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Easy Yogurt Cake

Easy Yogurt Cake, a simple easy and delicious Snack or Dessert Cake Recipe made with your favourite flavor of Yogurt. You can use either Greek or Regular. Change your Yogurt Flavor, change your Cake!

Yogurt cake with 2 slices cut on a wire rack.


 

I happened on this Easy Yogurt Cake Recipe almost 20 years ago, from a woman I encountered in the local supermarket, buying yogurt no less.

My Italian was far from perfect at the time (still isn’t perfect I might add), but a cake recipe I understood. In Italy, yogurt usually comes in single servings of 125 grams.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Yogurt – either regular or greek yogurt will work
  • Eggs – large room temperature
  • Vegetable oil – I use sunflower or corn oil
  • Sugar
  • Flour – all purpose or cake flour
  • Baking powder
  • Powdered sugar – also known as icing or confectioners sugar – for dusting the finished cake

So the recipe was as follows …

2 containers of yogurt (containers are 125 grams each), 1 container of oil, 2 containers of sugar and 3 containers of flour, 3 eggs and 1 package of baking powder, now how easy is that? And it makes the perfect snack, breakfast cake or even some Yummy Strawberry Cupcakes.

I make this cake quite often and I recently made the cake with low fat regular yogurt, zest of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It was gone in a day. 

Yogurt cake on a wire rack with 2 slices cut.

How to make Yogurt Cake

In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, lightly beat eggs (approximately 30 seconds).

Eggs beaten in glass bowl.

Add the oil, sugar and yogurt, beat for 1 minute until smooth.

Yogurt and oil beaten into eggs.

Add flour and baking powder and beat until well combined approximately another minute.

Dry ingredients added to make a smooth batter.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until tested done (when toothpick or knife inserted in cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached).

Batter in the prepared tube pan.

Let cool completely then dust with powdered sugar if desired.

How to make Homemade cake flour

For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.

Why bake with room temperature ingredients?

With cakes and other baking, it’s always better to use room temperature ingredients. So, take any cold ingredients out of the refrigerator an hour ahead of time or sooner if it’s cool in your kitchen. Room temperature ingredients blend easier, creating a silky batter, which will help to create a light tender baked good.

Yogurt cake on wire rack.

What makes a cake fall?

  • There are a lot a reasons a cake may fall, but the most common ones are, your oven temperature is off, you can always check it with an oven  thermometer to check this.
  • You open the oven door too early. Never open the oven door before 25-30 minutes of baking.
  • Once the batter is mixed it should be baked, letting a cake batter sit too long can cause it to fall. The baking powder or baking soda usually start acting immediately and will only last for a very short period of time, therefore if the cake batter is left to stand before baking then there is always a risk that the baking powder or soda will have expired by the time that the cake goes into the oven.
  • Your baking powder or soda has expired and is no long active.
  • Use room temperature ingredients.
  • The pan size might not be the correct size, sometimes using a bundt pan will help.

What you will need to make this cake

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  • Hand Mixer   – Just what you need to make this yummy cake of course a standup mixer works too.
  • Springform Cake Pan   – I have to admit whenever I bake a cake I always reach for a spring form pan.
  • Mixing Bowls   – I never seem to have enough mixing bowls.
  • Wooden Spoons  – Italian mix things up more with wooden spoons than with spatulas.

How to serve the cake

I think it depends on when you are serving the cake, if you serve it for breakfast then a little dusting of powdered sugar is perfect. If you want to serve it as a dessert then why not serve it with a delicious Blueberry Sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of ice cream or even dress it up as a Strawberry Shortcake?

Yogurt cake with a slice on a plate.

What’s the best yogurt to use?

And it can also be made with any flavour of yogurt, I find that greek yogurt, 0 fat (yes 0 fat!) or regular yogurt both work well. If you use greek yogurt then it is a good idea to use 3/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup of milk, that’s because greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt. Each makes this Easy Yogurt Cake super moist and delicious.

FAQs

How to store the yogurt cake

The cake can be stored well covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator, make sure it is covered well so no air gets to it, which can dry it out. Bring it to room temperature before serving. It will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.

