The Mary Kelly Lemon Cake

• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cooking: 30 - 35 minutes
• Tools: 8" springform pan
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

for the cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg (or 2 small eggs)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, thinned with a little milk (any plain yogurt or a mild lemon-flavored yogurt will work)
• freshly grated lemon zest from one whole lemon

for the crunchy topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar (or enough to create a syrupy consistency)
• Lemon juice of one whole lemon

Steps

• 1Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 2Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
• 3In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer or by hand until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat at high speed for 1 minute or vigorously by hand. Alternately add yogurt and flour mixture in three additions, with mixer at low speed or stirring by hand. Stir in lemon zest.
• 4Turn batter into a buttered and floured 8 inch springform pan, smoothing the top of batter with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
• 5Before cake is finished baking, in a small bowl combine sugar and lemon juice until it forms a syrupy consistency. Spread the syrupy topping evenly over cake as it comes from the oven. Set cake, in its pan, on a wire rack to cool. As the cake cools, the topping will harden and form a crust over the cake.