Lydia came in last Monday with this cake. She left a thick slice in my office and one on the miller’s table for Lindsey, who would be in the next day. Usually when bake goods arrive in the mill room, I will taste, and then wrap up to bring home to photograph before consuming the rest (or sharing with my family : ) This one did not make it past the morning. I took a taste, and then another and another until there really wasn’t enough left to photograph, so I had to finish it— so good! The next day I told Lydia what happened and she reminded me that we had Lindsey’s slice to photograph, but we were too late, as she too could not stop nibbling, until her slice was gone. Lydia would have brought more to work, but her partner, Kevin, finished off the cake… that good.

This cake surprised me for a many reasons. First, the flour choice. With the brightness of lemon, I would not have thought Trinity Blend. Crema, yes, 85Pastry, yes, 85AP, yes, but with Trinity, as well as Rye and Whole Wheat Pastry flour I tend to lean in the direction of warming spices— cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, ginger and bitter chocolate and coffee, but the Trinity really worked here too, which made me realize the versatility of this flour. I ended up making the cake so I could get the photo (!), and although Ive made plenty of yogurt cakes— it is a go to recipe for me— I was surprised by how thin the batter was, when I poured it into the baking tin. My default recipe has 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil, but this one has 3 eggs and 1/2 oil. The result was a lovely moist cake, made even more interesting with the lemon syrup soaker. As for the Trinity Blend in this application, I think the rye provides the tender crumb, the soft wheat delivers starch, and the hard wheat gives it structure. Just perfect.

From Lydia:

Years ago, I found this recipe on a now-defunct blog that I used to enjoy. I made it many times, and it is the tastiest, most consistent quick bread I have ever made. I lost track of the blog name (but thank you, wherever you are!) and thought the recipe was gone forever. Fortunately for us all, an internet search revealed that cake’s true origins with the great Ina Garten. It’s the perfect balance of tangy and sweet (or try Meyer lemons for a little bit of spice) to bring some cheer to late winter. Our Trinity Blend provides a wonderful, moist crumb to complement. Make a quick batch, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and brighten up your afternoon with a slice!

Sunny Lemon Yogurt Cake

Lightly adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa at Home

Yields 1 loaf

Cake:

162g (1 ½ c.) Trinity Blend

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

240g (1 c.) plain yogurt

200g (1 c.) sugar (or evaporated cane juice)

3 eggs

Zest of two lemons

1 tsp. vanilla extract

100g (1/2 c.) neutral oil (safflower or sunflower are my usual)

Syrup:

66g (1/3 c.) sugar (or evaporated cane juice)

71g (1/3 c.) fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the Trinity Blend, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 200g sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients by hand. Fold in the oil with a rubber spatula, mixing well. Scrape batter into loaf pan, and bake for about 55 minutes, or until cake tests done.

While the cake is baking, measure the remaining 66g sugar and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring if necessary, until sugar is dissolved. When the cake comes out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes. I like to use a wooden skewer to make holes all the way through, evenly across the loaf, before pouring the syrup over the cake. Once cake has cooled, you can gently turn out of pan, if desired, and slice. Wrap any leftovers, and they will keep a few days at room temperature.