How to freeze the cake

Once the cake is completely cooled, double wrap it with either foil or plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving, or overnight in the fridge fully wrapped.

What does adding yogurt to a cake do?

Adding yogurt helps to make a cake moister.

Can I use plain yogurt?

Yes you can although you may want to add a flavoring such as vanilla, orange, lemon or even almond.

So choose your favourite fruit greek yogurt or regular fruit yogurt and turn on the oven. This cake is also a perfect Easy Summer Dessert Recipe. Enjoy!

A slice of cake on a wire rack.

More Delicious Italian Cakes

Yogurt cake on a wire rack with 2 slices cut.

Easy yogurt cake

Rosemary Molloy
Easy Yogurt Cake, a simple easy and delicious Snack or Dessert Cake Recipe made with your favourite flavor of Yogurt. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Breakfast, Desserts, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 10 people
Calories 310 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup any flavour yogurt** (I find flavoured regular natural yogurt to be the best / room temperature )
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour or cake flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder

EXTRAS

  • 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • â…“ cup sugar
  • ½ tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees (180 cm). Grease an 8 inch (20cm) cake pan or a 9½-10 inch (24 cm) bundt pan.
  • In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, lightly beat the eggs approximately 30 seconds, add oil, sugar and yogurt, beat for 1 minute until smooth, add flour and baking powder and beat until well combined approximately another minute.
  • Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until tested done (when a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out dry or with a few crumbs attached). Let cool 15-20 in the pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

  • In a medium pot mix together berries, sugar, cornstarch,  water and lemon juice, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until desired thickness. Pour into a bowl, let cool completely and or refrigerate.

Notes

For room temperature ingredients be sure to remove the ingredients from the fridge about 45-60 minutes before using.
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free.
I find flavoured regular yogurt to be the best, in the video I used Strawberry.
It can also be made with any flavour of yogurt, I find that greek yogurt, 0 fat (yes 0 fat!) or regular yogurt both work well. If you use greek yogurt then it is a good idea to use 3/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup of milk or water, that’s because greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt.
The cake can be stored well covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator, make sure it is covered well so no air gets to it, which can dry it out. Bring it to room temperature before serving. It will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.
Once the cake is completely cooled, double wrap it with either foil or plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving, or overnight in the fridge fully wrapped.
I make this cake quite often and I recently made the cake with low fat regular yogurt, zest of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It was gone in a day. 

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 208mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from February 7, 2014.

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477 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This cake was a huge hit, so much so that we devoured it and had to bake another one. Perfect flavor, crumb, moisture. It will be on the top of my list of favorite cakes.

  2. 5 stars
    The recipe is great. This is a very light cake. I used non fat Fage 0% plain so I added almond extract for flavor. Thank you.

  3. I followed the directions completely. I used a bundt pan. It barely rose, but knife came put clean. When I cut into it after cooling it was very wet, heavy, but done. Does that make sense?

  4. Thank you for your comment on the pan you bought in Italy. I noticed a lot of your cakes use that tube pan with the large hole in the center like you used for the ricotta chip and the yogurt cake. Is it possible for you to measure the diameter of the pan for me? I see a lot of these pans on Amazon and would like to buy one like you have so I can make your cakes. But I want to get one that is a similar diameter to yours because so many of your recipes use this pan and I want my cakes to come out the same size as yours. Would you mind doing that for me? I would really appreciate it.

    1. Hi Teresa, sorry for the late reply, I was away for a few days but now I am home. So the pan measures 24cm or 9.4 inches. Hope that helps. Take care!

  5. I love the pan you used with the large hole in the center. I’ve never seen one like this. Where do I find it?

    1. Hi Kaelyn, unfortunately, I don’t know how you would adjust for the maple syrup liquid because you can do it, but you need to remove 3 tablespoons of liquid from the recipe, but there is not liquid, it’s all fat content. Unless you use maple syrup sugar. For every cup of granulated you use 3/4 cup maple syrup. Hope that helps. Take care.

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