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Prepare a 1-lb loaf pan by lining with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F with a rack in the center.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Use a fork to stir for 20 seconds or so, and set aside.
In a separate small bowl, combine the sourdough discard, yogurt and ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55g water. Use your fingers to squish and break up the discard and work everything into a somewhat uniform mixture. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, olive oil, eggs, almond extract and lemon zest. Mix until everything is combined and the mixture is a pretty, uniform yellow. Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, folding it in. Add half the yogurt-sourdough. Stir until just incorporated, then repeat with the remaining flour followed by the remaining yogurt-sourdough mixture and lemon juice. Fold until uniform, but be mindful to avoid over-mixing. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. I like to let the top of the caked get golden brown, so I’m typically closer to 60 minutes with this cake in my oven. Make sure a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for ten minutes while you make the glaze.
Make the Salted Lemon Glaze:
Whisk the powdered sugar, most of the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and almond extract together in a jar. Keep stirring until smooth and all lumps are dissolved. If the mixture is too thick to drizzle, add more lemon juice ½ teaspoon at a time. Pour the glaze over the cake in the pan preferably while the cake is still warm. Finish by sprinkling any remaining zest across the top of the cake.
Once the glaze has hardened, remove the cake from the pan and allow to finish cooling on a rack.
Lemon Cake Variations
These are all variations on this lemon cake I've baked in the past. Lemon pairs well with so many other ingredients, I'm sure you'll come up with other wonderful variations!
Boozy Lemon Cake: Brush ¼ cup whiskey (or whisky) across the top of the cake after it comes out of the oven, before topping with the lemon glaze. Limoncello is another option, and I also love amaretto here.
Glazed Citrus Cake: Experiment beyond the lemon! You can make this cake with a wide range of citrus. Or even a blend of zests and juices. Consider blood orange, lime, grapefruit, etc. Or a blend.
Berry Lemon Cake: Fold in room-temperature berries along with the final addition of yogurt mixture called for in the recipe. Use as few or as many berries (within reason) as you like. I also prefer to finish off berry versions of this cake with a dusting of crushed freeze-dried berries after drizzling the warm cake with glaze. Raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries and huckleberries are all fair game. Or combine into a mix!
Glazed Lemon Cake Cooling on a Counter
Glazed Sourdough Lemon Cake: This is the version of the cake you see in the recipe below. I love the crumb in the sourdough discard version — it is super fluffy, like a fluffy banana bread. The version with no discard has a more dense crumb - not quite in the poundcake realm but in that direction on the spectrum. The instructions for both are included below.
Lemon Cake with Pretty Flowers: Add some edible flower petals after drizzling the lemon glaze - rose, calendula, violet, rose geranium, etc. You can add fresh or dried.