I went through my photos, trying to find a photo of the finished yogurt cake. This one, above, isn't typical–it's a marbled version (add chocolate powder to remaining cake batter after emptying part of it in the pan. Pour over the top and bake). Pictured: a roof tile from our home. You can see the handwriting which records when the tile was made, the 30th. The year is not indicated.
Uncle Jacques' Gâteau au Yaourt
The first French yogurt cake I ever tasted was made by my mother-in-law, and bodyguard, Michèle-France. She explained that she had used her son, Jacques', recipe. I had no idea my brother-in-law could bake!
The genius behind this cake is that there is no need to use measuring utensils. You need only reserve the yogurt container as a measure, once you've emptied the contents into the bowl.
Ingredients:
– one small (individual size) container of plain yogurt (reserve for measuring the remaining ingredients)
– flour
– sugar
– vegetable oil
– three eggs
– one package baking powder* (about 2 teaspoons)
Instructions (Easy as 3-2-1…):
Fill/empty the yogurt container…
…3 times with flour
…2 times with sugar
…1 time with vegetable oil (if I'm out of vegetable oil, I'll use olive oil or butter…)
Tip:
First combine yogurt, beaten eggs & sugar. Next, add flour and baking powder, stir. Add a pinch of salt… Pour in oil and mix well (Uncle Jacques recommends using "un fouet" (whisk) to mix the batter. Pour into a cake pan (or muffin tin) and bake for 30 – 40 minutes at 350°F (175C)
Extras: Jacques suggests adding sliced (canned) pears (drained from their syrup) to the top of the cake before baking. The pears will sink nicely into the cake for a sweet "second version".
I sometimes mash up bananas and add them… or sneak in some grated zucchini or carrots. Chocolate chips are great inside, too! Or pureed pumpkin! Add walnuts 🙂
Try replacing the sugar with maple syrup!
Having trouble with the sound? View this video on our YouTube channel. Then look for the "speaker" icon in the lower left corner of the video.
You can use many kinds of cake pans, like this Bundt pan, for your yogurt cake. I like to toss in goodies, in the middle. Fresh strawberries are lovely there, too! In the first photo, a bread pan was used, and in the video, above, I used a round cake pan.
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Thank you, Kris! Thanks so much! Smokey thanks you too.
Janine, Jaime beaucoup votre commentaire en francais! Et non, je ne fais quun gâteau à la fois.
Au contraire – lose Ondas! “Wretched, mangy, uncouth”? Wow, I think this person has been listening to The Donald a bit too much, peut-etre? No need for your “unappetizing” nastiness here, Ondas. Go troll somewhere else!
Now to Kristin – Smokey is such a beloved part of your blog, we love to see him in all your posts, as he is clearly attached to you at the hip. Thank you for doing this sweet how-to video and for including your BFF.
Hi Kristin. I got a hankerin’ to try your yogurt cake. I Googled on -yogurt cake Kristin- and voilà – yours was the FIRST hit. I read the comments. As for the baking powder vs. soda…If you use an acid component to the recipe – yogurt, buttermilk, bananas (yes), you MUST use baking soda. The soda does something to neutralize the acid of the moist binder. Otherwise, it will come out heavy and damp and have a pronounced acid flavor. Tonight I will use greek yogurt and a 6-oz measure because I don’t buy individual yogurts (too much sugar). I will also try 350*F because a batter/dough that heavy needs to rise quickly. Will let you know how it comes out. I may add some lemon rind (or maybe sherry) & a glaze. Anticipation….. Luv ya!
Salut Kristi, “levure chimique” is baking powder. Baking soda is “bicarbonate de soude”, “bicarbonate de sodium”, or simply “bicarbonate” (which is the term I remember from my time en France). Bon appétit !
Le chef dit: 1- A rubber spatula would be helpful to get all the batter out of the bowl; 2- A baked-off cake is good to show your viewers, after you have prepared the batter; 3- some sugar-and-cinnamon-glazed apples would be good on top.
Salut, Kristi – I enjoyed your video, merci! I’ll make a yogurt cake tomorrow. I’m also planning to make gingerbread since Sunday is Christmas, which made me think of another addition to yogurt cake… spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger :), to make a yogurt spice cake.
My favorite version is with the sour cherries – Delish!! Tart and sour goes beautifully with the sweetness of the cake. the Sour cherries in USA can be found frozen, or in a jar (pitted preferably)
Hi Kristin, loved seeing Smokey help you. What a good dog! I just made your cake and am unsure of the results. I used a 5.3 oz cup of Trader Joe’s nonfat Greek yogurt in vanilla bean. My cake doesn’t look or taste much like a cake. Maybe it’s the Greek yogurt, or because its nonfat? I did a eat a few bites of yogurt first to get the size closer to 4 oz. like you guessed yours was. I also added a pinch of French fleur du sel, as opposed to our American table salt. Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn’t have, as I don’t think it mixed in very well. And when you suggested muffin tins, I tried my mini Bundt cake pans, because they’re muffin sized, and cooked it at 350 for 20. I don’t know, it’s a little dense and not really sweet, even with the two cups of sugar. Maybe I’ll try again with a regular, whole milk yogurt. Merci!
I tried this cake today…finally! I used the individual sized yogurt here in the states which was 6 oz.
I cut the sugar down to 1.5 cups, and I used baking powder I hope that’s right and baking soda isn’t called for!
My batter was so thick!! It didn’t pour. It’s in the oven now. I hope it comes out! I’ll follow up.
You cake looks so good!