Easy Greek Yogurt Cake recipe made in one bowl with 5 simple ingredients. Serve on its own or dress it up with whipped cream, fresh berries, or powdered sugar.
Other cakes with Greek yogurt perfect for any occasion are this carrot cake cheesecake, Greek yogurt cheesecake and healthy carrot cake.
I have been making this Greek yogurt cake recipe for decades. It is my family’s sour cream cake recipe, in Ukrainian called “smitannyk”. But instead of sour cream I like to use Greek yogurt and it comes out even better, in my opinion.
Everyone absolutely loves this cake, especially kids! And I love using Greek yogurt in cakes so much, I also made limoncello cake with it.
Reader’s Review
Wow, delish, 6 star! I added a handful of white chocolate chips (that’s all I had), and some powdered sugar on top when it was cool, it was delicious and very easy too! This is a keeper recipe!
Ingrid
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s to die for: Fluffy inside, moist and sticky on top, it’s everything you could want from a simple dessert.
- Easy recipe: Only 5 ingredients that are sure to be in your kitchen right now.
- No oil recipe: Yogurt replaces the oil and yields a light, fluffy texture.
- Simple to make: Throw all ingredients in one bowl and mix. Out of all my dessert recipes and cake recipes I make this one most often!
- Crowd pleaser: It’s a universal cake you can bring to any party, host guests with, or make on any night when you are craving dessert. You can serve on its own or go all out with toppings.
Ingredients for Greek Yogurt Cake
To make Greek yogurt cake you’ll need 5 basic ingredients you most likely keep stocked in your kitchen.
- Eggs: You’ll need 2 large eggs.
- Sugar: I used cane sugar but you can also use regular sugar.
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt with more than 2% fat.
- Baking soda: We need baking soda for lift and texture.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour, other flours will affect texture.
What Is the Best Yogurt to Use?
The only yogurt you can use to make Greek yogurt is Greek yogurt, hence the recipe’s name! You can’t use regular yogurt because it contains more liquid and recipe won’t work.
I don’t recommend to use non-fat Greek yogurt or 1% Greek yogurt. Some fat is needed for a nice, moist texture and crumb. I prefer to use 4% Greek yogurt and that’s what I used to make this recipe. My favorite brands are Olympic, Oikos and Stonyfield.
How to Make Greek Yogurt Cake
Here’s a quick overview how to make Greek yogurt cake without any fancy equipment, just a bowl and hand mixer. There is a full recipe card below.
First, preheat your oven to 350 F and spray baking dish with cooking spray. You can use a 8×8 baking dish, 9×5 loaf pan, 8-9 inch cake pan or Bundt cake pan.
- Combine wet ingredients: Add eggs and sugar to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color. Next, add Greek yogurt and beat once more to combine.
- Add dry ingredients: Add baking soda and flour in 1/4 cup portions and beat just until cake batter forms.
- Bake: Pour mixture into your prepared pan and bake. Bake time varies depending on pan, plan for 35 minutes in a square dish or round cake pan, 30 minutes in Bundt pan, or 40-45 minutes in loaf pan. Cake with yogurt is ready once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Rest and serve: Let your cake cool for 10-15 minutes then use a sharp, non-serrated knife to slice. Enjoy!
Tips for Best Results
Here are some simple tips for making the best Greek yogurt cake.
- Don’t overmix: This recipe’s ingredients are meant to be just incorporated with a mixer so don’t over do it. Otherwise cake might be rubbery.
- Don’t use dark sugar: Brown sugar or coconut sugar will change the color of this cake, so I don’t recommend it.
- Don’t use liquid sweetener: This cake is meant to be baked as is. Just enjoy it! If you use honey or maple syrup, the batter consistency will be off and recipe will not work.
- Double the recipe for a crowd: Use a 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes.
Flavor Variations
On its own, Greek yogurt cake is a bit sweet with a hint of tang.
For another layer of flavor you could add a dash of these simple add-ins to the batter.
- Almond extract: Up to 1 teaspoon of almond extract will give it a nutty aroma and taste.
- Vanilla extract: A tried-and-true option is vanilla extract, add up to 1 teaspoon.
- Citrus zest: Make lemon yogurt cake by adding fresh lemon zest. You could also add lime zest, or orange zest for a hint of brightness.
- Amaretto: Another option for almond lovers is adding in some amaretto. Then serve with a scoop of ice cream on top of the cake, delicious!
- Chopped chocolate: A handful of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips are always a welcome addition for the whole family.
- Chopped nuts: Mix in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
We’ll have a slice of yogurt cake for breakfast, brunch or dessert. On the weekend, holidays, or any day because it’s that good!
How to Store
Store: This moist cake can stay on the counter for 1 to 2 days without drying out. Just keep it covered with a kitchen towel. I assure you there will be no leftovers the next day but you can always place it in the fridge for longer storage.
Freeze: Place individual slices into an airtight container and store in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
FAQs
Yes, use a 1:1 ratio when using sour cream instead of yogurt. I find cake’s texture with sour cream is more moist but it still tastes great. If I have an option, Greek yogurt is always my choice.
I think you can use 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, but the cake will be more dense. I also think white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour will work but again, cake will be a bit more dense.
