October 12, 2005
Yogurt Cake
[Gâteau au yaourt]
As I've mentioned before, Maxence is a big advocate of the adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it". In other words, when a classic recipe is fabulous, don't meddle with it, and just do what you're told. Obviously I have trouble following that piece of advice, and more often than not I'll surrender to the urge and tweak a little something here and a little something there -- substitution is my middle name.
But Maxence had been craving the glorious simplicity of a Gâteau au Yaourt for a while (his grandmother's gâteau au yaourt to be specific), and on Sunday afternoon he decided to bake one for us. Gâteau au yaourt, as its name implies, is a cake which calls for yogurt: very easy to make and even easier to love, it is often the first cake that French kids learn how to bake.
It is a fluffy, cloud-like and moist affair, not too sweet, and just perfect for any time of day -- breakfast, dessert, afternoon snack, any time at all, trust me. It is particularly tasty fresh out of the oven when it is warm and crusty (do let it cool for about half an hour), but it will keep delightfully well wrapped in foil for a few days, as the flavors develop and the top crust softens and turns a little melty on your tongue.
And well, I have to admit, however much I liked the raspberry almond variation I made a year ago, this is definitely a cake that's worth eating in its most innocent version. Oh, I'm not saying I won't keep building on it and using it as a base recipe for other cakes -- that's just who I am -- but I will keep pressing Maxence for him to bake me more of this one!
Gâteau au Yaourt
- 2 eggs
- 250ml (1 cup) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt (if you use two 125ml or 4oz tubs, you can use them to measure out the rest of the ingredients)
- 200g (1 cup) sugar (you can use an empty tub of yogurt and measure the equivalent of 2 yogurt tubs if you used the 125ml or 4oz kind)
- 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil (or a bit less than 1 yogurt tub)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 4 yogurt tubs)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- a good pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste/extract
- 1 tablespoon light rum
Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and rum. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.
 Blueberry Yogurt Cake |
 Chocolate and Pistachio Surprise Cake |
 Raspberry Yogurt Cake |
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the yogurt is missing from the instruction. i suppose it's mixed with first step. why not mix the dry ingredients first? for oil-based cakes, i usually combine the dry ingredients first, then fold in the liquid ingredients a bit(except for the oil) and the oil last, very quickly.
Just made this. Delicious and simple!
tweak it by using fruit-flavored yogurt! ;P
this cake sounds yummy, would love to try to make it. when do you mix in the yogurt?
Oops, thanks for catching this: the yogurt is mixed in at the very first step. Kayenne: I normally mix the dry and wet ingredients separately too, but this is Maxence's grandmother's recipe as she gave it to me and it works fine, so I gave it as is. Feel free to do it your way if you like!
Wow, does this look fluffy and delicious. I am going to have to make it this weekend for some out of town guests coming in. I bet it would be delicious with some fresh fruit on the side as well.
Thanks for all the great recipes Clotilde! Do we tell you that enough?
All best,
Maureen in Oakland
forgot to ask, is the yogurt you used unsweeten?
Bonjour Clotilde!
Pourrais-tu me renseigner, please? Tu utilises quelle marque de Yaourt? (genre bio, danone normal, yaourt brassé???) et puis, "baking powder", c'est bien de la levure alsacienne en poudre?
Je te remercie d'avance!
Je vais faire le même, avec une petite goutte de fleur d'oranger pour parfumer subtilement...
Merci encore pour ton superbe site!
Charlotte
Panda - Nope! Plain and unsweetened.
Charlotte - Any brand/kind will work, I recommend whole-milk ones (La Laitière and such, but be careful because some of those are 150ml, not 125ml like the recipe calls for). And yes, "baking powder" is the same as "levure chimique" like l'Alsacienne!
this certainly sounds like a simple and delightful cake. i also posted about a yoghurt based cake today. i made last month, and then again this week - the cake won me over with its moistness. i will try this recipe soon i think.
as for tweaking with recipes, i too find that my boyfriend prefers to stick to the original. sometimes i find this annoying, especially if this concept is accompanied with a disgruntled look, but most of the time it strikes a perfect balance for us.
thanks for sharing a family recipe :)
i came on the site and saw this recipe
then i ran down to the kitchen and made it
its so simple!
in the oven now
it looks yummy!
how would it taste with fruit flavored yogurt?
still as good?
The recipe for the yogurt cake sounds so great that I think I'll make it soon. I have a tub of goatmilk yogurt that needs using.
I stumbled upon your blog quite by chance this weekend and have been gulping up the archives in huge heaps. I'm still haunted by the images of that story about the candystore schoolgirl of 50.
Your blog has altered my perception of Paris which I have only seen in two small doses with my fiance and future father in law. And I certainly will think about my trips in France in a different way. After all I do love food adventures even though my North American puritanical background tries to make me pretend food is the devil incarnate.
I'll be haunting the halls of this food blog from now on I'm sure. And hopefully I'll be able to share a thing or two about Canadian westcoast Indian specialities like salmon candy, ooligan grease or seaweed soup with salmon eggs.
Yogurt Cake is one of my favorite cakes too!
The recipe I make is very similar to yours. I love yogurt and the taste in this cake is very nice!
I am glad you enjoy it too!! Nice looking picture!
And how is everything going with the new book?! Can't wait to see it in the bookstore!
Ana
I confirm what Clothilde wrote; it's the first cake French kids learn how to bake.
I've still got my own recipe, with drawing instead of words! Very cute.
There are several versions of the yogurt cake, and the best of all; all of them give a wonderful result. It is THE cake to bake for those not familiar with cooking.
My own recipe is: (for a big cake!)
4 eggs
3 cups of sugar
6 cups flour
2 yogurts (in UK I used: Actima Bio by Danone, or yogurt unsweetened or yogurt with fruits in it as Shape, Ski etc.)
