Gâteau au Yaourt (French Yogurt Cake)

This French yogurt cake - gâteau au yaourt - is so fluffy, moist, and full of flavors. Made with pantry staples, it's the easiest, no-measure cake. It's lovely as an afternoon snack and a delicious dessert for any occasion.

French children know this classic yogurt cake recipe by heart. Long before primary school, they learn the cake's "1, 2, 3" counts (1 pot of oil, 2 pots of sugar, 3 pots of flour, etc.). That is why French people often call this simple cake a 1-2-3 cake, where the ingredients determine its name.

What is French yogurt cake?

French yogurt cake or gâteau au yaourt is a classic French pound cake made with natural yogurt (yaourt nature) where all the ingredients are measured with an empty yogurt container (pot de yaourt) or jar.

The French translation for yogurt cake is gâteau au yaourt, where gâteau means cake, and yaourt means yogurt.

Jump to:

• What is French yogurt cake?
• Ingredients
• How to make gâteau au yaourt
• Expert Tips
• Recipe variations
• Storing and freezing
• Baking pan for making gâteau au yaourt
• Recipe FAQ
• Love easy cakes? Try these next!
• Recipe card
• Comments

It is a no-measure cake made without traditional measuring ingredients with a kitchen scale or measuring cups. All you need is to fill a yogurt container up until it reaches the desired level. The ratio of each ingredient remains constant no matter what size yogurt cup you use.

You may find recipes for cake au yogurt or cake de yogurt, which means French yogurt cake: they just mix up English words and French "au" or "de."

Interestingly, this cake has different spellings depending on the country. In the United Kingdom, it is spelled as yoghurt cake, while in the United States, the spelling is yogurt cake. When I lived in Canada, I spelled it as yogourt cake.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Please note that a yogurt container serves as a measure here. Keep your yogurt cup empty to measure your ingredients. Also, read how to make a cake moist.

• Yogurt - just plain yogurt, but feel free to replace it with Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for a softer cake. You can also add a tablespoon of creme fraiche (crème fraîche) to the batter. You can use sheep's or goat's milk yogurt, too. In fact, even buttermilk or sour cream works for this recipe. 

• Large eggs at room temperature.

• Sugar - just granulated sugar, but you can replace two yogurt containers with one container of honey. You can also adapt the recipe by using one pot of sugar. If desired, replace granulated sugar with brown sugar, muscovado, or vergeoise sugar to bring more flavor to the cake. You will also need 1 envelope, or sachet de sucre vanillé to bring the vanilla flavor to the cake.

• Flour - all-purpose flour or replace half of the AP flour with cornstarch. You can also replace part of the flour with ground almonds or hazelnut flour.

• Baking powder (levure chimique) is an essential leavening agent. You can replace half of the baking powder with baking soda to make the cake even softer.

• Oil brings moisture to the cake. Use olive oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil interchangeably. The use of mild olive oil is the best choice due to its intense fluffy power. The worst option would be using rapeseed oil since it loses most properties above 300°F (150°C) and tends to give an unpleasant bitter taste. Experiment with melted coconut oil or melted butter.

• Lemon zest (zeste de citron) gives a little tangy touch to the cake. You can replace it with orange or grapefruit zest.

How to make gâteau au yaourt

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Using a pastry brush and softened butter, grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan and dust it with flour.

Step 2. Mix flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Pour the yogurt into a separate large bowl. Clean the jar to use it as a measurer.

Step 3. Add eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla sugar to the yogurt and beat with a hand whisk for a few seconds (photo 1).

Step 4. Add the oil and quickly mix. At this stage, add citrus zest or fruits, apples, pears, lemon zest, etc.

Step 5. Fold the dry ingredients and vanilla sugar into the yogurt mixture and gently mix just to combine (photo 2). Please, don't overwork the batter!

Step 6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan (photo 3).

Step 7. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until golden brown for 30 to 40 minutes (photo 4).

Pro tip: A cake tester or the tip of a knife inserted in the center of the cake should come clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Step 8. Let the cake cool for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Bon appétit!

