This ridiculously delicious, moist cake that comes together in a matter of minutes is a recipe that French mothers and grandmothers have used for generations to teach kids how to count.
One part yogurt, two parts sugar, three parts flour. If you can count to three, you can make this cake. And the fun part is that all the ingredients are measured in little glass containers that yogurt is sold in all over France.
I know, what you’re thinking. These containers are not readily available in the US and, more importantly, not all containers are created equal. Equally sized, that is. So, how do you measure the ingredients without this vital, can’t live without, kitchen gadget? You follow the recipe below which has standardized the measurements for you. Easy, peasy.
This is a one bowl recipe where yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, flour, vanilla and a bit of orange zest are all mixed together by hand. The batter then goes into a pan, the pan goes into an oven for about 30 minutes and, voila! it’s done, with minimal effort and cleanup.
This cake is perfect just the way it is straight out of the oven. Dense but not heavy, moist without being overly rich, sweet but not too sweet with hints of vanilla and orange. This is the most basic yet at the same time most elegant cake that requires absolutely no enhancement. OK, maybe a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top wouldn’t hurt things. But, otherwise, it’s perfection just as it is and the irony of this simple cake is that it also lends itself well to numerous variations. Layer the batter with slices of apples or peaches, switch out the orange zest for lemon, add in seasonal spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, mix in some chocolate chips or Nutella. It all works beautifully and, is perfect for breakfast (after all, there’s yogurt in it), an afternoon snack, a quick weeknight dessert or as a centerpiece of any celebration.
And, if you want to really take this cake to the next level you can slice it in three layers as I did and layer it with berries that have been simply marinated (for an hour or so) with a bit of sugar and a few tablespoons of OJ.
Then top it off with some sweet whipped cream cheese topping, let the cake hang out for a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge to allow the juice from the berries to soak through the layers and then serve. Gorgeous French inspired layer cakes really don’t get much easier than this.
I hope that you’ll decide to give this Very Berry French Yogurt Cake recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures of anything that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.
French Yogurt Berry Cake
Ingredients
Yogurt Cake:
- ½ cup plain or Greek full fat yogurt
- 1 tbs unsalted butter
- ½ cup plain or Greek full fat yogurt
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup extra light olive oil (you can use any neutral flavored oil)
- zest from half a large orange
- 1½ cups all purpose flour (plus extra for dusting the cake pan)
- 1 tsp baking powder
Berry Filling:
- 12 oz blackberries (or any berries of your choice)
- 12 oz raspberries (or any berries of your choice)
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbs orange juice, freshly squeezed
- mint leaves, optional for decoration
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
Instructions
Yogurt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly butter and flour an 8 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the yogurt, vanilla extract, eggs and sugar and mix to combine. Add the oil and mix until smooth. Fold in the flour, baking powder and orange zest and mix just to combine. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is lightly golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove from pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. *See note.
Berry Filling:
- While the cake is baking. Place ½ cup of the raspberries and ½ cup of the blackberries in a small bowl and reserve for decoration. Combine the remaining berries with the sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl and smash lightly with a fork. Let the berries marinade at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour. **See note.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Place the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Using a whisk attachment beat the cream cheese at low-medium speed until light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipped cream and beat on low speed until the mixture is light and airy and stiff peaks have formed, about 2 minutes.
Assembly:
- Using a long serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally in three layers. Place the first layer cut side up on a cake stand, spoon half of the marinated berries along with some of their juice on top. Top with a thin layer of the frosting. Repeat with the next layer.
- Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with the reserved berries and mint leaves (if using). Refrigerate the cake for at least two hours or overnight.