Sweet Cream Yogurt Coffee Cake — Fluffy, soft, sweet, and as a happy accident it turned out very close in taste and texture to boxed yellow cake mix cake! Coffee creamer and yogurt keep this coffee cake moist!
Vanilla Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake Recipe
I’ve made a lot of cakes over the years. But this one is unique and like no other I’ve made.
It’s fluffy soft, sweet, creamy, and as a happy accident, it turned out very close in taste and texture to yellow cake mix cake. I have a nostalgic love of yellow cake so this was an unexpected, but excellent, stroke of luck.
The secret? BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Sweet Italian Biscotti. It’s a creamy, alcohol-free, limited-edition flavor capturing the essence of the traditional double-baked Italian cookies, melding with a milky almond finish and a hint of sweet icing.
If you can’t find the Sweet Italian flavor in your area or after the limited edition period has elapsed, using French Vanilla is fine.
I have always loved coffee creamer. Actually, I like a little coffee with my creamer. So using creamer as part of the wet ingredients for a cake seemed like a great idea.
The cake is an easy, no mixer recipe, and loosely based on my favorite cake base. I love this cake base because it’s fast, easy, you don’t dirty a zillion dishes, and most of all because the cakes always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy.
Rather than buttermilk and sour cream like I sometimes use, I used BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Sweet Italian Biscotti and vanilla Greek yogurt with a splash of oil.
That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing not only gives the cake a creamy and rich flavor profile, but they prevent dryness. Nothing worse than dry coffee cake where you literally need coffee to wash it down with. Thankfully this cake is wonderfully moist.
I glazed the cake with a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze and more creamer. It’s the final sha-zam that makes the cake really sing and locks in even more moisture.
My family and taste-testers said the cake is definitely a keeper. It’s got just enough density to give it some heft and body, but it’s still light, springy, bouncy, and fluffy.
And it’s creamy. Which is what happens when you bake with creamer.
Yogurt Coffee Cake Ingredients
This is definitely a sweet coffee cake, with a strong vanilla flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make the coffee cake with yogurt and coffee creamer:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Egg
- BAILEYS Coffee Creamer (Sweet Cream or French Vanilla)
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Oil
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
How to Make Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake
This rich vanilla coffee cake recipe is easy to make and the best part is that you don’t need to dirty lots of dishes in the process!
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together the egg, creamer, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Turn the batter out into a foil-line 9-inch square pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake until the center is set, slightly spring to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before optionally glazing.
Can the Recipe Be Doubled?
Of course! Simply double the ingredients list and bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Can I Use Another Flavor of Coffee Creamer?
Yes! You can make this yogurt coffee cake with any flavor coffee creamer you’d like. Anything in the realm of vanilla, cinnamon / spice, or even pumpkin should work.
Can I Substitute the Coffee Creamer?
If you don’t keep coffee creamer on hand, try making the vanilla coffee cake with either half and half or whole milk instead.
Tips for Making Vanilla Coffee Cake with Yogurt
The glaze recipe makes about double what’s shown. Drizzles look lovely in photos, but in reality I drenched the cake in the remaining glaze after the photos. The more frosting, the merrier.
This is a very sweet coffee cake. If you think the glaze would be too much for you, feel free to omit it. You can always dust the cake with powdered sugar instead!
I love a slice of this Greek yogurt coffee cake on its own with my afternoon cup of coffee, but it also pairs well with tea or another warm beverage. Serve it with fresh berries, if desired.
Pin This Recipe
Vanilla Yogurt Coffee Cake
Fluffy, soft, sweet, and as a happy accident it turned out very close in taste and texture to boxed yellow cake mix cake! Coffee creamer and yogurt keep this coffee cake moist!Â
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Sweet Italian Biscotti (or French Vanilla)
- 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (plain Greek yogurt or sour cream may be substituted)
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
GlazeÂ
- 2 tablespoons BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Sweet Italian Biscotti (French Vanilla
- about 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and optional salt; set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, creamer, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a rubber spatula until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until center is set and slightly spring to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Watch your cake, not the clock, and always bake until done noting that climate, oven, and exact ingredients used effect baking time.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before optionally glazing. While cake cooks, makes the glaze.
Glaze
- To a small bowl, add the creamer, and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar.
- Whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the creamer and sugar ratios slightly.
- Evenly drizzle the glaze over the cake before slicing and serving.
