Glazed Lemon Yogurt Sheet Cake

Justin turned 16 Thursday, May 18. He took his license test Friday. He failed. Parallel parking. He has been furious with himself all weekend. He has been hammering Dave to take him out to practice — he wants to try again Tuesday. I am not going to laugh about this. Justin does not take failure lightly.

Dave did not laugh either. He said, "Justin. You will take it again on Tuesday and you will pass. Parallel parking is the only useless skill in driving. I have never once in my life parallel parked a vehicle." Justin said, "Grandpa Larry probably could." Dave said, "Your grandfather Larry drove a rig. He did not parallel park in his life either." Justin laughed a little. Dave has been the right steady hand with Justin through this. I have been watching and letting it happen.

Amber finished her freshman year Friday. Moved out of the dorm Saturday. Home Saturday night. She is home for the summer. She starts her shelter internship Monday. Her room is her own again. The house is fuller. Six plates at dinner. Plus Gayle. Seven. The table is nearly full.

Drove Wednesday, a short Omaha run.

Book two at 45,500 words. Sarah and I are still workshopping the title. I am thinking "Women of the American Road." She likes it. We are testing it.

Sunday: big family dinner. Pot roast, carrots, potatoes, Gayle's rolls, green beans, chocolate sheet cake because Justin's birthday had not been properly celebrated yet and the family wanted to. He ate three pieces. He accepted the birthday. It was modest. It was ours.

That Sunday dinner — the pot roast, the rolls, seven people around the table, Justin finally accepting his birthday — reminded me that the right cake for a full house isn’t precious or complicated. It just has to be there, ready to be cut into as many pieces as needed. We had our chocolate that day, but this glazed lemon yogurt sheet cake is what I reach for when summer starts creeping in and the house fills back up: bright, unfussy, and just sweet enough to feel like a celebration without making anyone work for it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and lightly flour it, or line with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, granulated sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Combine. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the vegetable oil until the batter is smooth and glossy.
Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 28–32 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and pourable. Add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice if needed to loosen.
Glaze and serve. Pour the glaze evenly over the warm cake and spread to the edges. Allow to set for 10 minutes before slicing into squares and serving directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Glazed Lemon Yogurt Sheet Cake — The Cake That Shows Up When the Table Is Full