French Yogurt Cake or gâteau au yaourt is one of the easiest and MOST delicious cakes that you can make with your Kids.
I know, it's time for kids to get back to school. But, as long as they are at home, you can make this quick and easy cake with them.
It's funny how we've always thought french desserts and pastries to be extremely complicated and nothing less than culinary masterpieces.
But, this French Yogurt Cake has been around since the 1950s and kids love making this recipe. Super easy and mess-free recipe for kids.
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What is French Yogurt Cake
This is probably the first cake that French kids learn to bake at home. It's so easy that kids are in primary school can easily make this recipe from scratch.
The fanciest part about this recipe is that every ingredient is measured in an Yogurt Jar/Cup. Earlier Yogurt used to be sold in the form of Jar in France. These days you can find yogurt in cups.
Traditionally, this cake is eaten in the evening with a cup of tea. I found this cake was similar to Lemon Olive Cake and Blueberry Crumb Cake
Few years back my husband had got an on-site project in Brussels, Belgium. He was staying there for about a year. And, then I visited him for about a month.
During that time, we went to France. In France you can find this cake everywhere and nowhere. What I mean is - This cake is so popular that on any given day, if you roll your eyes around, you are bound to find at least one person enjoying this cake outside a cafe.
It is supposed to taste light, moist, and fluffy. Since the recipe is so easy, people have adapted it according to their taste palate.
You can add some Lemon Juice to brighten up the flavors. Some people prefer the intense fragrance of cardamom to introduce depth of flavor in this recipe.
French Yogurt Cake with Cherries
I like to decorate the top of the cake with some cherries. It tastes so good with cherries.
This cake is for those lazy days when you don't feel like cooking but you feel like having something sweet and delicious.
You can make this in a snap and voila! you have a spongy, fluffy, moist, and delectable cake ready.
You can also try these French-inspired Desserts -
Coffee Mousse (Without Gelatin)
No-Bake Mini Strawberry Mousse Cups
Mango Mousse (without Gelatin, Eggs and Agar Agar)
Ingredients
see the recipe card for quantities
Plain Yogurt - Since this is a Yogurt Cake, you will obviously need yogurt. Don't replace Yogurt with Sour Cream. And, make sure you use Plain Yogurt. You can also use greek yogurt.
Granulated Sugar - You'll need exactly twice the amount of yogurt. Granulated Sugar adds moisture and required sweetness to the cake.
All-Purpose Flour - You can use cake flour or any other kind of gluten-free flour. But, I haven't tried this recipe with those flour and I cannot tell you how it would taste.
Baking Soda - Add about a teaspoon of baking soda as a leavening agent.
Salt - A pinch of salt so that the cake doesn't become too sweet.
Olive Oil - About 1/2 cup of olive oil to add moisture and depth of flavor to the cake. You can use any other vegetable oil. But, I highly recommend Olive Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil for that distinct taste and flavor.
Pure Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Beans - Vanilla has a powerful fragrance and it makes everything taste so good.
Eggs - This recipe gets a fudgy texture when you add eggs.
How to Make French Yogurt Cake
Step 1: Combine Ingredients
In a bowl combine all ingredients until it resembles the image shown below. It should be lump-free and absolutely smooth.
Step 2: Pour and Bake
Pour this in a springform pan lined with parchment paper (for easy clean up) and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Step 3: Cool and Serve
Allow your cake to cool down completely and then decorate the top with powdered sugar and cherries. Cut into slices and serve.
Does yogurt cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes you can refrigerate this cake for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator. This cake tastes even better on the second and third day. So, if you are lucky enough to save some then make sure you cool it down completely and then wrap it with a cling wrap or plastic wrap. You can also wrap it with an aluminium foil.
I don't recommend freezing this cake because the cold air of freezer soaks the moisture content of this cake. And, I like my cake to be moist and fluffy.
Why is my Yogurt cake dense?
There are few reasons because of which your French Yogurt cake might have turned out dense.
One possible reason could be the fact that you may have overmixed. In this recipe, you cannot overmix. Just fold everything together and as soon as the mixture becomes smooth and lump-free, stop and pour it into the springform pan.
Variations
- Sour Cream - yes you can use Sour cream to make this cake. Although you might have to give this a different name.
- Oil - You can replace Olive Oil with Grapeseed Oil, Avocado Oil, Sunflower Oil or Canola Oil.
- Chocolate - You can add some baking chocolate bars (melted but not cooked) into the cake batter. BUT, MAKE SURE YOU COOL DOWN CHOCOLATE BEFORE POURING INTO THE CAKE BATTER.
More Delicious Cake Recipes
Mexican Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe - (with Pineapple!)
Super Moist Spiced Fruitcake Recipe
if you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Snap it and tag me @recipemagik with #recipemagik.
French Yogurt Cake
Equipment
- Oven
- Springform Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt can use greek yogurt (245 grams or 8.64 oz)
- 2 cups granulated sugar 300grams or 10 oz
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 450grams or 15 oz
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup olive oil 118 ml
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside
- Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add eggs at last. Use the same container (jar/cup) to measure ingredients. 1 part Yogurt. 2 Parts of Sugar. And, 3 parts of Flour.
- Do not overmix. Make sure it is lump-free and smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Smoothen the top with a spatula. Tap the pan on the cooking surface so that air bubbles get down.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with few moist crumbs. Allow your french yogurt cake to cool down completely at room temperature before cutting it into slices and serving.
Linda says
The yogurt amount is confusing. You say 1 cup but the weights are 1/2 cup. Please check to see which is correct. Thanks!