Notes
Storage: Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. I’m comfortable storing glazed cakes at room temperature, but if you’re not, glaze only the portion you plan to consume immediately; I don’t recommend refrigerating the cake because it will dry out.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 287Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 157mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 3g
More Easy Coffee Cake Recipes:
Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake — An EASY, no-mixer cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with big buttery streusel nuggets that are just SO GOOD!! Not overly sweet and PERFECT with a cup of coffee for breakfast, brunch, or a snack!!
Pumpkin Coffee Cake — A FAST and EASY no-mixer pumpkin coffee cake with rich pumpkin flavor!! Super soft, tender, and topped with the BEST crumble topping that you’ll fall in love with! Great for brunches and holiday entertaining!!
Cinnamon Coffee Cake — Between the cinnamon-sugar crust AND the cinnamon-sugar swirled through the center, this EASY coffee cake is IRRESISTIBLE!! Soft, fluffy, light, and of course it’s perfect with coffee!!
Glazed Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake — The BEST blueberry coffee cake you’ll ever make! The blueberries are juicy, abundant, and make this cake taste like one big, soft, moist blueberry muffin!
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake — A very fast and straightforward cinnamon coffee cake to make and isn’t fussy at all. It’s moist, dense, and way easier to make than actual cinnamon rolls!
Strawberry Coffee Cake — Sweet, juicy strawberries are found in every bite, and the cream cheese glaze is the perfect tangy complement to the creamy, sweet cake.
This post brought to you by Baileys Creamers. Recipe and all opinions expressed are my own.
Can you make these into cupcakes?
Yes I’m sure you could although I haven’t personally tried.
Just ran across your recipe while googling desserts using coffee creamer. How do you think this would do with Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce coffee creamer?
It would probably be great!
This is very easy and soft moisture cake !! I like this. But only thing I think its sweetness is too much. If I don’t using frosting, maybe OK amount sugar 3/4 cup. But 8×8 small cake pan with these amount of sugar are too much for me
But thank you so much for your recipe and of course I’m going to repeat this one !!
Being that it’s made with sweet cream, it’s going to be a sweeter cake. You can swap out with half-and-half or cream/whole milk and that will reduce the sweetness. Glad you will make it again.
THIS CAKE IS DELICIOUS!!!!! It’s very moist, light, and just the right amount of sweetness with the glaze. I just made this tonight, and my husband and Daughter loved it. I’m even thinking of making it for Thanksgiving, as I know my in-laws would love it. I made a few of my own slight changes: I used Coffeemate vanilla creamer, (I don’t use Bailey’s brand), I used Wegman’s brand vanilla yogurt (not greek), and I baked it in an 11×7 glass dish. It came out perfect after 30 minutes, no problems at all. I love ANYTHING vanilla, especially my coffee creamer.
Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!!!
Glad that you loved this cake and are thinking of making it for the holidays and for your inlaws! Glad it’s a keeper!
Hi Averie,
I want to save myself some time and bake this a week in advance. Have you (or anyone) baked this and then put it in the freezer? Just wondering if anything was lost in the freeze/thaw to eat at a later time? Thanks.
I haven’t baked and froze this cake but in general cakes freeze pretty well. But like I said, I haven’t personally done it with this one so can’t speak to results.
I made this cake today using french vanilla. It’s a keeper!!!!!! Everyone loved it, especially me. The middle of the cake could have risen a little more, but, it was so good no one noticed. Next time, as you suggested, I’ll cover with aluminum foil and bake a little longer. I’m now going on the treadmill and am giving up dinner to compensate for the amount of cake I ate. Thank you so much for this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it and yes running and light dinners to compensate for the sweets I’ve eaten? Been there :) Glad the cake was worth it!
I just made this cake, having to substitute several things due to what I had on hand & it still turned out fantastically! I love recipes that are basic & easily tweaked with just a few subtle changes. I used King Arthur GF flour blend, adding 1 tsp of xanthum gum, used limoncello since I was out of vanilla & raspberry Greek yogurt. I don’t have any coffee creamer but used heavy whipping cream instead. This is a perfect sized treat to make for my DD & I since neither one of us can have wheat & most dessert portions are simply too large for just the two of us. Thank you Averie, this is sure to be a staple recipe for us!
So glad you loved it and you sound like you’re incredibly resourceful in the kitchen – wish all my readers were and I’d never have to answer baking questions :)
“I love recipes that are basic & easily tweaked with just a few subtle changes” <--- amen and that is what I try to do! This cake is adapted from some that I linked to in the post, a basic buttermilk cake recipe that makes a small-batch sized cake, and I have remade it probably 10 different ways from cream-cheese/jelly swirled like a danish to adding snickerdoodle-like spices for a wintertime coffeecake. The base is incredibly versatile and as we now now, can be made with coffee creamer, heavy cream and with GF flour! Thanks for sharing what you did!
