Lemon Yogurt Cake

When I think of lemon cake, I think of a warm hug right out of the oven. Sounds strange, I know, but I think all you foodies out there might be able to relate. Sporadically throughout the year, I find myself craving a moist lemony cake…usually when I am in need of a hug, but no one is around at the moment for me to grab. This can be a hug needed either for celebratory reasons or a hug for comfort. Either way, lemon cake usually does the trick and I feel better in no time! It starts in the kitchen, where most of my happy times begin and ends with me biting into a little slice of lemon-heaven.

This is one of my favorite lemon cake recipes (and I've tried a lot of them)! I have adapted this recipe to be lower in fat and sugar than its original version and the final product remains moist, tender, and full of lemony goodness! One of my favorite aspects of this cake is that it is moistened with non-fat plain Greek yogurt.  It adds a hint of twang only yogurt can give and ensures a moist crumb without the added fat of butter.

Hope your lemon hug is a happy one : ) 

Lemon Yogurt Cake

 Cake Ingredients-

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 lemon, zested and juiced (one lemon usually yields about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice)

½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup canola oil

Icing Ingredients-

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” round cake pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, an 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Whisk to mix thoroughly.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Once it comes together into a smooth, pale yellow batter, pour into prepared pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. It is important NOT to over bake, as it will decrease the cake’s moistness.

(This part requires patience, so get a book or make a phone call to your mom)- Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 7-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert cake onto the cooling rack and allow to cool an addition 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine icing ingredients and whisk well to dissolve all sugar completely. Place the cake on plate and spoon icing over the top. Allow icing to drip down the sides to create a decorative pattern. Serve immediately to enjoy warm.

Note- This cake lasts beautifully for two days. It's even better the second day, as it's moistness only increases. If you don’t think you can eat it all in two days, then I recommend slicing off what you don’t think you will eat and freezing it for a later date. 

Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Chicken Rollatini

This recipe found its way into my kitchen years ago and over time has transformed into a beautiful marriage of prosciutto and goat cheese. The pan sauce that coats each rollatini is finished with a pat of butter to create a silky smooth texture. I often pull this dish out of my recipe box for both large crowds, as well as intimate dinners. Not only is it delicious, but can also be created with ease.

My favorite sides for this dish include roasted garlic broccoli and a fresh whole wheat baguette to sop up the juices! Oh, and don’t forget to pour yourself and your special someone the rest of the wine not used for cooking! 

Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Chicken Rollatini

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 tablespoons goat cheese, softened
6 slices prosciutto
3 tablespoons butter, divided
10 oz mushrooms, sliced
Flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons canola oil
1½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup or your favorite red wine (I used Beaujolais)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1.       Fillet chicken breast- Lay chicken breast onto a cutting surface. Make sure the thicker end of the meat faces the knife hand. Flatten the meat with the other hand and begin cutting horizontally through the midsection of the breast.  Watch your fingers!

2.      Take the 6 filleted chicken breasts and pound them to 1/8^th of an inch thick.

3.       Place chicken breasts on a flat surface and working one by one- spread with 2 tablespoons of goat cheese and top with one slice prosciutto. Roll into a tight cylinder. Using kitchen twine, tie chicken roll 1" in from each end. Snip off excess twine. 

4.      Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 5-6 minutes, until tender and browned. Transfer mushrooms to a plate and wipe out skillet.

5.       Pour flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken rollatini in the seasoned flour. In the same sauté pan that was used for the mushrooms, add oil and heat to medium. Once oil is shimmering, add chicken and cook, turning, until browned on all sides and cooked through, 13–15 minutes.

6.      Transfer chicken rollatinis to a plate. Add broth and wine to sauté pan and increase heat to high. Boil, stirring often, until sauce has reduced by a half, 4–5 minutes. Return mushrooms and chicken to pan and cook, gently turning rollatinis to coat in sauce, about 5 minutes. 

7.       Transfer chicken to a platter. Remove skillet from heat and swirl in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to create a silky pan sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce and mushrooms over chicken and serve with your favorite sides.