Yogurt piled with fruit, granola or a saucy compote is my choice for breakfast on the go -- or for when I'm too lazy to manage anything other than scooping food into a bowl. But this staple the world over is also the MVP of many a sauce, smoothie, dip and marinade.
You know what yogurt is also great in? Cake. Okay, a lot of things are good in cake, but that's beside the point. Yogurt can help unlock some of the qualities we most want in this treat. Its slight tang is an ideal counterweight to the inherent sweetness in desserts, keeping baked goods from veering into cloying territory. That flavor comes in part from yogurt's natural acidity, which, when it interacts with leaveners -- baking soda in particular -- can generate a more robust rise and open crumb. The milk proteins, when combined with sugar, contribute to attractive browning, and the fat lends a tenderizing effect as well. Moreover, yogurt cakes often use the "muffin method" of mixing, in which the dry and wet ingredients are whisked together separately by hand, then simply stirred together, skipping the fussier work of having to cream butter and sugar.
When baking with yogurt, pay attention to whether the recipe calls for regular or Greek yogurt. The latter is thicker and drier, since it has been strained to remove the watery whey. If you only have one or the other, don't be discouraged. While they aren't always interchangeable, it's pretty easy to adjust. To substitute Greek yogurt for regular yogurt, Cook's Illustrated recommends using two-thirds of the amount called for in the recipe and then making up the remainder with water. If you're in the opposite situation, use the reverse logic by starting with 1½ times more regular yogurt than the Greek called for. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth (a paper coffee filter or nut milk bag would also work) and strain the yogurt for at least an hour or two. You should end up with just about the right amount of thick yogurt, but of course, measure to be sure.
Now with that out of the way, here's a collection of easy, satisfying yogurt cakes from our recipe archives.
Mediterranean Yogurt Cake
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Pictured above. This delightful recipe from Dorie Greenspan is an interpretation of the famed "gâteau au yaourt" that many French children grow up eating and learn to make in nursery school. Get the recipe.
Yogurt and Granola Loaf Cake
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Granola-topped yogurt is a winning combination, so it makes perfect sense to pair them in baked goods, too. The bulk of the dry ingredients comes from ground granola (with just half a cup of all-purpose flour), so this is also a great way to use up even a somewhat stale bag. Get the recipe.
Cocoa Yogurt Snacking Cake
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Here's a textbook example of how yogurt can counterbalance baked goods' sweeter tendencies, especially in the case of the confectioners' sugar glaze on top of this chocolate cake. Get the recipe.
Orange Blossom Honey Cake
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"This fragrant, floral cake with a tender crumb and a subtle sweetness is like a little black dress of desserts in that it's somehow as appropriate for intimate gatherings as it is for celebratory meals," assistant recipes editor Olga Massov writes. I'm in. Get the recipe.
Chai-Spiced Apple Butter Cake
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In addition to the yogurt, a full cup of apple butter lends this spiced Bundt cake a wonderfully moist texture. Get the recipe.
Savory Cake With Ham, Cheese and Herbs
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This -- what else -- French recipe shows that yogurt cakes need not only be sweet. Play around with the meat, cheese and herbs as you see fit. Get the recipe.
Blueberry Yogurt Coffee Cake
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Unlike the cake above, this one keeps all the granola intact for an easy, crunchy topping. Get the recipe.