Lemon Vanilla Yogurt Cake w/Lemon Blackberry Glaze

Thanks to readers, I've been inspired to try many suggested Ina Garten recipes. In the coming days, you can be sure to find a few favorites that I've adapted with a little twist here and there. I try to include both a sweet and savory Ina recipe each day so stay tuned...

One such recipe I made was Ina's Lemon Yogurt Cake. This cake was suggested by quite a few readers so I jumped in the kitchen and made it. Although Ina's lemon yogurt cake seemed delicious as is, I wanted to incorporate other ingredients for more depth of flavor. Blueberries? Raspberries? Strawberries? All those berries were great ideas but when I picked up some blackberries on sale, that sealed the deal for me. I'm a fan of lemon and blackberries (as seen in these scones I've made), but how would I incorporate it into Ina's cake recipe?

I didn't want the berries to overpower the cake, so I made a glaze that would compliment the cake, rather than including blackberries in the batter. The deep reddish purple hue of the glaze was perfect aesthetically and it added just the perfect touch of sweetness and tartness to pair with the moist lemony cake. If you can't find blackberries or prefer to use another berry instead, you can certainly substitute the blackberries with whatever you'd like in the recipe below.

With so much lemon flavors swimming around in the batter and glaze, I also made the vanilla flavor stand out by using a low fat vanilla flavored yogurt and doubling the vanilla extract originally called for in the recipe. The vanilla was a nice hint of sweetness to tie in the tartness of the batter and glaze. You could even use the same flavored yogurt of the berry you choose to use to make it stand out more! The way I see it, Ina's recipe is really versatile if you use your 'berrylicious' imagination...

Lemon Vanilla Yogurt Cake
with lemon-blackberry glaze
recipe adapted by Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh blackberries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray.

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, combine the 1/3 cup lemon juice, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of chopped fresh blackberries in a 1 cup measuring cup. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and allow it to cool. Once cooled, strain the mixture to remove any seeds and pulp. Set aside the strained liquid to use as a glaze.

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

Slice and serve with excess glaze and/or homemade whipped cream.