1 cup of oil (even less....)
11g of baking powder
flavoring can be added: lemon juice, rum, Cointreau....)
Add eggs, sugar, mix, add yogurt, mix, then flour and oil, and that's all.
Can be done with a normal whisk.
Enjoy!
Looks so Yummy! This is something I've never tried before. I think I must try to make it ! Here is my question. '1 cup' meaning 200ml & '1 TBSP' is 15g in my country. Are these same in France?
I love French yoghurt cakes! Raspberries are a wonderful addition, as are ground almonds - as long as the almonds aren't stale (can you tell that happened to me?). Easy, rewarding, and deliciously simple! I usually plate my upside-down with a heavy dusting of icing sugar. Thanks for the new version to try, Clothilde!
What pleasure when someone bakes for the baker! ;> Chapeau, Maxence!
This is one of my favourite cakes ever - I learned to make it while living in France in my teens. It is never fail, and always delicious. But, if I may, I learned that there is no need to "measure" anything in cups. We simply used the "pot" of the yogourt as our guide to keep the ingredients proportional. 2 pots of flour, 1 pot of sugar, 1/2 pot of oil. The you just toss the pot away at the end - it makes fewer things to clean! For a larger (Yankee-sized) pot, I would add an extra egg, but in France, the yogourt pots are always smaller...
i just got a silicone bundt pan and a 6-cup muffin tray for about US$1.50 each. brand new at a "japanese" Php88 store here. gonna try making the yogurt cake using that. hehehe
fishfishy,
i don't see any reason why using a fruit yogurt would waste a good cake. i think it would build upon the flavor. especially if served with a complimentary or contrasting jam or preserve. =D
Sounds wonderful, must give it a try. Even though it means converting from cups etc. into British measurements. I'm sure I'll manage though.
Mireille Guiliano, of "French Women Don't Get Fat" fame, was recently featured in New York magazine. Well, a photo of the inside of her fridge was, at least. There were fresh berries and several cups of homemade yogurt. She said that French people snacked on yogurt like Americans do on potato chips!
I love your recipe for the raspberry almond version because I like cake moister and a little heavier than the average white cake, with a coarser crumb. I find that this works best with demerara (light brown) sugar; it gives a richness but does not overwhelm the delicate tang of the yoghurt. My one problem is that when I double the recipe, the centre of my cake never fully cooks before the edges are dried out. Does anyone else experience this, and is there any way to correct it? Thanks.
Fishfishy - I've never tried it, but I think a flavored yogurt would work fine (maybe you could remove a bit of the sugar to compensate) -- see, you're tweaking that recipe too! :)
chikap - The cup measurement I'm giving here is the US system: 1 cup equals 250ml, 1 tablespoon is 15ml.
Jessica - Yes, we do use the empty tub to measure out the rest of the ingredients (that's why the recipe is so kid-friendly), but since the size of yogurts varies so greatly nowadays (even in France) and it had brought some confusion when I gave the raspberry yogurt cake recipe last year, I thought it was clearer to give the cup measurement. I've edited the recipe with a note about using the yogurt tubs too, thank you!
Ant - If you use the empty pots of yogurt (and use 125ml yogurts) there is no need to convert! Hope you like it.
Kate - It sounds like the outside of the cake is baking too fast for the inside to catch up. Maybe you could try lowering the temperature a bit and baking the cake for a little while longer?
Kate, re the non-cooked middle of the cake ... I grew up using a combustion (read wood) stove and having moved to the 'big city' have had to get used to using gas and electric ovens, so this was a constant problem for me! I couldn't understand why my tried and true recipes that I'd cooked for well over 20 years were constantly having problems! I did use my mum's trick of putting a whopping great blob of whipped cream in the middle to cover up the slight glugginess, but in the end realised that dropping the temperature by 10 - 15 degrees (that's Celsius by the way) makes all the difference ... not a huge amount longer in cooking time but enormous amount of difference to the results!
Oh my! I have just found your site and what a delight! As one who has a passion for food, for cooking and for the sacred space at table I am sure I will be back.
That's so simple I am laughing at myself for buying it in a refrigerated foil packet yesterday! It's made by Cameo (Dr. Oetker) and you snip it open and pour into the pan. Your recipe wouldn't take much more time than that! Sounds yummy and I'm going to try it. Kim
Hiya! I made this cake tonight and it was tasty indeed ... even had a Frenchman at the table, and he gobbled it up. And he said his kids learned to make it when they were 5 or 6 :)
I shared the cake with all my housemates, and everyone loved it to bits. It seemed like it was only me who could taste something a tiny bit metallic -- I thought perhaps I was tasting the baking powder. I know that we're our own worst critics when it comes to cooking and baking -- or when it comes to anything at all, for that matter -- so I didn't bring it up to my grateful gobblers, wanting to not rain on their happy tummy parade. But have you ever experienced this? Any suggestions?
peace
Lisa
I *planned* to make the Yogurt Cake last night and decided to do Creamed Rice instead. Just like Tuesday, I *planned* to make canele batter, and made the Tarte Tatin! Everytime I pop into the archives I get such fabulous ideas. Thanks!
I just posted about making a yogurt cake a few weeks ago, but I flavored mine with saffron and orange rind, and glazed it with a reduction of sweet orange marmalade and Cointreau. Delish!
http://thefabulousfoodie.blogspot.com/2005/09/weekend-roundup-liquid-dinners.html
I love reading your blog, and you have such wonderful pictures!
clotilde,
rum is also missing from the procedure. hehe
i made yogurt cake tonight. well, 2 actually. one plain, the other, i used strawberry flavored yogurt. folks here liked the strawberry one better. i like it. very moist and kinda crumbly. that's how it's supposed to be, right?
