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Yes, this is the Yogurt Cake recipe that went viral online. It’s absolute perfection–not too sweet, so easy to make in one bowl in just a few minutes, and it doesn’t even need a frosting or topping. The texture is fluffy and light like a cloud; you will never need another cake recipe!
You’re probably familiar with the simple French yogurt cake that kids love to bake. That sweet little French yogurt cake recipe is well-loved because after you dump in the yogurt, the container is used to measure the rest of the ingredients, making it so simple for kids.
Well, we have too many yogurt options in the U.S., and that wouldn’t work for us. So, I took the basic principles of that recipe, and applied them to something we could all whip up in just minutes. I shared it randomly on my instagram, and wasn’t prepared for it to go viral.
The unique blend of lemon and vanilla is why I don’t believe this cake recipe needs a frosting or topping. When I serve it, I lightly dust it with powdered sugar–that’s it! But, I’ve seen so many of you add a lemon glaze made of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar, and I love that so much! (Other lemon dessert recipes here).
Ingredients
- Oil. One-half cup of any plain oil. A plain oil is any oil that doesn’t have flavoring. This means you can use: canola oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil or coconut oil because they have strong flavors. Do not email me and ask me ‘what is plain oil’ because I am answering it for you right here.
- Eggs. Three large eggs. Yes, that’s a lot of eggs, and it gives the cake incredible lift and fluff. (The protein in the eggs creates the cake structure).
- Greek Yogurt. One cup of plain Greek yogurt. I recommend anything from 2-5% fat. I do not recommend 0% fat yogurt. I know you’re going to do it anyway, though, so just understand that your cake may have a different structure (less light and fluffy) if you bake with yogurt that doesn’t have any fat. It will also be less golden brown if you use a lower fat yogurt.
- Vanilla Extract. One teaspoon of real vanilla extract. I have been using the one from Trader Joe’s that has vanilla bean specks in it. You can use regular, or you can even use vanilla bean paste here (the same amount).
- Lemons. We need 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, so depending on the size of your lemons, that’s one or two lemons. Use a microplane zester to grate the lemon zest.
- Granulated Sugar. One cup of granulated white sugar.
- Flour. One and a half cups of all-purpose flour. Fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup and level it with a knife.
- Baking Powder. Two teaspoons of baking powder.
- Salt. One-half teaspoon of salt.
How to Make Yogurt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F, and lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest (no juice!), and sugar. Whisk very well to combine. Do not use an electric mixer and work too much air into the batter.
3. Next, evenly sprinkle the flour, baking powder and salt over the surface of the batter.
4. Use a spatula to combine and ensure no streaks of flour remain before pouring the batter in the prepared cake pan.
5. Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs (no wet batter). Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, invert over a wire rack, peel off the parchment, slice and serve.
Recipe Variations and Questions:
- Yogurt – I recommend a full-fat plain Greek yogurt for this cake. I don’t recommend non-fat. I don’t recommend regular thin yogurt. This recipe works with 2-5% plain Greek yogurt best. If you change the type of yogurt you use, you will have slightly different results (think: less fluffy, less soft, less flavorful), but the cake will technically still bake. It might not brown as much, or it might not be as soft, but you will still have cake. Also, do not use a flavored yogurt that has sugar in it. Use plain Greek yogurt with 2% fat or 5% fat (also labeled ‘full-fat).
- Flavorings – This cake is flavored with lemon zest (no lemon juice) and vanilla extract. (I do not add lemon juice to the cake batter because the acidity will react with the baking powder and change the rise of the cake). This unique, subtle combination of flavors means the cake has so much flavor on its own, that it doesn’t need a frosting (in my opinion). If you want to mix powdered sugar with the leftover lemon juice until you get a glaze, do it–it’s your kitchen. I serve this cake with powdered sugar and marinated fresh fruit.
- Oil – A plain oil doesn’t have flavor. A plain oil is: canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil. A plain oil is not coconut oil or olive oil. Coconut oil and olive oil have too much flavor, and will overshadow the delicate flavors of vanilla and lemon in this cake. (yes, even the coconut oil is refined). If you want to leave me a comment that you made this cake with olive oil or coconut oil and you liked it, great! Do it.
Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oil (plain, neutral oil like canola or avocado oil)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt with 2%-5% fat
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest (from 1-2 lemons)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest, and sugar. Whisk very well to combine.
- Next, evenly sprinkle the flour, baking powder and salt over the surface and stir to combine. Ensure no streaks of flour are visible.
- Pour into the baking pan, and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist cake crumbs, not wet batter.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, invert over a wire rack, flip, peel off the parchment, and serve. You can decorate this with more plain Greek yogurt and sprinkles, if you like, but I typically serve it plain.
Hi Christina,
I think that you need to modify the method section of your recipe to include the step of adding flour. This step appears to be missing
Cheers,
Tortoise
Am I correct in assuming the flour goes in with all the other ingredients? (I don’t see it in the list in the recipe directions.
This sounds wonderful!! Do you think unsalted butter could be used instead of any of the oils? I am looking for ways to make carnivore desserts and this could be great with a little modification. Would use a little honey for the sweetener, which I know will change the flavor a bit. Thank you!
If you change the recipe, I cannot guarantee it will work, not can I guarantee how it will taste.
I’m presuming you add the dry ingredient to the wet before you put the batter in the pan?
Hi Christina,
This sounds awesome & I can’t wait to make it for my husband!
I was wondering if I could substitute orange zest for the lemon zest? I don’t care for lemon sweets(my husband does) and I would like to make an orange one for me.
Hi Sheila.
Responding that I used orange zest yesterday and it was great. :-)
Love your recipes because of how thorough the instructions are. The instructions here made me giggle with your ability to foresee questions your bakers would ask regarding olive oil and yogurt types. ;)
Followed this step by step and was so easy and cake was moist and just delicious.
Used the trick I learned from another baker, where using my fingers, I rub the lemon zest in with the sugar, to get the oils of the lemon rind into the sugar, imparting more flavor.
Cake delivered flavor and was moist.
This recipe has now been printed and made it into “the recipes binder”, which only features recipes the family loves, and which will be repeated.
Sounds wonderful! I want to double it because my family loves anything lemon. What size pan should I use?
You should double it and bake it in 2 9-inch cake pans.
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried that but my friend used Cup4Cup and it worked great for her.
Excellent . Thank you for my new favorite cake recipe
If I change the number of slices, the recipe ingredients are scaled down. However, I’m not sure what size of pan to use since the text still says to use a 9″ pan. I prefer to make a small cake using a 6″ pan. What number of slices will give me the correct amount of ingredients for that size of pan?
Do you mean change the number of slices in the recipe card? That is an automatic feature of the recipe card I’m using, and I’m not sure I trust it just yet. For now, use my recipes exactly as-written. If I scale something down, I will always have a section for how to use a smaller pan and get a smaller batch. For this particular recipe, I have only tested the 9-inch pan as you see written. If I scale it down to a 6-inch cake, I will update :)