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Who doesn’t love a simple and delicious yogurt cake that’s so easy to prepare and involves hardly any cleaning up? All you have to do is mix a few cheap ingredients, all in one bowl, and bake.
The result? A moist and mouth-watering cake loaded with yogurt and with hints of lemon and fruit jam.
This cake is a must, not only is it good, low sugar, and packed with nutrients, but it’s also inexpensive and super easy to mak
Friends, this is a foolproof recipe to keep in your back pocket and perfect for any occasion. I baked it thousands of times and it always turns out lovely.
Watch how to make it
What ingredients you need
- Yogurt
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour or spelt flour
- Baking powder
- Unrefined cane or regular sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- Vanilla essence
- Apricot or orange jam (optional)
HOW TO MAKE A YOGURT CAKE
- Mix eggs and sugar in one bowl
- Stir in vegetable oil, yogurt, lemon zest, and vanilla essence
- Whisk flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and add to the bowl
- Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients until just combined
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes.
- Brush with warm apricot or orange jam.
- Enjoy!
WHY CLEVER?
It’s one of the simplest healthy cake you can bake for the whole family, in no time and inexpensive: less than $ 4 (8 servings)!
Added bonus?
It’s low sugar. I usually choose unrefined cane sugar, less processed than white sugar, but you can use any sugar you have on hand. However, the healthiest tip is reducing the amount of added sugar, whatever it is.
When it comes to cakes, expeller-pressed canola oil (or cold-pressed olive oil) is my choice. This oil is naturally produced by mechanically squeezing (pressing) the canola seeds and it doesn’t go through an insane amount of processing with chemical solvents.
RECIPE TIPS & FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT KIND OF YOGURT CAN I USE?
Plain, low-fat, or flavored yogurt with a “pourable” consistency works well in this recipe. However, I find the real Greek yogurt is too thick and gives a denser texture.
CAN I USE GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR INSTEAD OR REGULAR FLOUR?
Yes, I tested the recipe using only rice flour and it turned out well. See notes on the recipe card.
Eggs: possibly use eggs at room temperature and make sure the yogurt is not too cold. The ingredients should be more or less at the same temperature, this is a way to avoid a curdling batter. But if that happens, don’t worry too much and bake it anyway.
Do not overmix the batter because working flour too much can produce gluten, which creates a dense and rubbery cake.
Flavor
I love the zesty lemons, they are always in my fridge alongside my yogurt, hence if I run out of creativity or ingredients, lemon yogurt cake is what I happily end up with. But this yogurt cake is actually a blank canvas for many other delicious ingredients. You can add to this recipe dark chocolate chips, spices, orange zest or whatever you like most.
Glaze
It’s totally optional, but it’s so simple to make and I love it.
I put some apricot or orange jam into a small saucepan. I heat gently over low heat until the jam has melted, and if it looks too thick I adjust the consistency with a tiny bit of warm water. When the glaze is the consistency of runny honey, I brush the yogurt cake straight away. Easy peasy.
Leftovers
It keeps well for up 3-4 days at room temperature, in an airtight container. But do not refrigerate: refrigeration dries this cake out! It’s also freezable: wrap the cake, or slices of cake, in plastic wrap (clingfilm), store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
MORE EASY HEALTHY CAKES?
If you make this delicious and easy yogurt cake, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
HEALTHY YOGURT CAKE
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250gr) plain yogurt
- 2 leveled cups (250gr) all-purpose flour or light spelt flour (I mixed both)
- 1/2 cup (100gr) white or unrefined cane sugar
- 1/2 scant cup (approx 80gr) vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla essence
- 1-2 Lemon, zest*
- 1 pinch salt
JAM GLAZE
- 3 Tbsp apricot or orange jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F°/180C° and place the rack in the middle position.
- Grease a 9x5x2.5 inch loaf pan with butter, cooking spray, or simply line the pan with parchment paper (in this case there's no need to grease the pan).
- Mix eggs and sugar, then add oil, lemon zest, vanilla essence and mix again. Add yogurt (not very cold) and mix it into a smooth consistency. All in one bowl.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together and add to the wet batter until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
- You can serve it plain or brushed with some quick and easy jam glaze which adds a lovely shine and flavor.I glazed this cake brushing some warm orange jam on top (see notes)*.
