Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce

I am still experimenting with different lemon cakes in order to come up with a good lemon lavender cake.  Since my lavender has gone to sleep for the winter and I spent more money on lavender buds in New York than I can publish here in case Nerdy-boy is reading, I decided I would first experiment with just lemon cakes and add the lavender later. 

I found this recipe for Ina Garten's lemon yogurt cake and this may be the vessel for my lemon lavender cake with a few adjustments.  This cake is light and very lemony.  Ina claims that it's not as calorie heavy as most cake because there is no butter in it.  I'm not buying that one.  Nonetheless, it's quite tasty.  I know that because there was about 1/4 of it leftover from the dinner party the other night when Nerdy-boy and I had this conversation.

NB:  Honey, do you want a piece of this lemon cake?

ME:  Not right now - I'm good.

NB:  Do you think you're going to want a piece later?

ME:  No, honey. But, if you want to eat the rest of the cake, go ahead.

Of course he did.


Lemon Yogurt Cake (from Ina Garten)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
nocoupons

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

nocoupons

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

For the Blueberry Sauce (this leftover sauce was great on our fluffy pancakes this morning).
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 cup vanilla sugar1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine the blueberries and vanilla sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Add 1 cup water and the lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.