Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Grease a deep, loose-bottomed or springform 18 cm cake tin and line the base of it with baking parchment.
Beat the butter and caster sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in the 250g of flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and 100g Greek yogurt. Mix until the ingredients are JUST combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack completely.
For the icing:
Sieve 400g of icing sugar into a bowl and beat in enough of the lemon juice to create a thick icing. Set the cake on a cake stand or a plate and spoon over the icing, allowing it to drip down the sides a little.
For the candied lemon peel:
Peel large, wide strips from 2 large lemons using a vegetable peeler. Remove any white pith with a sharp knife, then julienne the peel into very thin matchsticks. In a small saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water and set it over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel and simmer gently for 15 minutes then scoop the peel with slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to cool. Use to decorate the cake with it.
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Notes
If no self-raising flour is available, use the same amount of plain flour / all purpose flour, but increase the amount of baking powder to 2 teaspoons.
Storage: Keep any leftovers in the airtight container, at room temperature for up to 2 days.Freezing: Plain cake, without the lemon icing or candied lemon peel can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap it in a double layer of clingfilm and place in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature, and decorate with icing and citrus peel before serving.