pan with cooking spray, then use a paper towel to make sure every part of the pan is coated. Set aside.
- If using a store-bought lemon, peel off the yellow rind using a vegetable peeler, leaving behind the white pith. Use a paring knife to carefully cut the white pith off the remainder of the lemon, then cut the lemon flesh in quarters. Remove any seeds you see (don’t worry if you miss a couple).If using a homegrown lemon, you can skip the peeling step above if the pith is very thin (although there will be a slight pleasant bitterness in the final cake). Cut the whole lemon into quarters and remove the seeds.
- Add the lemon, yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla to the blender. Pulse until the lemon is chopped, then blend until smooth (there will still be some texture from the lemon) and aerated, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flours, salt, and baking powder to the liquids in the blender, then pulse a few times until the flour is completely incorporated. You want the batter to be smooth, but you don’t want to over-mix or the cake will be tough.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. If the cake is starting to brown too much, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the pan in the oven.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully remove the cake and allow to cool completely on a rack.
- While the cake is cooling, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together to create the glaze. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle the glaze on top. Slice and enjoy!
TIPS
- I used a Meyer lemon for the original recipe, but any regular lemon works just as well.
- This is a great way to use a frozen whole lemon. Just defrost the lemon in the microwave before mixing the batter.
- *If your lemon is on the dry side, you may want to juice an extra lemon to be sure that you have enough liquid for the cake.
- This recipe also works with orange! Throw the whole orange in the blender – no need to peel.
