French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake (2024)

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This crazy delicious French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake has a moist, tender crumb, takes minutes to make and has a delightful history!

I made this delicious Lemon Yogurt Cake a few weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about it. The problem is that I'm not in my own kitchen right now and can't make another one for a while...sad!

Greetings from London Paris!

Are you having a hard time keeping up with us? Yes, I'm feeling a bit like that myself!

Afew days ago we were in London visiting our daughter and her family. But Scott and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary this year, and wewere busy this spring, planning aweek together in Paris. We bid adieu toour family in London on Tuesday and headed to France on the Eurostar.

We've beenhere for two days now, and are having the time of our lives in a delightful little (very little) flat that we rented in the heart of the Paris Latin District.

You're going to laugh when you hear one of the things that I couldn't wait to see when I got to Paris.

These adorablelittle yogurt jars.

A super charming history

I know, I know, that sounds a bit strange, right? But I read about this wonderful Lemon Yogurt Cake a few weeks before we left for our London/Paris trip. I was so intriguedby itscharming history that, not only could I hardly wait to make the cake,I was also dyingtosee these fun little jars in person.

What's the history of this French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake? The story's told, that this humble, simple recipe is one thatgrandmothers (and lots of other people too, I'm quite sure) all over France are renowned for. In French, this cake is calledGâteaux de Mamie, which translated is: Granny Cake. The part of the story I loveis the way these French grandmothersmeasure the cake ingredients -with yogurt jars!

Yogurt in Francehas been traditionally sold in small, round glass jars(these days you can find it in all kinds of containers; but in the past, it was mostly sold in little jars). The recipe starts out with one jar of yogurt. The rest of the ingredients are measured in that same jar: two jars of sugar, 3 jars of flour, one jar of oil...

Don't worry though, you don't need to have French yogurt available to make the cake. It turns out that each jarholds one-half cup (120 milliliters), so it's easy to translate the recipe into more classic cooking measurements.

I tried outthe cakebefore we left on our trip and it truly isfantastic! Definitely a keeper recipe! The cake is super moist and a simple lemon syrup that's brushed on while still warm yields an amazingly delicious,crisp, citrusglazed crust. It doesn't really need any embellishment, but a dusting of powdered sugar is a lovely finishing touch.

And it's one of the easiest cakes I've ever made! How easy? Check out the video below and you'll see for yourself!

Score!

The first day Scott and I were in Paris, we stopped at a small grocery store near our little apartment. The dairy case was the first place I checked and, sure enough, there were the famous little jars used to make the lemon yogurt cake. I servedthe yogurt the next morning for breakfast and discovered that, not only are the jars quite charming (I'm taking a bunch of them home!), the yogurt is smooth, creamy and incredibly delicious; definitely a win-win-win!

So there you have it, French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake. I love the name, especiallywhen you know the story behind it. Whatever you decide to call it, make it! I know you're going to love it!

Café Tips for making this Lemon Yogurt Cake

• I often use Greek yogurt for this cake but you can also use regular yogurt. In fact, in a pinch, you could also use buttermilk or sour cream. They'll all work! (You just might need to give the cake a new name if you're not using yogurt.)
• I'm a big fan of butter in cake recipes. This cake calls for oil (no butter) and I was a bit skeptical until I actually tasted the cake. Don't be tempted to substitute butter as the oil keeps the cake light yet moist at the same time. And the flavor is wonderful!
• Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. I have made it with sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil and avocado oil. They all work well.
• This recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice. Always zest your fruit before squeezing for the juice. The best way to zest a citrus fruit is with one of these microplane zesters. They're not expensive and can be used for many years before having to replace.

P.S. Wondering what ourtiny, but charming Paris abode looks like? We'll be sharing a posttomorrow titled"Our Little Paris (very little) Apartment" with lots of pictures.