Easy Yogurt Cake

This beginner-friendly yogurt cake recipe keeps it easy with a handful of ingredients and no fancy techniques. Extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, and no butter or frosting makes a beautifully moist, light, and flavorful cake that keeps well for days.

I like to keep a simple cake in my arsenal that is quick to mix together, always delicious, and that I never have to worry about how it’ll turn out. For me, it’s this yogurt cake. I don’t need to lug any equipment out of their cabinet hiding spots. It takes me five minutes to mix. And it uses all the ingredients I already have at home. 

The base of the cake is Greek yogurt and olive oil, which always makes a moist and light cake. It’s particularly great as a snack with my afternoon coffee or tea, on its own or dusted with powdered sugar. But it also soaks up other flavors nicely, whether it’s the sweet juices from Stewed Strawberries or a melty scoop of ice cream or Frozen Yogurt.

While this yogurt cake recipe is the kind of thing I’d make on a Sunday afternoon to snack on throughout the week, it’s also what I’d bring to gatherings. Plus, you can make it your own unique creation every time. 

Depending on the day, I mix in berries, flavor it with citrus zest, switch the flour to whole wheat, make it chocolate or almond, or add a spice blend. There’s really no limit, and even if it’s the cake I bring most often, no one’s the wiser.

Table of Contents

1. What’s in Yogurt Cake?
2. What does Yogurt Do for Cake?
3. How to Make Yogurt Cake
4. The Endless Variations on this Yogurt Cake Recipe
5. What to Serve with Yogurt Cake
6. More Butter-Free Baked Goods
7. Easy Yogurt Cake Recipe

What’s in Yogurt Cake?

I’d venture to bet you already have all the ingredients to make yogurt cake. Here’s what you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour: Flour adds structure to the cake. For a heartier cake, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour. You can also make this with gluten-free flour. Note that when substituting all-purpose flour with whole wheat or gluten-free flour, the cake may be more dense.
• Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents aerate the cake, making it rise and ensuring it is tender and fluffy.
• Salt: Even in desserts, salt is a key flavor enhancer.
• Greek yogurt: While you can use plain yogurt, I prefer the richness of Greek yogurt. You could try other strained yogurts like skyr or even cheeses like labneh or mascarpone. 
• Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake and keeps it tender and moist. You can substitute it with organic cane sugar. When I tried using honey instead, the cake browned too quickly in the oven.
• Eggs: Eggs are another structure-building ingredient.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil adds richness and flavor, and makes the cake soft and fluffy. Use a smooth and buttery oil for the best flavor.
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• Vanilla extract: A teaspoon of vanilla adds a subtle depth of flavor with its sweet, floral aroma.

What does Yogurt Do for Cake?

Yogurt is acidic which means it interacts with baking soda in the same way sour cream or buttermilk would and helps cake and baked goods rise. In addition to helping cake rise, yogurt lends a slightly tangy quality that can balance the saccharine taste of many baked goods. Yogurt is a staple in many Mediterranean kitchens so it’s readily available to use in both sweet and savory dishes.

How to Make Yogurt Cake

This yogurt cake recipe only takes 5 minutes to mix together and about 50 minutes to bake. The texture is best if you let the cake cool completely before slicing it, about 45 minutes. Here’s how to make it:

• Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a standard loaf pan with olive oil or baking spray. Line the bottom and two sides with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang.
• Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup sugar, 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Make the batter: Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined and no streaks of dry flour remain.
• Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then use the parchment paper like a sling to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature.
• Serve: Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened Greek yogurt and some fruit. The cake will keep for up to 4 days tightly wrapped at room temperature.

The Endless Variations on this Yogurt Cake Recipe

While this cake is delicious just the way it is, you can think of it as a jumping-off point for different flavors and mix-ins. You can add fruit, berries, chocolate chips, nuts, it’s all up to you. Here are some of my favorite variations to make with this cake:

• Lemon yogurt cake: To make a bright and zingy lemon yogurt cake, add the zest of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of juice to the liquid ingredients.
• Blueberry yogurt cake: After combining the batter, stir in 1 cup of blueberries. You can add lemon zest and juice for a lemon blueberry cake.
• Herbes de Provence yogurt cake: This blend of dried lavender, rosemary, thyme, and other herbs is a surprising and floral addition to desserts. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence with the dry ingredients.
• Chocolate yogurt cake: For a rich, chocolate cake reduce the flour to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup cocoa powder. For even more chocolate, stir in 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
• Almond yogurt cake: To make an almond cake, substitute 1/2 cup of flour for almond flour and add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the wet ingredients. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top of the loaf before baking.

What to Serve with Yogurt Cake

Sometimes all a simple cake needs is a dusting of powdered sugar. I like it with a dollop of lightly sweetened Greek yogurt and a handful of fruit on the side. Spoon some Berry Compote over each slice, serve with fresh berries, Homemade Fig Jam, or add a scoop of Frozen Yogurt.

I like this even more as an afternoon snack cake with coffee or tea than I do as dessert after dinner. It’s also excellent as a brunch cake with a Fruit Salad.

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