I used to live dangerously close to a grocery store with an in-store bakery and they made the best yogurt cakes.
Dense, rich, sweet, moist, and everything I could wish for in a cake.
For better or worse depending on how you look at it, I live about 2763 miles from that grocery store and it’s been nearly a decade since I’ve had a slice of their yogurt cake, but I still think of it fondly. When I saw blueberries in my freezer and blueberry Greek yogurt in the refrigerator, I knew homemade yogurt cake had to happen.
Like the other cakes I’ve been making recently, this is a one-bowl, mix-by-hand special that comes together in about 73 seconds flat with just a whisk. Beat two eggs, sugar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder, fold in the blueberries, and bake. Fast and easy cakes are what I live for.
I prefer modest-sized ones, too, and this one is just a 9-by-9-inch cake but you may double the recipe and bake it in a 9-by-13-inch pan if you’re feeding a bigger brood than I am or have a longer attention span for larger sized cakes.
The cake turned out perfectly moist from both the yogurt and the oil. I was tempted to use melted butter in this cake for added flavor because I love the flavor of butter. However, oil makes cakes softer and moister than using butter and oil won. A moist cake trumps all.
To give the yogurt cake lift and enable it to rise properly and not be too dense and weighed down from the cup of Greek yogurt, I used baking powder as the leavener. I generally avoid using baking powder and instead try to use baking soda whenever possible. Baking powder is comprised of baking soda, cornstarch, and acid salts, such as sodium aluminum sulfate or cream of tartar. I am very sensitive to the bitter taste of the acid salts and can usually taste mere traces of baking powder when it’s present. Plus, baking powder can cause the crumb to turn dry and coarse if used in excess.
However, through the magical moistening properties of oil, yogurt, and the juices from the blueberries that are released while baking, the cake rose perfectly, while remaining moist and some of the density I desire in a yogurt cake was retained.
Sometimes the simplest things taste the best and I made a simple glaze with the juice of half of a fresh lemon, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whisked them together. The glaze made my mouth pucker from the intense pop of lemon but it wasn’t too tart because the confectioners’ sugar balanced the lemon juice. Plus lemon and blueberries pair together splendidly and incorporating a teaspoon or two of lemon zest into the cake batter is a way to bolster the lemon flavor even more if you like to pucker up.
I wasn’t sure if Scott and Skylar were going to like the lemon glaze and lemon is a flavor, like peppermint, that once it’s added, it’s unmistakeable and can’t be undone. But I had forgotten that Scott really loves lemon in things and Skylar kept smacking her little lips, too.
The cake reminded me so much of the storebought yogurt cakes I used to purchase, but the major difference between my cake and those is that I used a drizzle approach for the glaze whereas bakeries pour cup-fulls of glaze over the cake, let it dry; and repeat. However, feel free to send your cake into a lemon-vanilla submersion bath rather than just a drizzle. I’d love to drink the bathwater.
I couldn’t resist picking out the blueberries that were baked into the cake’s firm yet springy interior.
Blueberries are such nice little surprises bursting with sweet juice and definitely worth having a blue thumb and index finger from for a few days after all that blueberry picking.
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Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup 8 ounces, I used Chobani Greek blueberry yogurt; other flavors such as strawberry, raspberry, or mixed berry may be substituted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon+ lemon zest, optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups frozen blueberries, divided (fresh may be substituted)
For the Lemon Vanilla Glaze
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup+ confectioners' sugar, sifted
Instructions
- For the Cake - Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and mix until just combined. Fold in 1 cup blueberries and gently stir to incorporate (frozen blueberries bleed and run less than fresh and if using frozen do not thaw them first; add them directly into the batter frozen; alternate berries or other seasonal fruit such as strawberries, peaches, pears, or plums may be substituted)
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Lightly sprinkle 1/4 cup remaining blueberries over the top. Bake for 37 to 40 minutes, or until top is domed and set or a toothpick comes out clean, and edges of cake are just browning and beginning to slightly pull away from sides of pan. Allow cake to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out to finish cooling on a rack. While cake cools, make the glaze.
- For the Lemon Vanilla Glaze - Combine lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth, playing with lemon juice and sugar ratios until desired glaze consistency and flavor has been reached. Drizzle glaze over cake and serve immediately. Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Microwave Blueberry Banana Oat Cakes (vegan, GF) – Ready in 3 minutes and although the recipe is older, I get so many reader emails about this being a go-to breakfast and portable snack, especially for anyone in a dorm room or who has limited kitchen access. All you need is a microwave for this little single-serving cake
Creamy Mixed Berry White Chocolate Crumble Bars – If you like berries and easy desserts, this layered cake-bar is for you with a cake base, topped with coconut, sweet milk, and berries
Have you ever made a yogurt cake?
Do you bake with yogurt or sour cream?
Baking with yogurt or sour cream, and cream cheese is in it’s own league, keeps baked goods soft, tender, and moist. Nothing is worse than dried out desserts and I’d rather have none than have a piece of dry cake, which is why I always add at least a dollop, and usually much more, yogurt or sour cream to any muffins, cake, cupcakes, or bread I make.