I need to get my hands on some of that creamer because your cake looks so incredible, Averie! It’s so fluffy and light and dreamy! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day and were spoiled ‘n pampered rotten ;)
Oh how I only wish to your last line :) Not quite like that but it was a nice day and I hope yours was as well!!
This coffee cake looks absolutely divine, Averie! :) I can’t wait to try this. And I LOVE baking with flavored creamers- so easy and yummy!
I just pinned some of your stuff and voila, here you are in my comments! Happy Mother’s Day (belated!)
I just made this cake and I’m in love with its flavor! I’ve always been trying to mimic that distinct vanilla flavor of a box mix that everyone seems to love with no success, until I tried this cake! I used Bailey’s French Vanilla coffee creamer and the cake tasted a lot like Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix which I love, but without the artificial aftertaste. I’m over the moon with this secret ingredient discovery, thanks to you. My only concern, however, was that the cake sunk in the middle half way through baking. I’m not sure what I could’ve done wrong because I’ve had great results with the cinnamon topped snickerdoodle cake, which is very similar in nature to this one except for the the coffee creamer. It rose beautifully unlike the sweet cream vanilla one. In both cakes I used sour cream instead of the greek yogurt. Could it be the extra sugar and added fat from the coffee creamer that caused it to sink? Please let me know how I could fix this because I’m soooooo obsessed with the flavor of this cake and I wanna keep making it over & over again. Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes:)
So glad you love the cake and that you think it’s as close to a boxed cake mix cake taste (and I mean that in a good way b/c there’s something about boxed cakes that have such nostalgic charm for me and I will always admit to loving the taste!) and that you’re so happy with this cake!
Re the sinking…ok so all the other cakes I’ve made that are similar to this one (and thanks for trying the cinn-snickerdoodle cake too!) but they were all made with buttermilk, not coffee creamer, i.e. ‘plain’ milk. The acid in the buttermilk reacts better with the leaveners and anything made with buttermilk will always rise better than things made with plain milk. There is acid in the greek yog/sour cream, but it’s not the same as using them in conjunction with the buttermilk; hence you’re going to be more prone to sinking w/out using buttemrilk, but then you’d give up this ‘secret ingredient’ flavor discovery. My cake didn’t sink though. I would recommend you bake it an extra couple minutes, maybe 5 or so. Cover it with a sheet of foil the last 5-10 mins if you’re worried about it becoming too browned and see how that goes. Please report back and LMK what you try!
Thank you so much for your helpful explanation. I’m baking science nerd and so that was music to my ears:) I will certainly be playing around with it and use your tips. This is the best vanilla cake I’ve ever tasted & I’ve made and eaten tons. Will definitely keep you posted.
I just made this and it’s the greatest cake my taste buds have ever experienced. I used Nestle French Vanilla Coffemate instead of Baileys and vanilla yogurt instead of Greek (can’t stand Greek, even when baking). I’ve never been able to find a vanilla cake recipe that comes close to the fluffiness of boxed mix, but this is it! It’s moist and delicious with or without the glaze.
I actually made this twice and it’s so quick to make I didn’t even mind it. The first time in a 9X9 pan for 22 minutes but it was too flat and didn’t look pretty (oh well; I get to eat it now!). I found an 8X8 pan for 25 mins for the second one. This is my mother’s day cake and my mama deserves a pretty cake! :-) She’s gonna love this as much as my dad and I do!
So happy to hear this is the greatest cake you’ve ever had. That is SUCH high praise! Glad your creamer swap worked out as did the yogurt swap. And with pan sizes, yes, I can see a 9×9 creating a too-thin cake which is why I used the 8×8 and glad you did that the next time, too! Your mama will be thrilled that you baked for her, that’s so sweet :)
I LOVE this cake SO much!! I can only imagine just how good this was! And it’s GORGEOUS!
You’re the one with the gorgeous photos :)
I love light and fluffy white cakes like this one! So delicious! What a great and unique idea to use BAILEYS biscotti! The flavor must’ve been amazing. Will be pinning!
Thanks for pinning and you’ve had quite a few delish looking recipes lately! That pineapple salsa has my name all over it :)
Coffee creamer inside of a cake? Averie, where do you come up with these creative and brilliant ideas?? Send me some of your brainwaves — I could really use them! :) It’s too funny; I actually like most of my cakes un-glazed and un-frosted. If we shared, you could have mine and it’d be the perfect amount for both of us!
