Lemon yogurt cake with blueberry sauce

Lemon-scented desserts remind me of breezy summer nights on the Amalfi coast, where every dessert menu features at least one, if not more, lemon-infused delights and trees hang low with the weight of the luscious fruit.

Lemon-based sweets are just tart enough to awaken the senses but sweet enough to soothe them too. No one can turn down a slice of lemon meringue pie, or lemon poppy seed loaf. Lemon is just subtle enough to win over dieters but also to satisfy anyone with a serious sweet tooth.

This year for Mother's Day, I asked my mother what kind of dessert her taste buds desired, and she asked for a lemon cake.

I knew this cake would have to travel well, so I crossed my recipe for lemon meringue tart off my list.

When I found this recipe for Ina Garten's lemon yogurt loaf cake with blueberry sauce, I was sold. Not only could I make my blueberry sauce in advance, but the yogurt in the loaf cake promised to keep it moist even if I made it a few hours in advance.
My instincts were correct. Simple though this cake may seem, everyone's dessert plates were wiped clean.

My substitutions:
I realized, too late, that I hadn't bought enough blueberries. Fortunately, I had a bag of frozen blueberries on hand and they worked just fine. Same scenario with the vanilla sugar, I only had a few packets on hand so I substituted regular granulated sugar.

Would I make this again?
Yes. This is a great last-minute recipe as you likely have all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry. Then again, if you have the luxury of time on your side, you can make the blueberry sauce in advance.

Grade:
Four stars out of five. Delicious, moist, and easy as this cake may be, it's presentation doesn't have that wow factor.