Video
Notes
- Flour: you can use white whole wheat, spelt, rice flour or all-purpose flour. Personally, I prefer mixing light spelt flour and all-purpose flour.
- Gluten-free flour: I tested the recipe using rice flour and it turned out well. I stirred the four into the batter and mixed well until smooth, then I baked it 5 minutes longer. It had a good rise and lovely flavor. However, it might be a bit less moist than its regular version, but perfectly enjoyable and not dry.
- Lemon flavor: add the zest of 2 large lemons if you prefer to boost the lemon flavor.
- Fruit glaze: put 3 tablespoons of apricot or orange jam into a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat until the jam has melted and If it looks too thick adjust the consistency with a tiny bit of warm water. When the glaze is the consistency of runny honey, brush the yogurt cake straight away.
- Baking the cake in a round pan rather than a loaf pan reduces the baking time (approx 30-35 minutes).
- Keeps well for 4 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.
- Do not refrigerate (refrigeration dries this cake out!)
- Freezable.
Cath
Hello 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe-It looks delicious! Did you use sweetened or unsweetened plain yoghurt? I can’t wait to make this! I’ll be trying it out this weekend and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Katia
Hello Cath! I always use unsweetened plain yogurt, but you can use sweetened yogurt if you wish, it works just fine. Let me know how it turns out 😉.
Have a lovely weekend. x
Cath
This is a fantastic recipe! I made this cake over the weekend and it came out moist and tasty. The whole family loved it! This cake is perfect if you love not too sweet (but sweet enough) desserts.
Katia
Thanks for taking the time to share your lovely feedback, Cath! I’m so pleased it turned out delicious.💛
Diane
Just made this delicious cake – so light and fluffy and so simple and quick to make. I followed the recipe and added one teaspoon of lemon essence. My daughter is vegan and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to make a vegan version – that would be just as delicious?
Katia
Thanks for taking the time to share your lovely comment, Diane! 💛
I’m so pleased it turned out delicious, but unfortunately I’ve never tested a vegan version of this cake, sorry if I can’t help. x
Sue
I made two, one with chocolate chips and orange zest and the other with blueberries and orange zest. Both were light, fluffy and delicious!!
Thank you for a great recipe…
Katia
I’m so pleased to hear that, Sue! 🤩 Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. x
Rahana Boorha khan
Used coconut oil
Dina
Amazing easy recipe , moist , fluffy great flavours amazing smell
Katia
I’m so glad it turned out amazing, Dina! Thanks for sharing your lovely feedback. 🤩
Sandy
Wonderful recipe, however your video shows 2 cups of yogurt while the directions show one cup. I made it with one, it’s still in the oven cooking. I think two would have been better as my batter came out a little dry. We’ll see once it’s done and I’ll post an update. 😉
Katia
Hi Dina, thanks so much for your comment! 😊 You’ll be absolutely fine since you followed the recipe card: 1 cup is correct, 2 cups was a typo. Enjoy! x
Cyndi N
Cake was moist and soft! Loved the lemon zest. Good use of yogurt. Will definitely make again:)
Katia
I’m so glad, Cyndi! Thanks for taking the time to share your lovely feedback 😊 x
Jenny
Is it 287 calories per serving or for the whole cake ?
Katia
Hi Jenni! Calories are per serving x
Michelle
This has become my all time favourite cake to make! And it’s a hit in my family. Simple to make and so delicious.
Katia
Thanks for sharing your lovely feedback, Michelle! I’ve been making this simple cake for ages, and I’m so glad that you and family love it, too 💛
Eudora
The cake turned out quite well and looks identical to the photo and video but I just found the texture a bit ‘clawing’ and it kind of stuck a bit in the back of my throat which I think is down to the yogurt. I only made it today and doubled the ingredients but reduced the oil a little as well as the sugar as I do not like very sweet cakes and sifted in a little almond flour, as I often do and it is successful). I tried a slice but not overly keen, however often with cakes I find they improve with a little age so will try a piece again in a couple of days. Based on my results and opinion, I would give it a 2 purely down to the sticky texture which was almost like a steamed pudding so would probably go well served warm with some custard; however I did adjust the quantities slightly so am giving the benefit of the doubt since all the other reviewers seemed to rave about it.
