Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C. Grease a 8 ½ x 4 ¼ x 2 ½-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. You can also use a 8 inch round pan.
To prepare cake - Sift together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt into one bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Make sure that lemon zest is cut into small pieces. Refer the notes for the measurement of eggs.
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.
Bake for around 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
While the cakes bake, prepare the lemon syrup. Cook granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. ** Never miss this step. It adds a lot on to the flavor. Also, adjust the sugar in the syrup based on your taste.
When the cake is done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Poke holes in the cake and spoon the lemon syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
To prepare the glaze (optional) - combine sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.
Pour over the top of cakes and allow the glaze to dry. Enjoy :)
Notes
A large egg equals 3-½ tablespoons of beaten egg. An extra large egg equals 4 tablespoons. In this recipe, it calls for 3 extra large eggs. I used 3 large eggs plus 1-½ tablespoon beaten egg.
If you do not have a sweet tooth and do not wanna make the cake too sweet, avoid the glaze.