Feel free to share your recipes for soft, moist, tender cakes, muffins, cupcakes and breads and what you do to get them that way.
Have a great weekend and stay tuned for a couple great giveaways this weekend!
. I have never had a treat from a grocery store that I love that much . I occasionally bake with sour cream, especially in sugar cookies . It makes the best sugar cookies! I also live oil cakes . So moist .
I have lived near some killer bakeries in my day I guess :)
And I have never made a cake w/ olive oil because I’ve always worried it would be too distinct and skew too savory-ish. I think savory with olive oil but one day need to try a sweet cake with it.
A dangerous recipe! Looks divine…
I can taste that subtle metallic flavour in baking soda-infused baked goods too! Most people think I’m crazy…kind of a relief to know that I’m not the only one with a sensitive palette. :)
This is a beautiful cake! I love it’s simplicity. I’m all for a recipe that doesn’t leave a sinkful of dishes.
Thanks for the pin! And glad to know I’m not the only one who can taste that metallic flavor. I really can detect it instantly. I could in this cake, too, reaffirming that I really just need to not bake things with it! However, with certain muffins and cakes, you almost have to! Unless you want to beat eggs til they’re extremely fluffy, etc. but that defeats the point of a dishes-less-sink kind of cake :)
There must be something about yogurt cakes that sticks with you– I went to a dinner party YEARS ago, and still remember the amazing yogurt cake that was served for dessert. It was lemon, but a plain cake– throwing blueberries in there is obviously a very wise idea. :-)
The cakes in my mind came from a grocery store in SC. Since you are a Southern girl, you know how GOOD those Southern bakeries are – even the in-store grocery store bakeries! Seriously good stuff!
This looks unbelievable moist and delicious – I HAVE to make this! (or better: Come through the screen now!)
Yogurt is notorious for making moist, luxurious baked goods! I like baking with Greek yogurt specially! I bet this cake is delcious…because it looks, well, delicious! I want to take a bite! Oh, by the way, I found your blog through a Pinterest group board :) I think I’ll be a regular visitor!
Thanks for finding me, Jen! I am on so many group board that I can hardly keep them straight anymore :)
Glad to hear you love baking with Greek yogurt too!
OMG this looks sooooo good.
The weather is turning chilly which I am not ready for. This cake reminds me of Summer! I love baking with yogurt or sour cream. The crumbs is perfect for my likings. Besides it makes it a little bit healthy :) I made these muffins a long while ago but they were scrumptious!
https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2012/01/31/yogurt-muffins-with-lime-glaze/
Should make them again… Have a fabulous weekend, Averie!
I made this cake about 6-8 weeks ago but it got put on the back burner in my drafts and so it was kind of a summer cake :) Your muffins with the lime glaze sound great!
I love that you are using blueberries this time of year. YUM. I love blueberries and I am also a blueberry picker when they are in breads or muffins! LOL! Lemon/blueberry is one of my favorite combinations. So good. Generally, when a recipe calls for sour cream, I always use Greek yogurt. It adds such a level of flavor and moistness and I typically use oil in all my baked goods, too. Gonna have to give this one a try. I have all the ingredients on hand and Simeon loves blueberry and lemon ANYTHING.
Have a great weekend, Averie! :-)
I made this cake about 6-8 weeks ago but it got put on the back burner in my drafts in favor of pumpkin and so it was kind of a summer cake that I brought back out:)
I love yogurt cakes! This one is gorgeous!
Oh my, this looks sinful! You know I’m totally making this and eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, right?
LOL – you and blueberries/muffin-ey things. This is up your alley, you’re right!
This looks so good. I am kind of obsessed with breakfast cakes at the moment. Thanks for the recipe!
Lemon and blueberry is such a great combination! I might make this in cupcake form for lots of fruit-filled snacking.
I bet it would bake up great as muffins – I just didn’t have the patience the day I made this to dollop it all out into little muffin cups :)
I LOVE the combo of lemon and blueberry. So classic, but I love your spin on it by using yogurt. Incredible photos, as always. :)
I was just meh-whatever with the photos but glad you like them!
Will you please come to my kitchen and make this cake for me? It’s really just what I want right now with the blueberries, the yogurt… oh my.
The oil versus butter thing was one of the very first things that I learned about baking: using oil might not be other people’s preference, but the finished crumb it produces is the one that I prefer for cakes. I’ll use butter in cakes, but if I’m making something just for myself, I’ll almost always reach for oil. And while I’ll use baking soda, it’s most often in cookies.
Now I’m going to go wait at the front door for you and your blueberries…
I made this cake like 6-8 weeks ago when blueberries were still in season (even though I used frozen and in baking, actually prefer frozen) and then it got lost in a sea of pumpkin but it’s kinda fun to pull this out from the drafts folder.
And I do love butter in banana bread, cookies, and bar cookies like blondies. But for things I want to have a ‘sqishy’ crumb like muffins and cupcakes, or cake, or things that there is already enough other flavors going on anyway, i.e. a chocolate cake or a blueberry cake, and the butter is going to be masked anyway, oil all the way for softness.