Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze: A Perfectly Sweet and Light Ending to Your Meal

Say you were going to a casual brunch or dinner party, and you wanted to bring something sweet for everyone to eat and enjoy.

Vertical image of a slice of cake with berries on a white plate with another plate and a lemon in the background on an orange towel.

But you don’t want anything too heavy or overpowering – just a simple, effortless dessert to finish the meal without weighing anyone down.

This recipe is definitely what I’d make – a moist yogurt cake with marmalade glaze.

Vertical image of a white plate with slices of cake on a wooden surface with an orange towel, berries, and lemons.

This cake offers a subtle sweetness and a light, spongy texture. The citrus adds to the fresh taste, and the whole-milk yogurt makes the center very moist. Plus, the marmalade glaze sweetens everything perfectly.

Though I am tempted to use our hot chili zucchini marmalade to see if I can play with the combination of sweet and spicy!

It’s an extremely simple recipe, made with ordinary kitchen staples like flour, sugar, lemon, eggs, and yogurt. But even with these basic ingredients, you can still make a delicious dessert that you’ll want to bring to every gathering.

Vertical image of white plates with slices of cake and berries and a plate of a whole loaf of a glazed dessert on a wooden surface with an orange towel and fruit.

Enjoy playing around with the flavorings – use your favorite citrus peel and orange marmalade in the recipe. Substitute the marmalade for a few tablespoons of lemon curd, or any other homemade jams or jellies you like.

Your next party is coming up soon, so make the recipe below now!

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Vertical image of a white plate with slices of cake on a wooden surface with an orange towel, berries, and lemons.

Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze


  • Author: Nikki Cervone
  • Total Time: 8 minute
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Description

Need a dessert that’s not too heavy? Make our light, spongy, and moist yogurt cake, subtly sweet with a marmalade glaze.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon packed finely grated citrus peel, like lemon or orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

For the Glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 23 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons marmalade
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Position rack in center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F (325°F if using a glass loaf pan). Generously butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, grated fruit peel, and vanilla in a separate large bowl. Whisk until completely blended. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. Mix in the butter and oil. Transfer batter to the prepared pan.
  3. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, the edges are brown, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a cooling rack for about 15-20 minutes. Cut around the pan sides to loosen it, and remove the cake. Cool completely on the cooling rack.

For the Glaze:

  1. Place the powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, then whisk in the marmalade. It should be very thick, but still pourable. Add more sugar or juice to achieve the desired consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let dry for 15-20 minutes before serving in slices.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50-60 minutes

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Gather and Prep

Horizontal image of ingredients in bowls, eggs, a lemon, and a zester on a wooden surface.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (325°F if using a glass loaf pan). Generously grease a loaf pan with butter.

For the cake, measure the flour, baking powder, salt, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Zest the citrus fruit.

For the marmalade glaze, measure the powdered sugar, marmalade, and salt. Juice your citrus fruit.

Don’t know what to do with the rest of the fruit? Be sure to know how to properly store your citrus!

Step 2 – Sift and Combine Dry Ingredients

Horizontal image of a bowl with white dry ingredients on a wooden surface.

Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt for the cake in a medium bowl.

Step 3 – Whisk Wet Ingredients

Horizontal image of a metal bowl with eggs and other assorted ingredients on a wooden surface.

Combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, shredded fruit peel, and vanilla in separate large bowl. Whisk together until completely blended.

Step 4 – Combine

Horizontal image of a rubber spatula mixing a yellow batter in a metal bowl on a wooden surface.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Mix in the butter and oil. Continue stirring until everything is completely combined to form a smooth, uniform batter.

Step 5 – Bake

Horizontal image of a cake on a wire rack on a wooden surface.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until it begins to pull away from sides of pan, the edges are brown, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. Cut around the pan sides to loosen it. Remove from the pan, and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.

Step 6 – Make the Glaze

Horizontal image of a spatula mixing an icing mixture in a metal bowl on a wooden surface.

Place the powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, then whisk in the marmalade. You want the glaze to be fairly thick, but still pourable. Add more sugar or juice to achieve the desired consistency.

Step 7 – Decorate and Serve

Horizontal image of a cake with glaze on a wire rack over a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil on a wooden surface.

Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. You can let it drizzle over the sides, if desired. Be sure to use a cooling rack over a pan lined with aluminum foil or paper towels to catch any excess icing that drips off.

Horizontal image of white plates with slices of cake and berries and a plate of a whole loaf of a glazed dessert on a wooden surface with an orange towel and fruit.

Let the glaze dry for 15-20 minutes before serving in slices with fresh berries.

Yogurt in a Dessert? Yum!

Sweet and refreshing, this dessert stays so moist with the addition of yogurt. And with a handful of other simple ingredients, it’s an easy treat to make when you want to enjoy something delightfully light.

Horizontal image of a white plate with slices of cake on a wooden surface with an orange towel, berries, and lemons.

A small slice of this cake, accompanied by fresh strawberries and blackberries, will be the perfect ending to any meal.

Looking for other desserts you can easily make in a loaf pan? Try our recipes for pumpkin spice bread and zucchini bread. And the marmalade glaze recipe would be great drizzled over my cranberry orange bread!

Do you use yogurt in any of your baked goods? How else would you use this glaze recipe? Cookies, maybe? Give us all your ideas in the comments below!

For more sweets that introduce a little tang with yogurt, try these recipes:


Don’t forget to Pin It!

A collage of photos showing different views of a Yogurt Cake with a marmalade topping.

Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on August 29th, 2008. Last updated: September 27, 2023 at 19:07 pm.

*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Nikki Cervone

Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

7 thoughts on “Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze: A Perfectly Sweet and Light Ending to Your Meal”

  1. I there, I stumbled across your blog while checking out Montague and had to comment because I am absolutely inspired to try this recipe. I love all yogurt based batters, and this cake sounds so easy and tasty. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. looks yum! what a handy recipe to have in the back of your brain!!
    i know ill be cooking lots of goodies once we get our foster kiddos to share with!!!

    Reply
  3. I shall try this next week for book club! Yes, I confess; I’ve been know to take shortcuts with my pies on occasion. It’s so hard sometimes to slave in the kitchen for so long to see something go so quickly. So, when I know a pie is going to go like that, I use a pre-made shell.

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth: I’m so glad you commented because it led me to your blog, which I already know I will love. The post about your grandma’s recipes was heart-touching.

    Rae: Do you know the official date that you’ll get to start yet? I’m so happy for you; you will be a WONDERFUL foster mommy.

    Nealy: Aw, book club! What are you guys reading? Bring back some fond memories…

    Reply

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