What an inspiring recipe! As I am fasting today, I have just made two yogurt cakes: one with coconut (half the sugar, as well) and one with orange juice substituted for the rum and vanilla, plus the zest of the orange, and with mini chocolate chips stirred in at the end.
The coconut cake is on the counter cooling, and the orange/chocolate chip cake is still in the oven. When I break the fast tonight I will taste them!
I made this when it was posted earlier, and I have used both whole and non-fat yogurt, the latter being what I routinely buy. Both seem to work just fine for me. Especially if you add fruit, which makes the cake both sweet and moist, the missing fat isn't really noticeable.
-berkeley girl
After reading this recipe at work and realizing that I actually had all the ingredients to concoct this, I dreamed about making it all day long. Rushed home after work, baked it, and enjoyed it with a cup of tea. Absolutely delicious and easy for someone who never makes desserts (I'm a soup person myself). Thank you so much!
this recipe looks so yummy, I am going to make it today! I don't usually have rum on hand (vodka and tequila, yes), what could I subsitute for the rum?
BTW, I love your blog. One of my neighbors found it about a year ago and showed me, but I just recently rediscoverd it.
i too love this cake. my grandmother used to make it for me when i was a kid in paris. as a variation she would sometimes split in half horizontally (ie getting a top and bottom layer), spread a thin layer of home made apricot or strawberry jam and then put the two pieces back together again. yummy...
Dear Clo
Thanks for the Raspberry version. I'll try it tomorrow with frozen framboises.
Did you ever try any salt version ? 1 tub grated parmesan in place of sugar is a pleasant way to begin. The mix my friends prefer is: one tub polenta, two tubs whole wheat flour, half a tub olive oli, one tub parmesan, half tub ham ( en petits cubes) half tub pistaches + baking powder as usual cooked in muffin moulds. Que le chocolat et les courgettes soient avec toi. Kat
I tried this today, actually it is still cooling on my counter, sprinkled with cocoa and powered sugar, just had a slice still warm with raspberries.
The ease of this reminds me of another cake I make, Vegan Orange Cake, from the Joy of Cooking. Not too sweet, a little dusting of powered sugar, better the next day.
I just made this cake and it was great. Didn't have plain yogurt but instead used the vanilla maple yogurt I had. Served it with whipped cream that had a touch of maple syrup in it too.
Turned out well.
Thanks
I've just made this cake tonight - delicious and looks as beautiful as the photo! I've been reading your blog for only a few months but you have a gift for expressing your fascination with food that is simply enchanting! Congratulations and continued success!
Hi Clotilde,
I was very much drawn to your yogurt cake recipe. This is just the type of simple, vanilla-ish thing I always go for. I made it last week and ate it everyday for breakfast (once with a spoonful of an incredibly bitter orange marmalade I picked up in Salerno last year--actually a very nice match). Also good for bouts of insomnia, along with a little shot of brandy. I didn't have rum so I made it with Calvados. Pretty good, I thought. The cake is very fluffy, strangely like an angelfood (not sure why though with 2 egg yolks).
Thanks for this recipe. I'm be playing with it for a long time.
Erica De Mane
-author of 'The Flavors of Southern Italy'
I made the cake last night and used Triple Sec instead of rum. It came out light and fluffy with lovely crispy edges. A friend tried it and said it reminded her of angel food cake that her grandmother used to make for all her birthdays.
Next time I will teach my 6 year old to make it!
I switched the vanilla and rum for almond flavouring and some Bristol Cream sherry, and it turned out just wonderfully. This is a great recipe, simple, but so tasty!
Clotilde,
I made the cake a few days ago, but I substituted sour cream for the yogurt. It was very very good. Also, I made a trifle with the cake for dinner with the in-laws.
Love your site.
Min
I made this cake tonight and it was delicious. I topped it with warm bon maman cherry preserves. Thank you for this recipe. Can't wait to try the raspberry yogurt cake.
So yummy and so easy to make, I'll definitely make it again, thanks so much!
figures toi que je ne fais jamais rien dans ma cuisine et que pour une fois, j'ai cuisiné un gâteau au yaourt samedi.
Ca faisait bien longtemps que cela ne m'était pas arrivé.
Pour te souhaiter aussi un bon anniversaire pour le blog.
Wow! This was so easy I made two, and took one to work, where it disappeared from the break room in minutes! Good thing I left the other at home, or I'd have never gotten to taste it at all!
Thank you, and thank Maxence and his grandmother!
I just made a variation of this for some friends for brunch today. Instead of raspberries, I added the seeds from 1 medium pomegranate. I spread a thin layer of the batter in a wax-paper-lined loaf pan (so the pomegranate seeds wouldn't burn at the bottom and stick), then mixed the remaining batter with the seeds and poured it in. The pomegranates made nice red speckles in the cake, which was moist and tart bites of pomegranate. Used just shy of a cup of white sugar. Made it in a loaf pan (55 min at 350 degrees).
-berkeley girl
I've never made cake from scratch. I made one this weekend with whole wheat flour and skim milk yogurt (I'm on a low-fat high-fiber diet) and it tasted great. Had some for breakfast on Sunday. One of these days I'll do it again with all-purpose flour and whole milk yogurt.
Thanks for the recipe.
This has to be my favorite recipe from your website!! Already made twice in a row. First time sticking with the original recipe and second time with almond streusel topping. The cake came out with nice and warm aroma filling in the air. Both got rave reviews. My husband already claimed that it's his favorite cake from me!!
Many thanks.
This site is wonderful. I just found three of your recipies and all three of them sound fantastic. In fact, I am jumping in my car to get some ingredients before the grocery closes for the night. Thank you!!!!
This was delicious with Meyer lemon zest and fresh blueberries! Thanks, Clothilde!
Clotilde, I had a disasterous effort at making this lovelyh-souding cake! I can't wait to try it when I get it right but I thought it might give you a laugh to read about it: :-)
I just made this cake and the house smells wonderful! Very easy to whip together. It had only one minus though, a slightly bitter aftertaste. I was wondering if there was too much baking powder (1 tbsp) in it? I can't think of anything else.
hello,
i'd seen this recipe on the site a while ago and it's simple and pleasing manner appealed to me. so i finally made it tonight on a whim and it turned out quite nice, i think it would be delicious with a cup of hot chocolate and will try that out tomorrow! the only thing different is that i didn't have any rum on hand, do you think that it changes the taste terribly much?
anyway, delicious and content. i like the idea of it with fruit, how versatile it is!
This sounds delicious. I will bring it to a Christmas party this afternoon.
By the way, it's so easy to make homemade yogurt - I'm going to use my own to make this cake. I almost never buy yogurt anymore.
I use a gallon of the best organic milk I can find (1 percent, two percent, or whole milk, as you please) and slowly bring it to a boil. Many recipes specifically state one should avoid boiling, but our Albanian violin teacher told me that with American milk, boiling gives the yogurt a lovely texture. It's true; when done, the yogurt slides cleanly off the spoon instead of sticking.
After the milk has boiled (and stir it constantly, so it won't burn), let it cool to the point where it won't burn your finger, but still feels very warm - maybe 105 degrees Farenheit.
I then add about 1/2 cup of starter yogurt, which is at room temperature. I put the top on the pan, wrap a blanket around it and either leave it in a very warm corner, or put it in the oven with the door closed, to keep it away from drafts. I may add a closed jar full of very hot water to the interior of the oven to keep the temperature warm. Just warn your family not to turn the oven on!
Within four to five hours you should have lots of lovely homemade yogurt. I then transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it chill. The weight of the yogurt will actually cause the whey to separate. It's very good for your heart, so you can either stir it in, or use a turkey baster to remove it if you like a thicker yogurt. I save any excess whey and use it when I make treats for my dogs - they love it.
Bon appetit, tout le monde!
Louise
I just finished baking the Greek version, yaourtopita. It is virtually the same except instead of rum add finely grated lemon rind. Then the interesting part is after the cake is out the oven and cooled, prick all over the top of the cake with a fine skewer and pour over a hot lemon syrup. Leave to cool before serving. The syrup is made with lemon juice, sugar and honey. Its lovely, but it is tweaking.
My grandmother used to make me make this when I was little, I add in frozen blueberries now, and replace sugar with raw sugar. Also last night I added a drop (a bit too much though) of lemon extract because I was out of rum, but it is still delightful. I find your recipe the most basic / best tasting just like my meme's.
Clotilde,
I just found your website via The Kitchen and made this gateau and your Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d'Epinard for dinner. I've never cooked French food and I realise that these recipes are like ones I've had at my favorite restaurant in Chicago; simple, elegant. Funny that these are both children's recipes!
I was wondering if you could reccommend a cookbook. I know you're working on your own, but until then do you have any suggestions for a book about simple, fresh, French food?
One other thing, your gateau did come out a bit too brown on the bottom and sides. Next time I'm going to check it at 40 minutes.
I baked this cake yesterday: it was my first try with a yogurt cake, and it was just perfect.
It has a delicate vanilla flavour I find irresistible! I'm looking forward to baking it again... The almond raspberry version seems really appealing, and I happen to have some frozen raspberries in the fridge. :-)
How do Frenchwomen stay so thin, especially when they love cakes? What size portion do you recommend? And what size do you actually eat? I did a little math and decided that 1/16 of this cake is "like" a slice of bread with a tablespoon of jam and 2 teaspoons of butter (which is probably too much butter and jam for one slice of bread). Good eating includes portion control. And having enough guests over when you bake a cake!
I came here from the brunch thread and thought I would tell you that this yogurt cake is delish if you add a swirl to the cake and particularly good for brunch or breakfast...I make a crumble of brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, or whatevder else I feel like...nuts are great... or oatmeal, of apple filling etc etc...I dump it on the cake and stir it in the batter before I bake or I just leave it crumbled on top..
I made this cake last night, because my other half had been working very late and I thought I'd treat him to a lovely warm cake when he got home. He loved it! In fact, I think I hear some shuffling in the kitchen at the moment. He's having yet another piece!
I think next time I make it, I might just have to replace some of the sugar with maple to give it a more Canadian flavour! ;)
I just made this cake last night, and it was great! Such wonderful flavors that develop. I didn't tinker with the recipe, but I couldn't help serving it with other things... like caramel tangerines and clove ice cream. :)
i made this cake one morning, using what i just happened to have in the fridge. i made it using rye flour, as my sister has a wheat allergy, and i put sliced fresh plums in the centre, with a sprinkling of ground almonds. it was very good and wholesome tasting, with just the right tang from the yogurt.
Is baking powder same as baking soda? Can I use baking soda for this recipe?
Panda - Baking soda is not exactly the same as baking powder (powder is soda with acidic salt added). Baking soda is not often used in French baking (which is why this recipe calls for baking powder, but since the batter is fairly acidic from the yogurt, you should have good success with baking soda (use the same amount).
Thanks, it's in the oven as we speak. I tried making the cake last time and failed coz I accidently put only 1/2 the qty of yoghurt in, oops... Besides, I bought some baking powder, just in case...
Dear Clotilde,
I made this cake twohours ago.Me and my husband loved yogurt cake a lot...
what a simple recepie and easy made delicious cake!!!!Thanks to you...
My family and I LOVE IT!!!!!
It contains a UNIQUE & PERFECT flavor... Not rich or heavy, at all.
I gave this recipe to my aunt; She tried it(LOVED IT!), & now she makes about 10 of these for Christmas time, wraps them nicely, and gives them to family and friends.
Chaque fois que nous allons à la maison de ma tante, il y a un gâteau délicieux de yaourt qui nous attend!!
Clotide
One question, the récipe calls really for 1 tablespoon baking powder or is that one teaspoon.
Many thanks
after having made this recipe a few times, i figured i should comment and say thank you! my kids (6 and 8) love making it (and eating it) too.
my daughter loves plain cakes, so even when i tweak it, i try to make another plain one. being this easy, we don't mind making more!
Using the base receipe I am making this gateau for an healthy morning start. I hope you enjoy the cake.
2 eggs
1 cup of fat free milk plain unsweetened yogurt
1 cup of brown sugar
3 tbs of melted unsalted butter
1 cup of oat-bran flour blend
1 cup of whole weet flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of triple sec
1/2 cup of semiswett chocolate chips
1/2 cup of walnut
You can follow the original receipe just beat the eggs with the brown sugar until nice and fluffy and add the yogurt, the melted butter and the mixed dry ingredient.
You can also spread walnut on top before start baking the cake
Bake for 35-40 min until the cake tester comes out clean.
Looking forward to receive your comment.
Massimo
I baked my cake for 40 minutes and cooled it for 15 minutes in the pan. When I took it out of the pan the cake collapsed in the centre. The outside of the cake was baked but the centre was still wet. I trimmed the baked outside edges and we ate that part which was delicious! Did anyone else have this problem? I would like to try this recipe again.
Hi Clotilde!
I just tried you recipe and the cake turned out oh-so-YUMMY!! Thanks so much for the recipe! Oh and I LOVE your site!!
Cheers! =)
I hit on your blog on Thursday - I forget now what I had been searching for, as I got so caught up in this!
On Saturday I baked the yogurt cake which is almost ridiculously easy to make and delicious. On Sunday I hid the last couple of slices to use as a base for an English trifle, with a bit more rum sloshed over, of course! I can recommend that, too.
I have made a cake and it is delicious and only concern I have - how to make a cake without bitter taste of baking powder...
I just made this cake, whilst a nor'easter blows through New England. The warm, vanilla smell permeated our big drafty home and the anticipation of eating was so strong I had to avoid temptation with a wintry walk with my dog. A delicious treat on returning. I ate it simply with a mug of red tea and milk. This gateau is a ray of sunshine; in fact, it resembles very much a golden sun.
Cooking notes: I used whole milk french vanilla yogurt (as it was what I had). I used orange flavored rum (as it was what I had). I used maybe one T. less sugar than the recipe called for, but I don't think that was absolutely necessary. My little cousin has more of a sweet tooth and ate her slice alternating between globs of vanilla frosting and chocolate ganache.
Bon chance, a +tard!
Yum. I've made this twice now, once substituting triple sec for rum and adding the zest of one orange and a pinch of saffron, and once adding zest of one lemon and about a teaspoon full of crushed pink peppercorns. I bake it in a heartshaped pan and sprinkle the top with demerrara sugar, so it sparkles. For the second one, I also sprinkled the top with whole pink peppercorns. They both looked beautiful and tasted delicious. The only thing I would change about the original recipe is I think it needs a pinch of salt.
Just made this recipe for the first time and it was delicious. My husband is a big chocolate fan, so I made a sour cream chocolate glaze for the top of the cake. The sour cream gave the chocolate a nice tang, which worked well with the cake. Will definitely make this again.
Hi all,
What would the baking time be if making this recipe as cupcakes instead? (I have a really tiny toaster oven!!)
Many thanks in advance!
hi there
i have used a similar recipe with allspice and cinnamon - it was delicious.
The the topping was a mixture of butter honey nuts and coconut that is cooked on top of the stove and then poured on after the cake is baked - delicious - does anyone have a recipe.
Love this. My husband and kids ate half it already-just baked last night! I had it for breakfast with warm blueberries on top. So yummy. I used vanilla yogurt and added a bit of cinnamon and can't wait to try other variations.
super! I was just looking for the measurments in english, merci! (je ne savais pas combien mesurait un pot de yaourt
I just baked this cake and threw in coconut and almond shavings- the light flavor of the cake really takes well to the coconut!
I just made your cake and substituted culinary lavender sugar - fantastic! Merci!
hi clotilde! everytime i make this cake it turns out wonderfully! thank you for the recipe.
i was thinking about trying a version with fresh strawberries this weekend. do you think it will work? can you make any recommendations?
thanks!
Merci pour cette recette! Ma mere faisait le meme genre de gateau quand j'etais petite. Il me tarde qu'il soit cuit ^-^
This is a wonderful cooking blog! A friend told me about this site after she made this cake and bought it over. Simply gorgeous. Is there any way this recipe could be adapted to make a chocolate yoghurt cake?
This is a wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing it with us! I've made it several times for goûter and I've gotten a lot of praise for it!
Oh wow, I just happened to come across this page. I wasn't even planning on cooking anything. And hey well it worked out great! Thanks for the recipe.
this is absolutely heavenly for a grey parisian sunday like today!
i cheated and skipped the vanilla and rum, and snuck in a few tablespoonful of clear acacia honey.
beautiful.
thanks!
We just made this using home-made goat yogurt and gluten free flour
(Whole Foods brand) - it's perfect! thank you for such a wonderful and easy recipe
I just made this cake with coconut yogurt and reduced the amount of sugar. Yum! One of them I added a swirl of dark chocolate too ... my guests should be impressed! Thank you for the fabulous recipe!
Instead of oil, I added 1/3 cup of pureed peaches, and it turned out beautifully. Apple sauce will work too, or any fruit you've got around.
Hi Clotilde,
thanks for the wonderful recipes. I was just wondering if the oil is really necessary. With the yogurth it should be enough? My mother often replace butter with yogurth, if possible...
C.
Claudia - The small amount of oil in this recipe helps the cake stay moist for a few days. But if the cake is going to be served and eaten entirely the same day, then yes, you can replace the oil with yogurt.
Hi Clotilde. I tried to make this last night and the flavor is good but the texture of my cake was more dense/gummy than it should be and it took longer to cook through so the top browned too much. I was hoping you could help me figure out what I did wrong. Here are several possible culprits I've considered:
1) Not sifting the flour.
2) Using a 9 instead of 10 inch pan.
3) Folding in a cup of frozen blueberries. I even tossed them with flour but they all sank to the bottom. Perhaps it would be better to sprinkle them on top next time instead of mixing them in?
Your blog is lovely and I hope I can correct my mistakes and get the proper results next time. Thanks!
Xiaolu - I myself never sift the flour, but the key to a light texture is to not overmix the batter: when you add in the flour, you should whisk it in just until no white traces remain -- no more. The batter should still be lumpy when you pour it into the pan.
And if you're sure your oven temp was accurate, then the blueberries likely explain why the cake took longer to bake (higher water content from the fruit). To prevent them from sinking to the bottom, I suggest you pour half of the batter into the pan, add half your berries, top with the rest of the batter, and finish with the berries.
Hope that helps!
so often the simplest things are the best. the older i get, the simpler i like things. i often find myself editing down a recipe or a meal to its very best elements. merci beaucoup to the great team of clotilde et maxence for this. i think i will go with a mix of some ripe organic fruits and berries on the side for dessert and then all by itself for snacking...
Wow, a raspberry almond version sounds divine. Lovely post.
I make this cake more than any other. Simple and perfect. I use greek yogurt and dark rum. My kids call it Remy cake from Ratatouille.
Today was my first time making this cake and it was DELICIOUS! I only had fat free plain yogurt, so that's what I used and I thought it tasted just perfect! It's great alone, or with some fresh fruit or tea. The cake did sink a bit in the middle - but that may have been because I used fat free yogurt instead of regular yogurt like the recipe called for. Perfect for family and guests!
I make it all the time too - with all kinds of tweaks. Here's a great recent one with coconut and white chocolate.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Lovely recipe! Made it as-is except substituted lemon zest and 2 T. lemon juice for the rum. It did take 40 min to bake though (perhaps because of the extra 1 T. of lemon and had to use a 9-inch round pan). Fabulous cake that everyone enjoyed. Thank you for sharing.
I baked the Gâteau au Yaourt this morning and served it in the afternoons with marinated strawberries. It was so delicious!
From now on this cake will be one of my favorites. Thank you!
Hi Clotilde,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I recently baked this cake for a friend's bridal shower, and it was a huge hit! (both at the shower and before hand when I baked a practice cake) I made a lemon glaze for the shower cake, and it was just perfect. This cake is so well behaved- it is simple to make and slices beautifully. I am definitely keeping this recipe.
Hi Clotilde,
Can the recipe be adapted to bake in a 9X13X2 rectangular pan? Perhaps doubling it would work?
Ameya - To adapt this recipe for a 9-by-13-inch pan, you will need to scale up the recipe by 1.5, starting with 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups yogurt, 1 1/2 cups sugar, etc.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I skipped the rum and added lemon zest and chopped lemon verbena. As a fairly novice baker, I think I've finally realized why my cakes have always come out overcooked. If you truly cook it until a tester comes out clean, it is overdone. I've learned that I should take it out when the tester comes out with just a touch of batter, and trust that it won't be raw in the center. Do others agree?
Do you think I could make these into cupcakes?
Jessica - Yes, definitely, I think this would work as a good cupcake base.
I love this cake so much... it's such a simple pleasure. I love it with a bit of lemon too, and I just made one with walnuts that was fantastic too. Subtle, but walnutty. (Pic on my blog) but I think your simple plain yoghurt cake is just the best.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I added a bit of pureed blackberries and strawberries and omitted the vanilla. Next time I think I'll try it with a bit of lemon or key lime curd.
Clotilde,
Thank you for what seems like a wonderful recipe. I also notice you are awfully generous.. a recipe posted in 2005 still has comments section open & it is 2009 now! not just that, you actually answer questions... wow!!
I need some help - I cannot eat eggs! and typically i tend to substitute eggs with Yoghurt / buttermilk / applesauce. This recipe already contains Yoghurt. Can you guide me on how to bake this without the eggs..?
many thanks in advance
Dear Clotilde,
I recently found a similar recipe to this, (with apple slices on top), on another site, but did not trust it, (!), so I came here looking. I made your version here and topped it with Belle du Boskoop thin apple slices in a circular pattern with a tiny bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. It needed a bit longer in the oven with the fresh fruit, but it was wonderfully moist and delicious. The flavor of this cake with the rum and vanilla - it is heaven. Thank you so much. I love your recipes - they are all so honest.
:) Michaela
Victoria, Jenny and Michaela - So pleased you've adopted this recipe into your own repertoire, and thanks for sharing your variations.
Deepa - I have zero experience baking without eggs so I can't advise, but I believe there is a product that's an egg substitute sold at natural food stores and the like. Perhaps you could try that?
Hi Clo!
this is really simple to make, I just concocted my version adding some dark chocolate chips to add that little choco-twist;)
it's now raising in the oven, the smell is simply AWESOME. Merci for the recipe...and Merry X mas :)
This is the first ever cake i bake and i love it! but i want to ask if the top is supposed to be a bit crusty? i used fan oven while baking is it better not to? thanks for a great recipe anywayss i ate half of the cake right after!
So simple and elegant, I love it! I made it with poppy seeds for a hint of extra texture.
Rossella and Jen - Your variations sound great, thanks for sharing!
Rachel - When I bake this, the top is a little crusty (but pleasantly so) on the first day, but it gets softer overnight.
making these again, this time for my son's birthday, and tinting them blue, his favorite color :D
Hi Clotilde,
Could you add melted white chocolate to the batter to make a white chocolate version of the cake? if so, how much should you add? Thanks.
Claudia - Hope your son liked it!
Ameya - I've never tried it with white chocolate, but I've tried it with dark chocolate (which I prefer) and it works well. Rather than using melted chocolate, I suggest chopping/grating the chocolate finely and adding it along with the dry ingredients. And 120 grams (4 ounces) is a good amount.
I made this today, with a layer of mixed berries. I love the subtle sweetness. A friend of mine from Slovenia also has an almost identical recipe, but 1 cup of flour is replaced with finely shredded coconut, and she bakes it in a rectangular pan and cuts it into diamond shaped pieces before dusting with vanilla sugar. There are so many wonderful things to do with this cake but I think the charm of it is that it is perfect at its simplest.
You're site it great! I have several containers of yogurt that I need to do something with (I already made a batch of strawberry frozen yogurt the other day)& this recipe sounds perfect. Just wondering, I noticed that your recipe doesn't have any salt in it - is that common? In most all of my dessert recipes I always add at least a little kosher salt. I was just wondering if there was a special reason for not adding any because if I hadn't noticed it then I probably would have just added a little out of habit.
I always add a good pinch of salt to my cakes, too, and I'm not sure why it's missing here. I've updated the recipe to include it. Thanks for pointing it out, and I hope you like the cake!
OMG I made the cake this afternoon & it was soooo good! I was going to leave it plain so I could get a true taste of the flavor but I just couldn't help myself from tweaking it a lil bit & adding a touch of lemon juice & extract. I think this has just become one of my new base cake recipes. Next time I think I will really boost the lemon flavor & top it with my homemade lemon curd. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us!
I'm very pleased you enjoyed it -- the lemon variation must have been delicious. And I concur with the lemon curd idea: I like to halve the cake horizontally and spread a layer of it down the middle.
Hi Clotilde!
Is there anything that I can use instead of the light rum? Or can I just leave it out? Thanks.
You can use another type of liqueur/brandy, but if it's the alcohol that's a problem, then you can omit it altogether.
Hi Clotilde,
I made this cake the other week (admittedly, with a few California-esque changes... part whole wheat, for one thing) and it was delicious! The boyfriend loved it as well and asked when I would be making another one :)
I really enjoy your blog, both the recipes and the upbeat feeling. You just may keep me sane through grad school.
Thanks!
So happy to hear it, Phyllis, thank you!
We've been cooking this cake for years now thanks to this post - usually plain, but last night I served it with warmed plums and double cream and it was spectacular. So a very belated thank you for such a great recipe!
You're very welcome, Alison, thanks for writing!
Could you please advise on substituting other types of flour for this cake? Eg spelt or buckwheat? Thank you very much!
I haven't tried substituting alternative flours in this recipe, so I'm afraid I can't offer guidance.
Hello, Clotilde!
I was looking for a yogurt cake on Epicurious, and found a popular recipe that almost everyone loved. One reviewer, however, said that there is another, much better, recipe out there, and referred to your blog. That's how I found about your site and today I made the yogurt cake and it's absolutely perfect. The structure it excellent; it it moist and light.
I dressed it up a little bit:
added zest of one lemon;
threw in a handful (about 1/3 cup) of dried blueberries;
split the cooled cake in half and added yogurt marmalade filling:
melt one cup orange marmalade over med. heat and strain; stir in 1/2 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)
The finished cake was fancy enough to take to a party.
This is a great recipe that can easily be played with. Next time I am going to try the poppy seed version, as one of your readers did.
thank you,
I'll be trying more of your recipes.
t.
Glad you enjoyed it, Tanya, thanks for sharing your version!
Hi Clotilde,
I baked this cake with whole wheat flour (so it looked very different and had a pleasant nutty taste to it) and mixed in a good cup of cranberries, perfect for fall. :-)
Thanks for your great blog!
Sounds like a wonderful variation, Simone!
can you recommend a substitute for vegetable oil? would it work if i used olive oil or butter or coconut oil? or do you have another suggestion? thanks!
"Vegetable oil" is a generic term for any oil drawn from a plant, including olive oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil, etc. You can use any type of oil you like, or the same amount of melted butter.
I planned to make this cake a looong time ago... I managed it today! :-) Even with my babyboy in his BabyBjoern (he is an extremely curious baby and I cannot cook or bake without him looking what I'm doing). I can imageine this will be the first cake he learns to bake on his own ;-)
It is very easy and very good! The little boy visiting us ate two pieces and my husband also said it's a very good cake.
I'm looking forward doing this cake again or try other variations!
Made it today, and discovered that it's a truly idiot-proof recipe. Thanks Clotilde!
Happy to hear it, Laura, thanks!
I halved the recipe and baked it in a9x5 loaf tin, and it's absolutely yummy. Thanks so much!! Also I tried toasting very thin slices on both sides at medium-low until brown and caramelized. The slices harden and curl a bit as they cool, and become thin, crackly, delicious things. So I got cake & cookies at the same time, both wonderful with coffee :-)
That's a lovely idea, Hayley, thanks for sharing!
I came across this recipe in your book and have made this cake a number of times now with various additions (blueberries, raspberries, apples sliced thin and fanned out on top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, lemon zest). I made it again last weekend and simply sprinkled turbinado sugar on top. So very good! The next day we went snowshoeing and were ravenous for a snack afterwards. We reheated slices of the cake and spread butter and maple syrup on top. Oh my it was good - especially with the crunchy texture from the sugar! I adore this recipe and think it is an all time classic! Thank you so much for all of your excellent recipes!
Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful, quick recipe! I scarfed down a square a few minutes ago, and it was heavenly. It's perfect as is, but I had excess powdered sugar to get rid of. I made an easy yogurt glaze of 1 part yogurt to 2 parts powdered/confectioner's sugar, with a splash of vanilla.
No need to respond; I know how hard it is for you to get to every single response to every single post you've must have over several years.
Happy to hear it, Marie-Antoinette, and thanks for sharing your yogurt glaze recipe!
Hi Clotilde,
I baked this lovely cake tonight with a 7" cake tin. I had the outcome of an uneven top. (i.e. one side is 3 cm high and the other is 8 cm) What can I do in order to avoid this next time?
Thank you for your great recipe!
In general, it is best to use the size pan that a recipe recommends. 7" is definitely too small for this amount of cake batter, and this may very well be the reason why it baked unevenly. Other reasons include bad air circulation and/or a hot spot in your oven.
Clotilde:
Thanks for this fantastic recipe, which I got from your book. It is now my go-to recipe. Fast, foolproof and light, it always gets raves.
For my latest version, I substituted Amaretto for rum, added crushed toasted almonds to the batter and put slice almonds on top. Délicieux. It is also great with chunks of orange peel incorporated in the batter.
Your pain d'épices is another cake that I make very often. It does several days of duty, with various variations, such as yogurt or ricotta stuffed between two thin slices, soaking it with rum (like fruit cake) when it gets dry, etc.
Thank you, Robert, that's wonderful to hear!
Wow! This cake is amazing to say the least. I usually am great at eating everything in moderation, but this cake broke my will-power, I made it for tea with my mom and sister and kept going back for more. This is definitely going into my recipe file, and I can't wait for an opportunity to bake it with one of the variations that you've suggested. I only recently discovered the world of food blogs (and yours) and this is the first recipe I've tried from Chocolate & Zucchini, it definitely bodes well for the rest of the recipes. Oh no, I'm craving yogurt cake now...
I am very pleased to hear that, Katherine, thanks for taking the time to report back!
Thank you Clotilde for this recipe - I live in a region where butter is not available, and so am trying to build up my repertoire of oil-based cakes. I can easily see how this cake could be French comfort food! I drizzled homemade dulce de leche over it and it was great. I'm going to try some of the variations others have suggested too.
I'm delighted to hear it, Ruth, thanks!
Hi! I'd love to make a yougurt cake for my husband's birthday as he's diabetic and all other cakes are too sweet and fattening for him! IS the yogurt cake dense and moist like a regular cake? or light like a sponge cake?
This is a moist and dense cake, not a sponge-like cake.
Hello Clotilde,
I wanted to thank you for this great recipe. I've made it a few times (one is baking in the oven right now)subbing certain ingredients out of necessity and each time the results were yummy. One time I didn't have sugar on hand so I subbed a little brown sugar and honey, and another time I didn't have plain yogurt so I subbed sourcream in its place. Each time I was nervous the results would be off, but to my happy surprise that was not the case.
I think this simple cake is delicious in its most basic form. I love that it's not too sweet. Thanks!
I'm glad you've adopted it too, Michelle! And yes, the basic recipe is incredibly flexible...
I followed the recipe exactly, and what an easy recipe, yet so delicious! Yum!Thanks, and can't wait to try out your other recipes.
Dear Clotilde,
Thank you so much for your recipe!
I made this cake yesterday and it is delicious. I hope you do not mind that I translated the recipe into Russian and posted it in my blog, with a link to your awesome blog:) Thanks again!
Hi Clotilde!
I´ve returned to this fantastic recipe over and over for years, and I still actually open this page each time. It´s a fun little ritual to read the new comments as the cake cooks! Anyway, I wanted to add my own variation, which has been both well received and repeatedly requested by my husband and friends. If you´re lucky and live in a place that has fig trees, one nice way to put that mountain of late-summer black figs to use is chopped up, in this cake (but only after drying them in the sun a few days). There´s a supermarket chain here in Spain that has a fig-flavored yogurt. Put them together and you´ve got a uniquely flavored early autumn cake. I add a little nutmeg and a microscopic amount of lavender, too. If you want to go totally over the top, make a fast sticky glaze with more chopped figs, butter, whisky and brown sugar. OK that´s pretty far from the light and lovely original but trust me, it´s magical!! Thanks again, I´ll be back.
Hi Clotilde, happy new year!
I made a version of this based on an idea from my 3.5-year-old daughter. She wanted an orange cake and I wanted chocolate. So, we made a marble cake (starting with two separate batters based on this recipe). One half had orange zest and the other cocoa and finely chopped chocolate. Also, in each we used half all-purpose and half whole wheat pastry flour. It tastes quite amazing. Thanks :)
I'm delighted Uma, thanks for reporting back!
Hi Clotilde
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made it last night, and was a great success with the family. I do have a question...when mixing this batter, would you use the electric mixer or just mix by hand? I was doing it by hand and then noticed lumps still existed, so then got out the electric mixer for a quick whirl. The cake is airy and moist, but was wondering if there is slight change in texture if I just mix by hand? (Am guessing it might be more dense?)
Thank you!!
I mix it by hand just because the cleanup feels easier this way, but it's likely, as you mention, that an electric mixer would yield a fluffier texture because it would incorporate more air into the batter. Just be sure not to overmix after adding the flour, as that would have the inverse effect.