This crazy delicious Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake for Two is bursting with farm fresh blueberries, has a bright and lemony citrus with a hint of Thyme flavor in the crumb. With French origins it delivers amazing flavor, is super moist and one of the easiest cakes I've ever made!
Using yogurt results in a moist, tender crumb. This makes for a delicious fresh fruit and lemony dessert and a light and refreshing breakfast cake. After all, it does have yogurt and blueberries, so why not start your day with cake? Give it a try!
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe Inspiration…..
Right now, summer berries are abundant and roadside stands everywhere are selling their picked-that-day produce. One of our family’s July 4th activities is to visit a berry farm.
Persimmon Hill Farm is a real berry, fruit and mushroom farm in the scenic Table Rock Lake country of Southwest Missouri.
This year there was a bumper blueberry crop and the six of us picked around 15 lbs in about 30 minutes! With so many blueberries, I am busy in the kitchen dreaming up ways to have blueberries with every meal.
Watch for the following soon-to-post blueberry recipes: Blueberry salad with Balsamic Dressing, East Blueberry Hill Coffee Cake, and a really good and easy to make Blueberry Jam.
Now, back to this Yogurt Cake Recipe. Researching yogurt cakes, what I really find fascinating is its origins are just as simple and humble as the recipe.
The story is told, that this recipe is one that grandmothers all over France are renowned for. In French, this cake is called Gâteaux de Mamie, which translated is: Granny Cake. The part of the story that caught my attention is the way these French grandmothers measure the cake ingredients - with yogurt jars!
The recipe starts out with one jar of yogurt. The rest of the ingredients are measured in that same jar: two jars of sugar, 3 jars of flour, one jar of oil...but don’t worry, this recipe has been translated into more classic cooking measurements.
The cake is super moist with juicy blueberries in every bite and a crisp citrus herb crumb means it does not really need any embellishment, but a dollop of lightly sweetened crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream is a lovely finishing touch.
What Does Adding Yogurt Do For A Cake?
Both plain Greek and thinner, regular yogurt are magical ingredients to reach for when baking. Try to use the full-fat stuff, though, which will lend the most moisture and flavor.
Learning from my General Mills days, the process for making regular and Greek yogurt starts off the same: milk is first heated, then cooled to the desired fermentation temperature (106-114°F) before bacterial cultures are added.
Greek yogurt, often referred to as “strained” yogurt, is made by fermenting yogurt in tanks and then straining whey and other liquids during the final processing steps. The removal process leaves behind a thicker-textured yogurt with a higher protein content.
Besides texture, here are some other differences between regular and Greek yogurt:
- Protein – Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt.
- Fat – Unless you’re using the nonfat varieties, Greek yogurt has about three times the saturated fat than regular yogurt.
- Sodium – Greek yogurt contains about half the sodium of regular yogurt.
- Carbohydrates – Greek yogurt contains roughly half the carbohydrates of regular yogurt, but remember that adding sweeteners to either one will increase the carbohydrate count.
Because of its thicker texture and tangier flavor, Greek yogurt is often used as a substitute for sour cream, crème fraîche or mayonnaise.
Yogurt Cake Helpful Tips and Substitutions
- I often use plain Greek yogurt for this cake but you can also use regular yogurt. In fact, in a pinch, you could also use buttermilk or sour cream. If using regular yogurt be sure to strain off some of the whey. They'll all work!
- This cake calls for oil. Don't be tempted to substitute butter as the oil keeps the cake light yet moist at the same time. And the flavor is wonderful!
- Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. I have made it with canola oil but sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, and avocado oil would be good substitutes.
- This recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice. Always zest your fruit before squeezing for the juice. The best way to zest a citrus fruit is with a microplane zester. Save the naked lemon in the fridge for salads and use within a few days before it dries out.
- Pinching the citrus zest and herbs with your fingertips into the sugar will send good smells floating through your kitchen, and ultimately in the cake. This tip comes from Dorie Greenspan she taught in a cooking class. Feel free to play around with different berries, citrus and herbs when making a yogurt cake.
Do You Have A Summer Berry Recipe?
If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share with the Our Table 4 2 community, click here: Submit a "Keeper" Recipe.
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
Save This Recipe To Your Recipe Box
You can access your saved recipes on this device and generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections.
Equipment
- 2 mini loaf pan (2 cups) , 5 inch x 3 inches. You can use 1 traditional loaf pan – check the cake a little earlier as it might bake faster.
Ingredients
- Softened butter or baker’s spray, for the loaf pans
- 1 ½ cups (204 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 - 2 teaspoons finely chopped herbs such as thyme
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup (120ml) plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) oil, such as canola, sunflower, grapeseed or avocado oil.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, skip if using vanilla yogurt
- 10 ounces ripe blueberries
- Lightly sweetened crème fraiche or ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350° F placing the rack in the center of the oven. Generously butter or coat with oil the inside of a traditional sized loaf pan 8½ x 4½ inches or two mini loaf pans 5 - ½" x 3" to 2 -¼" high
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients –flour, baking powder and salt. Set Aside. In a medium bowl, add the sugar and thyme. Using a microplane finely grate the zest of the lemon into the bowl. Time to get your hands dirty. With your fingers, rub the ingredients together until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the yogurt until it's thoroughly incorporated, and then add the eggs one at a time. Blend each egg into the batter before you add the next. After all the eggs have been added, pour in the vanilla if using. Give the mixture a few more beats to ensure it is nice and smooth and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Using a silicone spatula, stir half of the flour mixture into the egg batter. When it’s mixed well, add the remaining flour and stir until blended. Now slowly add the oil, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until you have a thick, smooth batter with a light sheen. Add the berries and stir gently to mix them evenly throughout the batter. We want to make sure we have blueberries in every bite! Divide the batter between the two buttered loaf pans.
- Bake the cakes until they are golden brown an start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Using a toothpick or a long, dry noodle inserted deep into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging it is done. This should take about 50 – 55 minutes. Remove cake from the oven and set on a wire rack or on a stove burner. Wait 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, invert the pan on the rack. Flip the cake so it’s right-side up and finish cooling to room temperature. Serve with butter, lightly sweetened crèmefraiche, or my personal favorite nothing at all!
Notes
Baking For Two?
Make ahead and store. The cake keeps best well-sealed at room temperature and will stay moist for at least 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 1 month. Simply defrost, still sealed, at room temperature. Then slice a piece and warm it in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds. Eat as is or slather with butter, jam or add a scoop of ice cream – Delicious!Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram. with the hashtag #ourtable42.
Looking through all the photos is a daily highlight!
LAURIE OSTRANDER STOECKERT says
This looks fantastic! Could this recipe be altered for a lactose sensitive audience? I would love to make some muffins for our neighbors but there is a lactose allergy I work with often, while baking for them. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe, I am looking forward to putting this together in my kitchen.
Pam Werley says
Hi Laurie, I would recommend using a non-dairy alternatives to yogurt. I think the most delicious yogurt alternative is based on coconut milk (i.e. CoYo). It’s real yogurt, containing probiotic cultures, yet it’s made from coconut milk rather than dairy milk. Smooth, creamy, and healthy, CoYo tastes good enough that it will never cross your mind that you’re “depriving” yourself of dairy-based yogurt. Some yogurt alternatives are nut-based, and are free from lactose, soy, and gluten. Look for this on the label. Let me know how it turns out using a non-dairy yogurt!
Pam Werley says
I played around with this french yogurt cake today -- substituted blueberries with rhubarb and cherries. Added almond extract instead of vanilla. WOW. I will post shortly!