Katia
Glad it looked nice, but the texture shouldn’t be like a steamed pudding. I understand your disappointment but varying the ingredients and their quantities might affect the final result.
Hopefully, it will taste better in a couple of days as you say. Thanks x
Leslie
Please forgive me if this comes across as being rude, but…. if you’re not going to follow the recipe, then what’s the point of saying ANYthing negative about it.
Perla
Just made this bread. Followed the recipe exactly. Didn’t add or take away anything. Preheated the oven, used a loaf pan, as specified. It ran over the edge and was totally not done baking after 40 minutes!
Fortunately, I had placed a pan underneath, in case of spillage. I’m adding another 20 minutes, based on how raw the batter was. Don’t know if it’ll be edible.
Katia
Hi Perla 😊 Have you used a 9x5x2.5 inch loaf pan? In this case, it should be done in about 40 mins.
If the loaf pan is a bit smaller, the batter might be too much. Please, during the baking time open the oven door as seldom as possible. When you open it to check the doneness, the temperature drops.
However, once the center looks firm, insert a skewer or knife as suggested in the recipe, and if it comes out clean the cake is ready, and perfectly edible. I hope it went well 💛
Tish D
Absolutely love this recipe!!! New favorite that I have shared with my friends. I made a few modifications to make mine gluten free and low carb: I substituted Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 gluten free flour, Carbmaster Vanilla yogurt, and monk fruit for sugar and omitted the glaze. I adjusted the temp to 400 degrees and increased the cooking time to 45 minutes because gluten free cooks a little different. Still absolutely delicious and calculated at around 5 carbs per serving. Just made another variation of the original today adding 1/4 cup chopped fresh cranberries and the zest of one orange absolutely delicious and healthy!
Katia
Thanks for your lovely comment, I’m so glad your gf and low carb version turned out so good, and I love the idea of using fresh cranberries! 😊
Joyce
Would like to make mini loafs. Could I do this ?New to baking.
Katia
Hi Joyce! Yes, but if the loaf sizes are smaller, you have to adjust the baking time accordingly. How “mini” are they?
Just a quick tip: always preheat the oven, when it’s hot place the loaf pans on the middle rack. After 10 minutes peer through the oven glass window (do not open the door) and start monitoring the rising, you want to see the mini loaves rising and getting colored and puffed in the center. When you think they’re ready, to do the skewer test as mentioned in the recipe 😉 Hope it helps x
Kathy Roth
I found this recipe because I had a tub of yogurt to use up. Very disappointed. It tasted like white bread. Very bland, not lemon clover at all. Tried drizzling powder. Sugar/ lemon juice mixture over the top. Didn’t help much.
Katia
Hi Kathy, sorry to hear about your disappointment. The lemon flavor is quite delicate, it’s more a yogurt cake than a lemon cake. However, I’ll be adding a note to the recipe regarding the lemon flavor, that might be helpful x
Clara
Just made this. Was out of lemons so i used grapefruit zest. Love the recipe. It turned put well. It makes a light fluffy cake/loaf.
Katia
Thanks for your comment, Clara! 😊
Emma
Hi, I like your recipe, I wanna try it
Can I use 100 g of plain unsweetened yogurt with 100 g strawberry tart yogurt (sweetened) with half a cup of sugar? Or do I need more/less sugar since I’m not planning to make this cake for diet
I would like to know how much.sugar can I add to that it’s sweet as normal.