Expert Tips

1. Don't use an electric mixer or stand mixer: only mix the ingredients with a hand whisk.
2. Don't overmix the cake batter: whisk for 5-10 seconds at every step until just combined. Never stir the batter more than necessary.
3. Cover it with aluminum foil halfway through baking to prevent your cake from burning.
4. To prevent the cake from drying out, slice it once serving it, not in advance. The cake retains moisture when it remains whole. 
5. If you double the recipe and use 2 pots of yogurt, bake the cake at the lower temperature - 320°F (160°C) - for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a sharp knife or a toothpick.
6. Serve the cake with mint or Earl Grey tea or with a glass of champagne or sparkling Vouvray wine.

Recipe variations

It is the original recipe for French yogurt cake, but you can customize your plain cake according to what you want or have in stock.

• Add-ins: Add semi-sweet chocolate chips, candied orange, lemon, or orange zest, diced apples or pears, raspberries, speculoos crumble, or a tablespoon of orange blossom water. Mix your favorite add-in into the batter once the oil has been incorporated and gently combine.

• Flavors: Add a teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons of dark rum.

• Fruits: Add canned or fresh fruit, for example, arrange six pineapple slices in syrup at the bottom of the mold. Then, place one candied cherry in the center of each piece. Pour batter and bake as directed in the recipe. Then, unmold the cake upside down to reveal the pineapples. Or cut fresh strawberries in two lengthwise and place them at the bottom of a pan, flat side outwards. Pour the cake batter and bake.

• Chocolate: Divide the cake batter into two parts and replace 1 oz. (30 g) of flour with cocoa powder in one part. Then, arrange light and dark batter in a checkerboard pattern into a cake pan, swirl, and bake.

• Spices: Add a tablespoon of ground cinnamon and about 3.5 oz. (100 g) candied fruit cut into pieces to the cake batter.

• Decoration: Top your cake with confectioner’s sugar, royal icing, caramel sauce, red fruit coulis, flaked or slivered almonds, apricot jam, or candied lemon slices, or soak with rum-flavored sugar syrup.

• Layer yogurt cake: Slice it into two layers horizontally and garnish it with your favorite cream or jam.

• Rainbow yogurt cake: Divide your batter into five equal portions. Then, add several drops of food coloring to obtain vivid colors. Gently pour the first dough into the center of the pan, then the second still in the center, and continue. 

• Mini yogurt cakes: Instead of using a round cake pan or loaf pan, experiment by making muffin-style yogurt cakes. Just pour the batter halfway up into buttered muffin cavities, add one tablespoon of Nutella and chopped unsalted peanuts into each, then cover with the rest of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes.

Storing and freezing

The yogurt cake tastes better the next day. A little waiting lets the cake be enriched with all the aromas of the ingredients.

To store the cake, wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. Keep it for 1 to 2 days at room temperature and up to a week in a cool, dry place.

Refrigerate yogurt cake immediately if it is made with frosting, cream, dairy, or egg-based toppings, and store it for a couple of days only.

To freeze, wrap the plain yogurt cake with plastic film or aluminum foil, or place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 4 to 6 months.

To defrost, bring the cake to the fridge overnight or the counter for a few hours.

Baking pan for making gâteau au yaourt

This French yogurt cake uses a yogurt container to measure ingredients. Since yogurt containers have different capacities, it makes sense to use different sizes of baking pans:

• 8-inch (20 cm) Le Creuset springform pan, or
• 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, or
• 10-inch (25 cm) Wilton springform pan, or
• 11-inch (27 cm) Ballarini springform pan, or
• 12-inch (30 cm) extra large springform pan.

For the yogurt cake in the picture, I used an 8-inch (20 cm) Fat Daddio's round cake pan and a 4 oz. (113 g) plain yogurt container.

Here is a simple table that converts a yogurt container into a cake pan to make the yogurt cake. It considers the capacity of a yogurt container as a measuring cup. If your baking pan is a different size or shape, use this cake pan calculator.

Measurements in ounces and inches

Yogurt capacity	Cake pan size
4 oz.	8 inches
4.4 oz.	9 inches
5 oz.	10 inches
5.3 oz.	11 inch
6 oz.	12 inch

Measurements in grams and centimeters

Yogurt capacity	Cake pan size
113 g	20 cm
125 g	23 cm
141 g	25 cm
150 g	27 cm
170 g	30 cm

Recipe FAQ

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.