Gâteau au yaourt – French yogurt cake with lemon Recipe
Gâteau au yaourt is one of the simplest homemade cakes in France, often baked with children because you measure the ingredients with the empty yogurt cup. It’s soft, moist, and lightly lemony. It’s an everyday cake for coffee, not a dessert for a big party – and that’s exactly where its charm lies.
This classic French yogurt cake is incredibly simple, uses basic pantry ingredients, and is designed to be measured with a yogurt cup, making it almost foolproof and perfect for baking with children.
Chef's tips
Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour, and make sure all ingredients are at room temperature so the cake rises evenly and stays moist. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with a piece of baking paper towards the end of baking.
How to serve
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar. It’s great as a snack cake, for breakfast with fruit and yogurt, or as a simple dessert with a spoonful of whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Ingredients
- plain yogurt small cup - 125 g
- sugar - 180 g
- egg at room temperature - 3 pieces
- vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed oil - 100 ml
- wheat flour - 220 g
- baking powder - 2 teaspoons
- lemon zest grated, only the yellow part - 1 pieces
- lemon juice freshly squeezed - 2 tablespoons
- powdered sugar for dusting the top - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Line a loaf tin or a round tin about 22 cm in diameter with baking paper, or grease it with oil and dust with flour.
- Pour the yogurt into a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs. Beat with a whisk or mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and slightly fluffy.
- Add the oil, lemon juice, and grated zest, and briefly mix until combined.
- Mix the flour with the baking powder, then sift it into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold with a spatula or spoon just until the ingredients are combined. Do not overmix so the cake doesn’t turn out dense.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spoon.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out dry or with a few dry crumbs.
- After baking, remove the tin from the oven and leave for 10 minutes. Then take the cake out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.
- Before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar through a sieve.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is the kind of cake you can throw together on a weekday evening without planning ahead. Its charm lies in its simplicity and the gentle lemon flavor that makes it feel light and homely at the same time.
