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!
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!
How to make Yogurt Cake
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, lightly beat the eggs.
Add the oil, sugar and yogurt and beat.
Add flour and baking powder and beat until well combined.
Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake until done, test with a toothpick, when it comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached it’s ready!
Let cool completely then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
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.
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.
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?
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
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.
Adding yogurt helps to make a cake moister.
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!
More Delicious Italian Cakes
- Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Cream
- Tablespoon Italian Lemon Cake
- Classic Italian Tiramisu Layer Cake
Easy yogurt cake
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
- ⅓ 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
Nutrition
Updated from February 7, 2014.
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Hi . I have made your cache with adding some grated orange peel and 1/4cup of coconut flakes. I brushed some honey on the top of the cake and sprinkled more coconut after it was done of courses. It’s so yummy ?. Thank you
Hi Mona, Sounds like a great idea, so glad you liked it. Have a great week.
I have plain greek yogurt. Can I use that then top with fresh strawberries or should I add vanilla or strawberry jam to the yogurt for taste?
Thank you!
Hi Blanca, I would probably add some vanilla along with the greek yogurt and topping with fresh strawberries sounds delicious.
H! Can you make this into cupcakes What would be the baking time and degree used.
Hi Chel I actually did, I made Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes and the cooking time was approximately 20 minutes at 350°.
I dont normally leave comments on any recipe I try , even if it was good, but this cake was so delicious, that I had to write a comment about it!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, this cake is my familys favorite now 🙂
Hi Gigi, thanks so much, it’s my family’s favourite also. My daughter actually asked for it for her birthday cake this year. 🙂
Made this with plain bio yoghurt and a zest and juice of an orange. OMG was sooo tasty, really light and scrummy. Thanks 🙂
Thanks Sophie, so glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi!I would like to do this with plain yogurt and LEMON juice.. how much juice should I add? and when? Thank you
Hi Megan, add it when you add the yogurt, I would actually recommend adding lemon zest instead (the zest has more lemon flavour then juice). The zest of one lemon should be fine. You could always make a lemon glaze, using 1 1/4 cups icing / powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons Lemon juice (fresh) and 1-2 tablespoon cream or milk mix all together, add more sugar (if you want a thicker glaze) or more lemon if you want a thinner glaze. Hope that helps. Let me know.
My sister just made this and shared it with me. fabulous! Thanks for a wonderful blog and such tasty, easy to make recipes.
Hi Cathy, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you, You have helped me make my first ever cake!
Hi Leila, so happy you enjoyed it and I hope I inspire you to make more. Have a wonderful Sunday.
I made this a few days ago with plain greek yogurt, the rind of 1 lemon and 1/2 tsp of vanilla and it was so good! I’m wanting to make it again for valentines day with dark chocolate, do you think replacing some of the yogurt with melted dark chocolate would work out okay? Or would I be better off just adding the dark chocolate in on top of all the ingredients?
Hi Susan, so glad you like it, I’m thinking don’t remove any of the yogurt and just had some melted dark chocolate, how much would it be an ounce or two? I think it would work fine. Let me know how it turns out.
Using yogurt in a cake means I can have it for breakfast right?? This cake sounds delicious. I love the texture and flavor yogurt gives a cake, too!
HI Meaghan, sure you can have it whenever you want! 😉
I’m such a non baker that give me an easy cake recipe and I’m sold. I love how you broke down the measurements so that they became even easier to remember. I’m thinking of soaking this in an orange marmalade syrup to spice things up a bit.
Hi Richa, it is really easy, and sounds delicious with the orange marmalade syrup. Have a great week.
Hello Rosemary. In the interest of your subscribers’ middles, I would like to suggest you provide a warning with this recipe: TOO EASY AND TOO DELICIOUS! I’ve made this cake many times now – with yogurt, kefir, and thinned sour cream. I’ve flavoured it with vanilla, jam, oleo saccharum, and chocolate. It never fails and is always delicious. I even neglected to put in a 1/2 cup of the flour once, and it still turned out great – kinda like a syrup-soaked cake. A genuinely wonderful and useful recipe! Thank you!
Hi Hellie, thanks so much, every time I make it it is gone in minutes. So glad you like it. Have a great day.
I just made your cake but used apple sauce instead of oil. Pulled back on the sugar a bit, and it was still more sweet than I like. I’m looking for a sugar substitute that bakes well and heard of Whey low. Might have to order it from their web site. I think I’ll pull back on the 35 minutes to bake as it was pretty dark. All that said lol It was terrific. Thanks!
Hi Michelle thanks, sounds good with applesauce, let me know how the whey low works. Have a great week.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love how you got this recipe in the grocery store aisle. I wonder if that lady has read this post 🙂
Hi Tina, haha I have gotten more than one here that way. Have a great day.
Yogurt cakes are so lovely in their simplicity! Perfect for pairing with fruit. I’ve never tried it with nonfat yogurt though, and will have to remember that for next time.
Hi Mary, thanks so much, I would say delicious with fruit.
Hello , could you please tell me if I lower the heat in a fan assisted oven . Many thanks
Hi Bernadette I just got one of those oven also and I usually lower it about 20-25 degrees. Hope that helps. Let me know how you like it. Have a great weekend.
Hello, thanks for getting back to me the cake was delicious. I am now making your peanut and chocolate biscuits they are in the refrigerator and looking forward for having them in the morning. Yes I have lowered the temperature.
Hi Bernadette so glad you liked it, I hope you enjoy the cookies too.