Normally I love buckets of glaze but this one didn’t need it! And thanks for the creativity and brilliant compliment…you’re too sweet :)
this looks great and i love using the yogurt and canola oil too We use a creamer called Italian Sweet Cream which would work well if you can’t find the biscotti but I will look for that one as sounds wonderful Sometimes the newer creamers are hard to find
Thanx for the great recipe!!
http://www.nycstylelittlecannoli.com/
I know exactly which one you’re talking about!
You know what, Averie? a plain “yellow” cake is my husband’s very favorite! I always try to bake these crazy flavors and he wants a plain cake, no icing, eaten hot with butter melted on it! He may just take me on a second honeymoon after this!! Thanks! Hope you have a fun weekend.
Honestly I love plain yellow cake (mix) cake, too. Well with frosting :) But just plain yellow/butter cake, nothing fancy, but I grew up with it and I will always love it!
Sweet cream vanilla cake? Twist my arm. And while you’re at it, cut me the biggest piece, or just pass a fork. This needs to be on my Mother’s Day brunch table!
I have never seen a cake quite like this before-I love it!! I love the Italian sweet cream aspect and the texture looks so divine!
The perfect coffee cake for sharing with Mom on Sunday! It looks so delicious, Averie.
Oh wow whata list of recipes!!! The original post is beautiful, I love the lightness of the photos.. stunning!! xoxo
Thank you!
You had me at “Sweet Cream!” This is lovely!
Don’t you love it when baking accidents turn out wonderfully? I almost never get creamer since I don’t drink coffee, but I’m so tempted to do so for the sake of this coffee cake. Definitely sharing this on my weekly roundup of blog links tomorrow, thanks for sharing, Averie!
Thanks for sharing! :)
Wow, this cake looks divine! Your pictures are stunning as well. I must make this cake. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for all the compliments!
Such a gorgeous cake and just amazing for spring!
Hi, how could you turn this cake into a chocolate cake?
You would make a chocolate cake. Here are about 15 to choose from https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/chocolate-cake/
For the creamer, use a chocolate (mocha) one.
I love a cake with tons of frosting, too (especially yellow cake). I’ve never used creamer in baking, but I can imagine the flavor and moisture it brings!
it looks delicious!
Wow, this looks super tasty Averie! I need to get my hands on that creamer ;) Sounds so good.
What a beautiful cake! It looks so fluffy and soft! <3 You did a perfect job on the glaze, amazing.
Thanks for noticing the glazing efforts :)
There are very few coffee cakes I like (your blueberry with raspberry jam one being a notable exception) because I think they are dry, dry, dry. I may have to try this! :)
This master cake base that I use, and every single one linked in the related recipes, so good & MOIST and if you like that jam cake, then I know you’ll like any of those b/c it’s a super moist base!
It looks delicious! We’re going to look for the Baileys cream so we could make that cake soon ;)
P.
http://theslowpace.com
Thanks for LMK and for wanting to try the cake!
Ahh your coffee cake looks gorgeous my dear!
I love coffee cake but never tried making it at home before. I’m sure anything homemade is much better than anything store bought! This looks absolutely delicious!
anything homemade is much better than anything store bought <--- you're correct :)
Excellent recipe and gorgeous photos! I love that you included Bailey’s in the cake AND in the frosting. There’s never enough Bailey’s….
You got that right about never being enough :) And thanks for the photo compliments. First shoot I did in the new place. Was a little worried with first time jitters but it all worked out. LOL
I love how light and airy the cake looks! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning! :)
Such a sweet, pretty cake! Classic :)
Such a pretty coffee cake, love the glaze!
Oh man – could that glaze be any more perfect?!
This was my first shoot in the new place and I had total first time jitters….LOL
This cake is gorgeous Averie – I love how moist and fluffy it looks – love the idea of using coffee creamer in the cake and glaze – that’s brilliant :)
Thanks, Kelly!
Looks so fluffy and delicious! Love that you used Baileys coffee creamer! YUM!
Thanks, Sheila!
This looks so moist and fluffy! That glaze looks mouth watering!
This is such a beautiful cake! And what a great idea to use coffee creamer! It looks super moist and dense – best kinds of cakes! Pinned :)
Thanks for pinning! :)
Using coffee creamer in this delicious, moist cake is just such a GENIUS idea! And those snowy swirls of creamer and confectioner’s sugar is making me drool!!!!!!! :) *-*
Thanks for the compliments!
I am so drooling. I love coffee creamer – and I bet that one is AMAZING. I’ll have to look for it! This cake is gorgeous Averie, I am so in awe of how you shoot white on white.
