This easy Yogurt Cake is one of my favorite cakes. It’s a fluffy cake with the right amount of sweetness and acidity from the yogurt. To make this moist yogurt cake you need very simple ingredients and the procedure is not at all complicated. It will become a staple in your house for sure! I love it for breakfast and brunch and it pairs nicely with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
About this Yogurt Cake
My favourite part about this recipe is the texture of the cake. This Yogurt Cake recipe has the perfect mix between a fluffy texture and a moist texture. That’s because the yogurt adds a bit of fat and acidity and makes that beautiful crumb. When you bite into it, it feels very silky and it melts away as you eat it. To this plain Yogurt Cake, you can also add chocolate chips if you like, it turns out great! If you prefer a Lemon Yogurt Cake, check out my recipe. It has both lemon zest and lemon juice, making it the perfect amount of tangy.
Ingredient list
This Yogurt Cake has simple ingredients that you can easily find at any grocery store. The main ingredient is of course regular yogurt, and the others are basic ingredients very normal to any simple cake recipe.
- Unsalted butter: We use the butter at room temperature to cream with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar (white sugar): The amount of sugar is perfect for this recipe, it adds enough flavour but isn’t overly sweet.
- Eggs: The eggs will add structure and help with the lift of the cake in the oven.
- Yogurt: I prefer to use whole milk Greek yogurt for this Yogurt Cake recipe. If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can also use other types of whole milk yogurt. Just make sure that it’s not sweetened or flavoured in any way.
- Vanilla extract: A bit of vanilla extract will add that lovely vanilla background flavour to the cake.
- Salt: Salt is always needed in sweet recipes to balance out the flavours and enhance them as well.
- Baking powder: The baking powder will help our cake rise in the oven and make it nice and fluffy.
- All-purpose flour: The flour brings everything together into a cake batter and forms the structure of the cake as it bakes.
How to make the Yogurt Cake
You can make this Yogurt Cake by hand in a large bowl or use an electric hand mixer or even a stand mixer. It really doesn’t make much difference in the end result. I would say that it is easier to get the eggs really thick and fluffy with an electric mixer, though. If you’re using a stand mixer, make sure to stop every couple of minutes to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. This will ensure that all the ingredients are mixed properly. This wonderful cake comes together in very little time and the instructions are extremely simple:
- Beat the butter with the sugar until it becomes light in colour. You can use a whisk or an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs and beat again. Beat until they are fully incorporated but also very airy and thick.
- Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix. It will look curdled, it’s normal.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder (dry ingredients) and mix them in using a spatula.
Baking the cake
Once your cake batter is ready, you can bake it. I use a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper to ensure that it comes out smoothly. Fill the prepared pan with the batter and it’s baking time. I would say that the trickiest part when making this Yogurt Cake is the baking. The bake time takes longer than usual because the mix is a bit denser than a classic cake or bundt cake. The cooking time will be around 1h15min, and at the 45min mark, I always check it. If it’s golden enough on top, I cover it with tin foil and continue baking it like that. When you poke it to see if it’s ready, go beyond the center of the cake to the base where it takes longer to bake. Wait 3 seconds before pulling off the skewer and check that no raw crumbs are stuck. Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it cool down completely on a wire rack before dusting it with icing sugar. If you prefer a lemon glaze, use the one on my Lemon Yogurt Cake.
The tip for the perfect valley or groove at the centre
Whenever I make loaf cakes I love to use a tip to get that perfect groove down the centre. This is completely optional but I love how it looks. It makes an incredible cake even more perfect! Right before you place the Yogurt Cake in the oven to bake, place a line of cold butter at the centre and push it in slightly. The butter will melt in the oven as it bakes and it won’t form a crust, making it open right there at the centre as it puffs up. Another way to make this is to make a groove with a knife and pour melted butter in, but that’s a bit more messy. It does yield the same beautiful result, though!
Easy Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 120 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 180 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 220 g greek yogurt unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 230 g all-purpose flour
For the groove (optional)
- Unsalted butter cold
For dusting
- 2 tbsp icing / confectioner's sugar
Instructions
For the cake
- Beat the butter with the sugar until it becomes light in colour. You can use a whisk or an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs and beat again. Beat until they are fully incorporated but also very airy and thick.
- Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix. It will look curdled, it's normal.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder (dry ingredients) and mix them in using a spatula.
- Prepare a 22x11cm / 8x4in pan with baking paper. Cut it to size and stick it in place with a bit of oil.
- Place the batter in the pan and level it using a spatula.
For the groove (optional)
- Cut the butter into thin strips.
- Place the butter along the centre forming a line and press down gently.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 1h15min or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre. At the 30min-45min mark check to see if it's golden enough on top. If it is, cover with tin foil or remove the top heat.
- When you poke it to see if it's ready, go beyond the center of the cake to the base where it takes longer to bake. Wait 3 seconds before pulling off the skewer and check that no raw crumbs are stuck.
- Once the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool down. Once cool, remove it from the pan lifting it from the paper and dust with icing sugar.
Notes