I think you should be fine by using all purpose gluten-free flour without the chickpea flour on its ingredient list. My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill baking blend.
Yes you can use flavored like vanilla Greek yogurt to make this cake, just keep in mind that it will be more sweet. I recommend to reduce sugar to 3/4 cup then.
Yes, you can add 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1 cup. I would not go lower than this amount because Greek yogurt is tangy and your cake will not be sweet.
More Greek Yogurt Recipes
- Blueberry yogurt cake
- Greek yogurt frosting
- Baked yogurt
- Greek yogurt bagels
- Greek yogurt bread
- Greek yogurt cheesecake
More Cake Recipes to Try
Greek Yogurt Cake (5 Ingredients)
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, at least 2% fat (I used 4%)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8×8 square baking dish, 9×5 loaf pan, 8-9 inch cake pan or bundt cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add eggs and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until light color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add Greek yogurt and beat just to incorporate.
- Add baking soda and flour in 1/4 cup portions and beat just until cake batter forms. Pour into prepared pan and bake: for 35 minutes in a square dish or round cake pan, for 30 minutes in bundt pan, 40-45 minutes in loaf pan, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Times are guidelines, play it by ear. Don't overbake.
- Remove from the oven, let stand for 10-15 minutes and slice into 9 pieces using sharp knife (serrated knife ruins it). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I did exactly as written then stirred in some semi sweet chocolate chips and sprinkled the top with unsweetened coconut. Oh, I also added a bit of vanilla. It’s in the oven now, hoping for a win!
Not only is this super easy to make….. but it is DELICIOUS! I put chopped walnuts and dried cranberries in mine. I only had non-fat Greek yogurt and almond flour and they worked perfectly! The cake baked exactly as stated and the texture is awesome!
So glad to hear it turned out great! Love the addition of walnuts and cranberries—sounds delicious!
Thanks for an easy, delicious recipe. I made a couple of changes: cut the sugar to 2/3 cup, added 1t vanilla, 1t lemon juice and 1/2 C raisins.
I hope it will be as good tomorrow when I plan to bring it to a group dinner. Thanks again!
The 1st time I made this exactly as written and everyone loved it. The 2nd time I made it I wanted to try a variation. I didn’t realize until I had beaten the sugar and eggs that my yogurt was fat free. On the fly I decided to substitute 2 tbl butter for 2 tbl of the yogurt. Crossed my fingers and carried on with my original plan which was to use 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup monk fruit, add about 1/2 tsp orange extract and a tbl of orange zest, 1/2 cup of craisins and a little coconut just because we love it. Made 10 cupcakes that I baked for 17 minutes then topped with an orange glaze. I love the original recipe so much I wanted to be able to use it to get a little creative from time to time. Oh, and these turned out really good too, but the 5 star review is for the original recipe. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
That was fun to read. There is lots you can do with this recipe. Sometimes it’s wow and sometimes it’s OK but I always find it’s delicious to eat regardless.
I made a half batch in 6 cupcakes, and otherwise followed the recipe (however I did not beat the sugar and egg for 3 minutes as it got pale and fluffy after 1min).
I baked for nearly 25min , and the top was still wet. However the bottom and sides got some browning.
After cooling, I can’t decide if I baked for too long or too short, it reminded me of a steamed caKe texture rather the sponge crumb.
I will try again with a bit more flour and less sugar, could be my yoghurt, it has potential as flavour was good!
I did this recipe as written. I had yogurt to use before it spoiled. It is really good! I did add vanilla flavoring because to me there was nothing with flavor in this recipe.
I had to make some adjustments (I had less yoghurt and half regular sugar half brown sugar) and it still came out delicious. Also added some lemon zest, poppy seeds and lemon glazing to it!
Hi, there is currently an egg shortage in Australia, do you think I can use flax eggs or j ch is eggs instead? I know the result won’t be as fluffy (I can add some whipped aquafaba for extra fluffiness)
Unfortunately I don’t think it will work. This cake relies on fluffiness of whipped eggs. Sorry I wish I had better news. I just don’t think flax eggs will taste good in this cake.
I substituted oat flour for the regular flour and it turned out great! Even though the recipe states not to use coconut sugar because it will affect the color—I used it anyway because I never buy regular white sugar. I also added a dash of lemon juice. I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again. I will, however, be more careful with the time and do between 25-27 min since my oven is weird and it burned a little on the bottom.
Sounds delicious, Shirley! I love hearing how you made this your own! Thank you for the rating!
I was looking for a recipe to use up some leftover plain yogurt I had bought to make my favorite pooch some treats and I am so glad I found yours! Arizona is bursting with lemons right now so I added the zest of three meyer lemons and a little over a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and made in some mini Bundt pans so I could have a small snack with my tea at night. I was a little nervous about the extra moisture from the tad extra lemon juice and the amount of zest so I sprinkled a little extra flour & I watched them like a hawk since I wasn’t sure of the reduced baking time but they came out perfect. It also makes me feel good to give homage to my Ukrainian roots in this extremely troubling time for them.
Hi Jessica. I loved hearing how you made this Greek yogurt cake your own! Mini bundts must have looked very cute and a big “yes” on lemon flavor!