I moved into a new place about a month ago and this was my first shoot in the new place. Talk about first time jitters but it all worked out. New place has way worse lighting and so I am going to be shoot tons of white on white; it’s the only compensation for sub-par lighting other than a 1 hour a.m. window!
Well if the name hadn’t already caught my attention, the secret ingredient stole my heart! Gorgeous gorgeous cake, Averie!
Glad I got your curiosity going :)
ooohhh wow! This looks like it would be perfect for breakfast, brunch, dinner, and dessert! Coffee cake all day!
We think alike!!
I love how pretty the icing looks on this cake.
Thanks for noticing it :)
Averie, just the name of this coffee cake sounds delightful, especially with Bailey’s coffee creamer in here! And your pictures are gorgeous, too! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and for the compliments! :)
The second picture in this post of the cake seriously makes me want to just dive right into a slice! Can you ship to Boston? This looks amaaazing :)
I’d love to ship food – I have it coming out of the woodwork. I donate more food than the Red Cross I think :)
This coffee cake looks perfect! So yummy!
Oh my, if you say this cake is totally unique, then it is!
Most desserts just aren’t worth doing those Billy Blanks 80’s workout VHS tapes….but this one is. (I guess I’m the only one who still does those =)
Stunning visual appeal…….Can’t wait to sample.
Most desserts just aren’t worth doing those Billy Blanks 80′s workout VHS tapes….but this one is. <--- THANK YOU for the best comment of the day. Amen girl. I can totally appreciate your sentiment. For me, it's not those tapes but it's sweating out another mile on the concrete. I always think twice before another piece of anything, if it's worth another 3 miles of sweating. LOL
Well this is GORGEOUS! I’ve been seeing a few recipes with coffee creamer in them and I’m curious to try it out. This sounds so delicious… can’t go wrong with Bailey’s, right? I’m starting a juice cleanse on Saturday so I am going to hold off on this for now, but pinning for later!!! xo
Thanks for pinning and you and your cleanses, you’re great with them! I haven’t done a formal one in about 9 months or so? I should do another one. It’s the season of the year where it feels natural and easier (I did one in the dead of winter once…froze the whole time drinking all those cold juices!)
I have totally been waiting to do another one until it got warmer! Now that it’s almost 90 degrees in Texas every day… it’s time! :)
I thought of your yellow cupcake recipe when I saw this because it also looks like a classic. Coffee creamer in a cake sounds delicious–and so much easier than trying to figure out how many different extracts you’d need to create a similar flavor. Bailey’s is always good–I’ll have to scout this one out!
so much easier than trying to figure out how many different extracts you’d need to create a similar flavor <-- Amen to that! It also reminds me yellow cake mix cake which no matter how hard I've tried, recreating that is next to impossible. Duncan Hines has been around forever for a reason! And yes it does look so much like my yellow cupcake recipe, you're right! I forget my own recipes sometimes...LOL!
The cake you’re describing almost sounds too good to be true. I’m almost afraid to make it but it looks and sounds so good I’d feel like a fool if I didn’t. Maybe we’d be able to pace ourselves and it’ll last more than a day? Wishful thinking..
LOL you’re too funny! Well you have a family to help you taste test. It’s a small cake and probably will disappear pretty quickly but that’s a good thing, right :)
That looks amazing! So soft and fluffy :-) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning! :-)
I wish I lived closer to my mama as she would love this!
I love that you used Baileys Coffee Creamer here! That sounds absolutely incredible! This cake is gorgeous and looks so moist and perfect – as always! Pinned :)
Thanks for pinning! :-)
Don’t you love happy accidents? And that yellow cake quality is always a nice surprise!
This crumb looks perfect on this cake! Love the drizzle, too!
Yes I do love them! And as hard as I’ve tried in the past to recreate yellow cake mix cake, this is as close as I’ve gotten (by accident no less!)
That cake looks so delicious! A recipe doesn’t have to be complex to be a success and this one looks like a big hit!
Averie ,
This coffee cake looks so soft and yummy. And the bright orange color really bring me up! There are so many recipes that I need trying here. I have tried that pineapple upside down cake several days ago, and it really turns out to be so good even I am quite a newbie in baking world.
Thanks for trying the pineapple upside down cake and for a newbie, that’s not the easiest cake to make, it’s not hard per se, but it’s slightly fussy. This cake is super duper easy. If you make that other cake, this one is an in-your-sleep easy cake :)
Gorgeous looking cake Averie! So light and fluffy and i bet delicious!