Soft and tender Lemon Yogurt Cake with a crunchy crumb and a zesty lemon glaze. This easy cake comes together in minutes – no mixer needed.

My, my, my.
This gorgeous Lemon Yogurt Cake is the cake of my dreams. It’s light and fluffy in the middle, with a crunchy crumb baked into the top, all finished with a zesty two ingredient glaze.
It’s a quick and easy one layer cake that’ll become one of your go-to bakes.
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen the many tears that went into perfecting this cake recipe. Even though I have so many cake recipes to learn from, it still took 8 tries to get this cake just right.
But it’s ok, because it was worth it. I’ve now had my fair share of average lemon cakes to know THIS IS THE ONE.
It’s deliciously soft, bursting with lemon flavour and easy to make. Win, win, win.

Recipe testing
When I started recipe testing, I knew exactly what I wanted. This Lemon Yogurt Cake had to be soft and tender (no dry cake here please), it had to be undeniably lemony, and yogurt had to be a core ingredient. I also wanted to elevate my cake with a buttery lemon crumb. Yes please!
I started with an oil based cake, similar to my popular Cinnamon Apple Cake and my Pistachio Cake. It also uses yogurt to produce a moist crumb, just like my Passionfruit Cake.
The first few attempts were lovely but the cake kept sinking in the middle. The cake was too light and soft to hold my crumb – and I realised that the baking soda was reacting with the lemon juice too early.
I halved the crumb, while also playing with the amounts of baking soda and baking powder. By attempt five, my cake had gotten progressively worse.
save this recipe
So I went back closer to the original recipe, but used only baking powder and reduced the amount of yogurt. I went heavy on the lemon zest just like I do in my Lemon Coconut Cake. And finally, I stumbled on the perfect Lemon Yogurt Cake. We’ve been eating it every day since.
you will love it because
- It’s super easy to throw together (no mixer needed)
- It’s light and lemony
- The crumb and glaze make it look extra special
- It’s ready in under an hour

How to make a lemon yogurt cake
- We start by making that delicious lemon crumb 💛 Simply mix together melted butter, caster sugar, plain flour and lemon zest. Done!
- To make the lemon cake, start by adding plain flour, baking powder, caster sugar, lemon zest and salt to a large bowl. Give it a little whisk.
- In a separate bowl, add oil, eggs, vanilla and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Give it a whisk with a fork just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the yogurt, and gently mix until combined. Cake batter will be nice and thick.
- Pour cake batter into baking pan and then sprinkle over lemon crumbs. Bake until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Once cake is completely cooled, drizzle with a two ingredient glaze for an extra pop of lemon. Cut into thick slices and enjoy!

commonly asked questions
I tested this recipe using vegetable oil. But other mild, flavourless oils should also work.
I recommend using a full fat Greek or natural style yogurt.
Yes. Jokes, you don’t have to but I highly recommend it! It adds a lovely texture and more lemon flavour. If you’re anything like me, you’ll just want to eat all the crumbs off the cake.
Yes. Yum.

More lemony bakes to try
- Lemon Bundt Cake (so buttery)
- Lemon Cupcakes (perfect for parties)
- Lemon Ricotta Cake (magical)
- Lemon Cookies (soft and chewy)
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.

Let’s Bake
Lemon Yogurt Cake
Soft and tender Lemon Yogurt Cake with a crunchy lemon crumb.
Ingredients
Lemon crumb
- 20 grams butter, melted
- 35 grams (1/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 35 grams (2 tablespoons) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- Zest of one large lemon
Lemon yogurt cake
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- Zest of one large lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) full fat Greek yogurt
Lemon glaze
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with baking or parchment paper.
- First, make the lemon crumb. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, flour, sugar and lemon zest until soft crumble forms. It will look like wet sand. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add oil, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Whisk briefly just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, as well as the yogurt, and gently mix using a spatula until combined – but be careful not to over mix. Batter will be fairly thick. Spoon batter into prepared tin.
- Sprinkle the lemon crumbs evenly over the top of the cake. Bake cake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, mix together sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice. Drizzle glaze all over the cooled cake.
Notes
This cake is best eaten fresh on the day it is made. It is even better when it is still a little warm from the oven.
Nutrition Information

Megan says
So easy and delicious! The crumb added extra texture which was excellent and really lifted the cake. I made the cake for a friend’s birthday and it was a hit. Will definitely make it again.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Megan!
Barak says
I’ve made it twice already and it’s so delicious and fresh. The crumble adds a lot!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it! I think the crumb is the best part 😉
Kali says
I made this cake for my father-law’s birthday. ( I used the lemon glaze to write ‘happy birthday’ on top.) It was a great hit! He had a second piece after trying how nice the first slice was.
I want to make it again this weekend, but a friend is lactose intolerant. Do you know of any substitutes I could use for the yogurt?
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad your father in law enjoyed it Kali! I haven’t tried this specific recipe with a lactose-free ingredient, but I think a dairy-free yogurt could be worth trying?
Brenda says
Hi
Can I made this with lime instead of lemon?
Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely!
Thomas says
This recipe is a winner! So easy, no need for a mixer, super moist…a real crowd pleaser!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Noor Alansari says
I followed this to the T and it turned out fantastic! Definitely going down as one of my favorite lemon sliced goodness. Thank you ❤️
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! That makes me so happy!
Patricia says
It is truly amazing. And very easy to make. I love the soft crumb(in the cake) and the lemon flavour
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So happy you loved it Patricia!
Marianni says
Hello dear Jessica! I greet you from Venezuela. I want to share my experience with this delicious yogurt and lemon cake, oh God I loved it 😍😍. I tell you that I have used whole wheat flour and the result has been a super soft and fluffy cake. Thank you once again for sharing your recipes. I send you a hug 🤗 🌹
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Marianni! Thank you for your lovely review!
Marissa says
Such a nice light lemon flavor and not too sweet. The perfect lemon cake recipe for sure, especially during the Summer!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Marissa!
Veronica says
I have a 6 inch cake pan, how can I change the recipe? just divide it by 2?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Veronica, it wouldn’t be quite the same. This article might be able to help. I’d recommend making the recipe as is, and using any leftover batter into extra cupcakes.
Medelyn says
I would like to taste this recipe….
Britta says
Simple to make and simply delicious.
Great texture. Perfect on day one, and we warm it up just slightly after that.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Britta!
Belinda Bell says
Hello and thanks for sharing…this was such an easy delicious recipe! I was searching for a long-lost recipe when I found lemon yogurt cake! This was so simple and full of flavor…so glad I found your recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Im so glad to hear that Belinda!
Kellie says
This cake is AMAZING!! I made this for my husband for take to work and I’m definitely rationing his slices to leave more for us at home! The lemon flavor is perfect, not overwhelming at all! The cake is the right level of sweetness to where you can easily eat it as part of your breakfast! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I will definitely make this again!
Jessica Holmes says
Hooray! So happy to hear that Kellie!
Julie says
I was going to print this out but you have 20 grams of butter listed? Is there anyway to convert that? Very confusing as all the other ingredients have both measurements…
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Julie, sorry for an confusion. If you are using American sized tablespoons (15ml = 1 tablespoon), 20 grams of butter is equal to 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon.
Sweta Tandon says
Hi, please egg substitute
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute.