Emily Loves Food

This light, moist lemon cake uses yogurt and oil instead of butter for a soft, delicate crumb that just melts in your mouth. With a delicious tart flavour, this cake is perfect with a scoop of ice cream for a summer dessert, or nestled in beside a cup of tea for a sneaky afternoon snack.

I know I just posted my lemon coconut slice, and without anything to break it up, have made the exact same flavours into a cake.

I apologise, but it’s just what I feel like eating at the moment.

Lemon is just such a refreshing flavour, and it is so sweaty and hot at the moment that I couldn’t stomach anything as heavy as a chocolate cake. Wait for winter, comfort food fans – you’ll get your fair share of soul-warming nibbles.

Plus, our lemon tree is weighed down with fruit, and there was a bag of desiccated coconut in the cupboard.

How convenient!

Uni starts again on monday, and for the last couple of months I’ve actually been quite excited about going back. I miss the lovely people in my classes, and I miss using my brain in a way that’s more productive than thinking about what I’m going to eat for dinner (though that is still a very important topic to donate brain power to). Though as that fateful monday draws closer, I’m starting to think that, perhaps, lazing around in the sun and cruising to work isn’t so bad after all.

Because I walk to uni in order to save my precious pennies, and because a heavy backpack and a3 folder are necessary for all my graphic design paraphernalia, all I can think about is trudging through the 27 degree weather for an hour with a few extra kgs bumping on my back.

I’ll undoubtedly get used to it once I’m there – I have a really exciting new timetable this year, and while I lament the loss of classes like photography and life drawing, the advertising classes that replace them should be pretty awesome. And then there’s the wave of free stuff that crashes over all the central universities on the first week back (o week, it’s called). I can guarantee that there will be red bull and fresh up and sausages and free concerts every day for at least the first seven days, and then at least another fortnight of free goodies. So that’s a bit of a drawcard too.

But honestly, just the thought of going into the city right now makes me want to curl up with a yummy slice of lemon cake.

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Coconut Frosting - Makes 1 large (24cm) cake

Prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 35-40 mins

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• the zest and juice of two large lemons
• 1 cup low-fat greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour

• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 10g butter, softened
• 4 tbs desiccated coconut
• 3 tbs water

Preheat the oven to 180c and grease a large (24cm) ring or square tin.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, zest, juice, yogurt, sugar and eggs, whisking to a smooth consistency  Sift tover the flour, and whisk to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, and bake for 35-40mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove, and allow to cool in the tin for 15 mins before turning out to cool.

When it’s no longer warm to the touch, prepare the icing by combining the last four ingredients. Slap generously on the top, and give the icing a few mins to set before serving.

Store in an airtight container.

Related posts: