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Glazed Lemon Yogurt Sheet Cake

From ingredients to enjoyment, this recipe makes it easy to create something wonderful.

Prep Time
18 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
53 mins
Servings: 15 Servings (9X13-inch sheet cake)
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cake:
  • 2 ¾ 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest from about 3 lemons
  • 1 ¾ 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 4 large eggs
  • ½ ½ cup oil coconut, canola, etc.
  • ¼ ¼ cup no-sugar added applesauce (see note)
  • 1 1 cup plain lowfat yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
  • 1 ½ 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1 tablespoon PLAIN yogurt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugar and lightly rub together with your fingers until well combined (this releases the oils in the zest and amplifies lemon flavor). Whisk in the eggs, oil, applesauce, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla; mixing well.
  4. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined (don't overmix!).
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
  6. While the cake is baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and pourable (I use the full 2 tablespoons lemon juice but you might want to start with the lesser amount and add more, as needed, if you don't want your glaze quite as runny). Let the cake rest for 10 minutes after baking and then pour the glaze over the warm cake.
  7. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. This cake, if well-covered, stays moist for several days.

Notes

  • Applesauce + Oil: if you don't have applesauce or don't want to use it, just up the oil amount to 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 (conversely, you could experiment adding more applesauce in place of the oil although I haven't tried it).
  • Lemons: with the freshly squeezed lemon juice in the cake and in the glaze, you'll probably need about 4 large lemons for this recipe. Don't forget to zest them before you juice them!
  • Zest: also, if you don't have a zester, you can use the small holes of a box grater to zest the lemon - just take care not shred too deep into the rind of the lemon (the white part is bitter!).

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Piece Calories 321kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 52mg (17%) Sodium 170mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 37g (74%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 15Servings (9X13-inch sheet cake)

Amount Per Serving

Calories

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 Piece
Calories 321kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 55g 18%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 170mg 7%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 37g 74%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.