Name: Olive Oil-Yogurt Cake
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Ingredients: 3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) granulated sugar; 4 large eggs; 1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt; 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon plain whole-milk yogurt; 2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar

Why This Recipe Works

Popular throughout Spain and France, this simple cake exists in many forms but the basic recipe is the same: Extra-virgin olive oil and yogurt are combined with eggs, sugar, flour, and leavener (usually baking powder and sometimes baking soda) to create a moist, delicate cake with a slightly coarse crumb and a subtly tangy, mildly fruity aroma. We tested our way through numerous versions and found we preferred our cake without citrus in the batter to enable the subtle aroma of the olive oil to shine through. We tested a range of yogurt types and found that the most traditional—plain whole-milk yogurt—yielded the best results; the crusts and crumbs of cakes made with Greek yogurt were too thick and dense, and cakes made with low-fat yogurts were too dry and crumbly. We preferred the graceful form of the Bundt pan and found that an easy-to-make lemon glaze (with a touch of tangy yogurt) was enough to transform this modest everyday cake into an elegant dessert.

Before You Begin

Serve with a fruit compote, or simply enjoy with tea or coffee. For the best flavor, be sure to use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here.

Instructions

for the cake

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. In separate large bowl, whisk sugar and eggs together until sugar is mostly dissolved and mixture is pale and frothy, about 1 minute. Whisk in oil and yogurt until combined. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until combined and no dry flour remains.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and gently tap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake until cake is golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

for the lemon glaze

Whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, yogurt, and confectioners' sugar together in bowl until smooth, adding more lemon juice gradually as needed until glaze is thick but still pourable (mixture should leave faint trail across bottom of mixing bowl when drizzled from whisk). Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently turn cake out onto wire rack. Drizzle half of glaze over warm cake and let cool for 1 hour. Drizzle remaining glaze over cake and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve.