French Yogurt Cake (Gâteau au Yaourt)

This beautiful French yogurt cake is delicately sweet, light, and airy, yet incredibly moist with a tender crumb. It is infused with blood orange and vanilla flavours, and lavishly drizzled in the prettiest glaze. And best of all - it's quick and easy to make. Based on the rave reviews from everyone who tried it, I think you're going to love it too!

this recipe

The moist and fluffy texture of this cake really is spectacular. This comes from the full cup of yogurt whisked into the batter, and oil folded in at the end. This cake is flavourful inside and out. The cake itself is flecked with zest and the glaze is made from freshly squeezed blood orange juice (giving it its naturally pink colour). You can make it using regular orange or lemon instead, if desired.

Do you love natural flavour-infused cakes like this one? You should also try my lemongrass cake for a tender cake that is infused with delicate lemongrass and decorated with a tart and creamy key lime buttercream frosting for the perfect pairing.

Jump to:

• What is it?
• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe

What is it?

French yogurt cake (Gâteau au Yaourt) is a simple, classic cake that is also often called 'Gâteaux de Mamie,' or Granny cake. A staple for French home cooks, it is considered an any occasion kind of cake; perfect for serving at breakfast with coffee, at teatime, as a snack, as well as for dessert at special celebrations.

Around since the 1950s, recipes are passed down by grandparents and it is often the first thing that children learn how to bake. The recipes were incredibly easy to remember for a reason:

In France, yogurt is traditionally sold in little glass jars. These pots hold ½ cup (4 ounces / 120 millilitres). Rather than weighing or measuring out ingredients for this cake, the yogurt in the jar would be used in the cake and then the empty jar would be used to measure all of the other ingredients: 1 jar oil, 2 jars sugar, 3 jars flour. 1-2-3 cake!

Because these standardized yogurt jars are not available in most of the world, we aren't going to use them in this recipe. But it is a charming history all the same.

Ingredients

• All purpose flour
• Baking powder - A leavening agent.
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Plain full fat yogurt - The high fat content of yogurt creates a moist cake with tender crumb. I use 1 cup (245 g) of yogurt in this recipe for an extra moist cake. However, traditionally ½ cup (123 g) is used. If you use only ½ cup (123 g), reduce the bake time to 30-40 minutes.
• Large eggs - Use large eggs at room temperature.
• Pure vanilla extract - Adds a beautiful depth of flavour that pairs wonderfully with the citrus.
• Grapeseed oil - Don't be tempted to use butter instead of oil in this recipe. The yogurt and oil work together to make this cake light yet moist and tender.
• Confectioner's sugar
• Blood orange, zest and juice - This beautiful citrus is sweeter than a regular orange, tart like a grapefruit, and has flavour notes of red berry. Typically in season from December through April. The inner flesh is a deep red colour. The redder the flesh, the better to use in this recipe. Always zest your fruit before you juice it.

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

• Blood orange - Since this is a seasonal fruit, depending on when you are baking this cake, it may be the wrong time of year to get these. You can substitute with a regular orange or a lemon. Make sure to use freshly squeezed juice, not bottled. And remember that the colour of the glaze will not be pink (unless you add a few drops of red food colouring to compensate for the missing blood orange).
• Grapeseed oil - Substitute with another neutral oil: vegetable, sunflower, canola, or avocado. Do not use olive oil, as this will change the flavour of the cake.
• Plain yogurt - You can substitute with Greek yogurt.
• Vanilla extract - You could use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean seeds, instead.

Variations

This cake is absolutely delicious when drizzled with the pretty, pink blood orange glaze. However, this cake is super versatile and can be also served with these other great toppings:

• Dusting of sugar - Dust with confectioner's sugar for a simple way to serve this cake.
• Jam - Orange marmalade, strawberry, or apricot jams are popular to serve with French yogurt cake.
• Crème fraîche - Serve with a dollop of sweetened crème fraîche or whipped cream.
• Ice cream - Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Drizzle of honey
• Fresh berries or fruit - Serve with a side of berries or sliced fruit, such as peaches or plums. This pairs well with the jam, crème fresh, and ice cream additions.
• Lemon curd or mousse
• Chocolate sauce or mousse - You could even fold some semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter before baking.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a 9" by 5" loaf pan with parchment paper.

Blood orange glaze

In a medium bowl, whisk sifted confectioner's sugar and blood orange juice together until completely smooth.

It should be a glaze consistency. Adjust it, if needed, by adding more sugar or more blood orange juice (½ teaspoon at a time).

Stir in a pinch of salt. This helps to temper the sweetness of the glaze and enhance the citrus flavour.

Drizzle the glaze over your cooled French yogurt cake. It will dry as it sets.

Equipment

To make this recipe you will need the following:

• Loaf pan - I used a 9" x 5" pan.
• Parchment paper
• Microplane zester - This kind of zester is excellent for zesting citrus. I always have one handy for baking.
• Kitchen scale or measuring cup set
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Sifter
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Cooling rack

parchment paper

Buy Now →

Storage

Wrap the loaf well with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. It will taste even better as it sits, making this cake excellent for making ahead.

Note: For best freshness, do not pre-slice the French yogurt cake. Slice off pieces as you need them.

You can also freeze this cake, whole or sliced, well plastic wrapped and placed in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. If you plan to freeze the cake, you should wait to glaze it until after thawing. To thaw, leave on the countertop at room temperature overnight.

Top Tip

• Weigh to be sure - You should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar to get the best results. However, if you have to use a measuring cup rather than a kitchen scale, stir the ingredient to create air pockets then gently spoon it into the cup and level off the top. Do not scoop or you will get too much.
• Don't overmix - As soon as you mix flour into any batter or dough it is so important to not overmix. If you do, you will lose the soft and delicate texture and make something that is dense and tough. Only mix until the flour has just been blended into the other ingredients.
• Zest first, juice second - Always zest your citrus before squeezing the juice out. It is way easier to do it in this order.
• Sugar rub - Take the time to rub the zest into the sugar. This simple step will really enhance your flavours so it is worth doing.
• Don't overbake - Be careful to not overbake this cake or you will destroy some of your carefully crafted moistness. Keep an eye on it while baking and take it out of the oven as soon as an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

FAQ

Print

📖 Recipe