Katia
Yes, you can, Emma. Basically, you can mix unsweetened and sweetened yogurt (total 250 grams) and then follow the recipe, you don’t need to adjust the quantity of sugar x
Erin
Are the calories per cake or serving? Can’t wait to make this cake
Katia
The calories are per serving 😊 The calculator split the total into 8 servings. I’ll be adding a note to the recipe x
Cindy
Would it be okay to use lemon yogurt instead of plain yogurt? Or would it be too much flavor? I love lemon so I’m hoping it should be okay. 🙂
Katia
That’s absolutely fine 😊
Lesley Tozer
I have had this recipe saved for a while and finally got round to making it this morning, I had read all other comments first and thought the one about adding some chocolate chips to the batter at the end a good idea, so I did just that, I did lower the temp of the oven just slightly as it’s a fan oven and checked after 30 mins, the outside edges looked like they were starting to burn but after the skewer test the very middle of the cake was still a bit wet, so I turned the oven down again just a little and put it back for another 5 mins, perfect, I didn’t have any glaze to use so make a quick lemon drizzle for over the top, I was so excited to try it that it was still a little warm but OMG it’s so divine, the combo of the hint of lemon with the choc chips was soooo delicious I just had to have a 2nd piece straight away, not sure if there is going to be any left for the hubby when he gets home at the weekend, so I may just have to make another fairly quick.
Katia
I’m so pleased you liked it, Lesley 😊 , and thanks for sharing your helpful feedback! I love adding chocolate chips to the batter, it only gets better 😉 xx
Akoma
I really like the outcome of my cake. It was the best and first of all my barking trails I will confidently say was successful. I think at first I add too much oil so I had to add more flour because I saw the batter view and mine was not a lumpy. Mine batter turnout thick, smooth and a little dry (because of the extra flour) but fluid. I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. I put my time for 40 minutes but by 20-30 minutes it was baked. I did reheat my oven for quite a while. I did not put sugar in mine but I used maple syrup and honey instead. I also used lemon juice instead of lemon zest. I also used pre-milled and sieved superior sponge flour. Overall, I was very shock to see the soft consistency of the middle and how thick the cake was. My batter was very fluid, I thought the cake would not bake well in the middle but the cake turned out well. My family did say I should of added sugar though!!!
Katia
Thanks for your lovely comment! I see you’ve made a few changes, but I’m glad to hear the cake turned out well and your first baking attempt was successful 😊
Eipie
I thought this was good, not too sweet & moist. However I was disappointed by the appearance of the loaf. It was low & pale coloured. I baked it twice, both times following the recipe exactly using room temperature ingredients. I checked my baking powder expiry date, which still was very fresh. It could have had a stronger lemon flavour, but saw from other comments that more grated lemon peel could be used. Wondering what I am doing wrong & if others have the same problem?
Katia
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that, and to be honest this is the first time I’ve received feedback like this. Although it’s a simple recipe, the truth is that many things can go wrong when it comes to baking.
You’ve said the loaf was low and pale, and that makes me think there was something wrong with the oven temperature.
When you place your cake in the oven, you need to make sure the oven has reached the right temperature.
Plus, it’s crucial not to open the oven door during the baking time, not even for a few seconds. If you do it, the temperature drops and the cake doesn’t rise properly.
Sadly, if you open the door a few times – or if your oven doesn’t work well for some reason – the result is a flat and pale cake.
I hope this helps, and let me know if you have other questions x
Eipie
Thanks for your reply Katia! I have a brand new Maytag oven, which lets me know when it reaches temperature. Not had problems with my other recipes. Oven door is never opened during baking either. I am going to try it again perhaps using different yogurt as I used 0%.🤔 It was a nice recipe, but did not remotely resemble your picture😕 Thanks again!
Katia
I was trying to figure out what went wrong 🤔 not that easy.. The fat-free yogurt might have affected the batter, you’re right, but I’ve heard from other readers that it worked just fine for them. Btw, I hope it won’t let you down again and thanks for your comments 😘
Sha
Hi!
I made this today using strawberry flavoured yogurt and glazed it with Korean Citrus Honey. Lovely!! Thank you for the recipe.
Katia
You’re so welcome! Thanks for your positive feedback x
Joss
I just made this lemon loaf and it is so delicious!
I added raspberries to the mix which worked really well. I also added a lemon drizzle to the top after it was baked (lemon juice and sugar mixed).
Thank you for the recipe!
Katia
I’m so glad you liked it, Joss! The addition of raspberries and the lemon drizzle sound utterly delicious, thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Marcie
I really want to try this as a gluten free recipe. Have you made it this way yet?
Katia
Not yet, but I think rice flour should work fine in the recipe. Btw, I’m going to try it next week 🙂