Recipe: Lemon-Honey Yogurt Squares

This simple cake soaks up the honey-lemon syrup while cooling in its pan. If you can locate goat milk yogurt, use it for even more tang.

Serve alongside Sutter Home Pinot Grigio.

LEMON-HONEY YOGURT SQUARES
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

SYRUP
½ cup honey
½ cup water
2 tbsp. fresh lemon zest, shredded
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

CAKE
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon zest, finely grated
2 eggs, at room temperature
½ tsp. pure lemon extract
¾ cup plain yogurt (not fat free), at room temperature
½ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

DIRECTIONS
To make the syrup, combine the honey and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a simmer. Stir in the lemon zest and cook, stirring occasionally until the consistency of a thin syrup, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside to cool to room temperature.

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to mix well.

Combine the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the lemon extract and blend well. On low speed, add about one-third of the flour mixture and then half of the yogurt, mixing just until the ingredients are incorporated. Then add half of the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining yogurt, and finally the remaining flour mixture.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and pierce the cake top with a skewer at 1-inch intervals all over. Strain the cooled syrup into a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup, reserving the lemon zest, and pour the syrup evenly over the top of the cake. Let cool completely.

To serve, cut the cake into small squares in the pan and transfer to a serving platter. Arrange the almonds and reserved lemon zest over the squares.

Taken from Burger Parties, the official Sutter Home Build a Better Burger Cookbook, by James McNair and Jeffrey Starr, published by Ten Speed Press.