Yogurt cake is best described as an incredibly light, crustless cheesecake. The texture is light and fluffy but the taste is still rich and creamy. Topped with homemade honey caramel and fresh fruit, this easy dessert recipe is beautiful for entertaining but simple enough for a family dinner.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Servings 8
Ingredients
Lemon Yogurt Cake
6eggsseparated
¾Csugar
2 and ½C nonfat Greek yogurtstrained
2lemons
½tspkosher salt
1tspvanilla extract
½Cfloursifted
1tspbaking powder
Honey Caramel
½Choney
½Cbrown sugar
½Cwhite sugar
½tspkosher salt
1Cheavy cream
1tspvanilla
⅛tspfresh nutmeg*
fresh figsor other fruit**
Instructions
To make the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the yogurt in a fine strainer and set the strainer over a bowl to catch the liquid that runs off. Let the yogurt sit for about 10 minutes as you prepare the other ingredients.
Start by separating eggs. Place the egg yolks in a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Place the eggs whites in a small mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they reach stiff peaks. Add the sugar to the egg yolks.
Turn the stand mixer on to medium speed and whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale in color. Be sure the scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through the process.
Once the egg yolks have reached the ribbon stage, turn the mixer off. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again. Zest both lemons, reserving 1-2 tsp of zest for garnish. Add the strained yogurt, salt, vanilla and the zest of both lemons and the juice of one to the yolks. Turn the mixer back on to medium speed until well combined.
Last, add the sifted flour and baking powder, and mix on low until just combined. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl one more time before adding the beaten egg whites.
Gently fold the egg whites into the mix until there are no lumps remaining. This will take a few minutes, but don't give up on folding. You want to keep as much air in the mix as possible so resist the urge to stir. Keep folding until the mixture is smooth!
Once smooth, pour the batter into a 9-inch springform pan (I've linked to one above for purchase if you don't already have this cheesecake essential in your kitchen). Place in the oven to bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden and the middle is still a little wiggly.
Remove from the oven once cooked and let cool at room temperature until completely cooled. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably 8 hours until cold.
To serve, slice the cake into 8 slices. Top each slice with a healthy pour of honey caramel, fresh fruit (if you're using figs, just wash and quarter them, and you're ready to go), and a sprinkle of kosher salt and lemon zest.
To make the caramel
Place the honey, brown sugar, white sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. You want enough room for the cream to bubble up so don't choose too small of a pan. Turn the heat onto medium. Let the sugars cook until completely dissolved and the mixture just starts to bubble.
Being careful, add the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up vigorously and then settle down. Continue to cook over medium heat until the consistency is thick enough to coat a spoon or about 5 more minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the vanilla and nutmeg. Pour into a heat-proof, airtight container and allow it to cool to room temperature. This caramel will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, but it won't last that long.
Notes
* Fresh nutmeg is purchased whole and then ground using a microplane. It has a more subtle flavor than the nutmeg you buy already ground. If you're using ground, use it very sparingly as it can be strong.** If figs aren't your thing or aren't in season, any fruit you like would work. Some of my other favorites are blueberries, raspberries, or peaches.