Gâteau au Yaourt (Easy French Yogurt Cake)

Quick Summary: Gâteau au yaourt is a classic French yogurt cake made with plain yogurt, eggs, sugar, flour, oil, and a little baking powder. The empty yogurt pot is used to measure the other ingredients, so no scale is needed. It bakes into a light, moist, tender cake in about 30 to 40 minutes and works as an everyday snack or a simple dessert.

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.

Why you will love this recipe

• No scale needed. The empty yogurt pot measures every ingredient, so it is easy to make anywhere.
• One bowl, few steps. You just whisk everything together and pour it into the pan.
• Pantry staples. Yogurt, eggs, sugar, flour, and oil are all you need.
• Soft and moist. The yogurt keeps the crumb tender for days.
• Kid-friendly. It is the first cake many French children learn to bake.
• Endlessly adaptable. Add lemon, vanilla, chocolate, or fruit to change the flavor.

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 using an empty yogurt container (pot de yaourt) or jar.

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

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

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 yogurt cake, while in the United States, it is spelled 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.

• 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 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 sugar, or vergeoise sugar to add 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. Mild olive oil is the best choice due to its intense, fluffy flavor. The worst option would be using rapeseed oil, since it loses most of its 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 the cake a little tangy touch. 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 a stand mixer; mix the ingredients only 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, 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 however you like, using what you have on hand.

• 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 after the oil has been incorporated, then gently combine.

• Flavors: Add a teaspoon of 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 into the prepared pan 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 the yogurt cake: Slice it horizontally into two layers and garnish 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.

What to serve with French yogurt cake

Gâteau au yaourt is simple and lightly tangy, so it pairs well with almost anything. Serve it plain with a cup of coffee or tea for an afternoon snack, or dress it up for dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar and a handful of fresh berries.

For a more special presentation, add a spoonful of whipped cream or crème fraîche, a drizzle of fruit coulis or honey, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A little lemon or orange glaze also works beautifully with the yogurt in the batter.

Storing & freezing

The yogurt cake tastes better the next day. A little waiting lets the cake absorb 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 only a couple of days.

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

To defrost, refrigerate the cake overnight or leave it on 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 for making 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

How to make lactose-free yogurt cake?
To make a yogurt cake lactose-free, use soy milk yogurt without changing the recipe quantities.

How to make vegan yogurt cake?
Omit the eggs from the lactose-free yogurt recipe and replace them with flaxseed eggs.

How to make a yogurt cake without eggs?
Remove the eggs from the basic recipe and add one more yogurt container.

How to make gluten-free yogurt cake?
Replace all-purpose flour with cornstarch or potato starch (2 yogurt cups of starch for 1 cup of yogurt), or with a gluten-free flour mixture containing cornstarch.

Love easy cakes? Try these next!

Want more delicious and beautiful recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for my latest updates. If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below!

Print

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.