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Whole Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake

Nothing could be easier than this lemony 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!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Servings 8

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.
Keyword breakfast, cake, coffee cake, glaze, lemon, yogurt