A moist lemon yogurt cake that’s simple and delicious!

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My yogurt lemon cake is known in Greece as a lemon pie, but it’s definitely a moist and creamy cake. It’s like a bite of sunshine because of the lemon flavor, and changing out the lemon for orange is just as delicious. All you need is one big bowl and a spatula since it’s so easy to make. Then, serve topped with confectioners’ sugar or lemon glaze. It will rival any pound cake at tea time!
Why you’ll make this cake often
- Moist light crumb
- Lots of Lemon flavor
- Almost creamy from the yogurt
- An easy-to-make yogurt lemon cake with topping options to serve over and over again!

Lemon cake ingredients
The Dry Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Zest of 2 lemons –always zest before juicing
The Wet Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter –softened to cream into the sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Pure vanilla extract –good quality
- Eggs –room temperature is important, so they don’t clump the butter
- Plain Greek yogurt –the best to use is full fat because the creamier it is, the lighter your cake
- Fresh lemon juice –fresh and never from a plastic bottle
- Baking soda –add to the lemon juice first to activate it
Garnishes:
- Fresh berries
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Shredded sweetened coconut
- Whipped cream

How to make Yogurt Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 170 °C.
- Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with butter.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.
- In another bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Add the eggs into the butter mixture and combine
- Then, add the yogurt into the butter and egg mixture. Stir to incorporate.
- Combine the baking soda with the lemon juice and add to the batter.
- Then, add the flour mixture in 2-3 batches stirring until just combined. Be sure not to overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake on the center rack for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If the cake browns too fast, loosely cover the pan with some foil.
- Allow the cake to cool completely and then transfer it to a platter.
- Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Lemon Glaze topping
To make this yogurt lemon cake even more lemony, skip the confectioners’ sugar and make a lemon glaze topping! Combine 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar with 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and whisk it together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled cake.

Serving
Whether you choose to top your cake with confectioners’ sugar or lemon glaze, fresh berries are the perfect complement to lemon. You could add homemade whipped cream or even some shredded coconut. I love how bright the lemon flavor is in this cake, and it makes for a great pick me up with afternoon tea or coffee. I can’t wait for you to try it and let me know how your finish it. Kali Orexi!
More Cake Recipes:
- Greek Honey Cake
- Pasta Sokolatina
- Lemon Cream Cake
- Ultra Moist Coconut Cake
- Politiko Thessalonikis: Greek Semolina Cake with Custard
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Yogurt Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- !The Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups (400g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (9g) baking powder
- zest of 2 lemons
- !The Wet Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (250g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- !Garnishes:
- fresh berries
- confectioner's sugar
- shredded sweetened coconut
- whipped cream
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 170 °C.
Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with butter.
Combine the dry ingredients ina. bowl and whisk them together.
In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Add the eggs and beat together.
Add the yogurt and mix until incorporated.
Combine the baking soda with the lemon juice and add to the batter.
Add the flour mixture in 2-3 batches mixing until just incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake on the center rack for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to cool and then transfer it to a platter.
Dust the top with confectioner's sugar and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Kali Orexi!
Notes
If the cake browns too fast, loosely cover the pan with some foil.
To make a Lemon Glaze topping:
Combine 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and whisk them all together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled cake.
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I enjoy all of your videos
Can I substitute EVOO for the butter?
If so, how much oil?
You can substitute a light olive oil. 1/2 cup would be perfect.
Thank you! I’ll be making this for Easter!
Fresh light and Spring!
Can you substitute EVOO for the butter?
Thanks
I don’t recommend it. Maybe half of the butter but the evoo will make it heavy with bitter after-notes.
Hi Dimitra- cooking up Easter for my Greek in-laws and would love to make this ahead of time, maybe freeze? Ive made many many of your recipes!
Thank you,
Kathy
Yes, it freezes beautifully 🙂
Can you use lemon yogurt instead of plain? Thanks!
Yes, that will work 🙂
THis is the best !!!!!! I cut the sugar to 1.5 cups , used whipped cream and that really complemented the cake. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe
Hello Dimitra,
I love your recipes and videos. I especially love the simplicity of most of your food and baking. Yesterday I made your Lemon Yogurt cake (with the lemon glaze) and it was an overwhelming hit. And best of all it was fast and easy to make and clean up after. My only minor problem was the baking time, but fortunately got the cake out of the oven before it over baked. And to be on the safe side, using a toothpick i poked holes over the [cooled] cake and used the lemon glaze for the topping. When I make this cake again I’ll know to knock 5 to 10 minutes of the time.
να έχεις μια υπέροχη μέρα
Elise
How can cake store? Is it ok to freeze?