This easy to make berry and lemon yogurt loaf cake is wholesome, soft and deliciously moist. Fresh, light and luscious, it’s the perfect tea-time treat!
Jump To
Yogurt Loaf Cake!
I do love a good loaf cake! This honest-to-goodness fuss free cake is all about the flavour, rather than sugary decorations. I much prefer a slice of this yogurt and berry loaf cake with my coffee or tea than some toothachingly sweet confection covered in icing and buttercream. And I love the fact that I can probably get away with eating two slices!
This yogurt loaf recipe not only uses natural yogurt but also replaces butter with oil. Not only is it easy to mix by hand, but it has the softest, moistest crumb. The fresh berries and lemon zest suit the lightness of the cake and give it a luxurious feel.
This loaf cake slices beautifully without crumbling and will keep in an airtight tin for a good few days. Like any good loaf cake, there’s very little mess, and it lends itself well to picnics as well as afternoon tea.
Classic French Yogurt Cake
My berry yogurt loaf recipe draws on a very easy traditional French recipe which uses a standard glass yogurt pot as a measure with
- 1 pot of yogurt
- 2 pots of flour
- 1/2 pot oil
- 3 eggs
In case you haven’t go one of those French glass yogurt pots, I have used standard measurements for the recipe, but it is still one of the easiest cakes you will ever make.
Ingredients for lemon and berry yogurt loaf cake
Yogurt – Plain natural yogurt is perfect, though you could experiment with lemon or vanilla.
Flour – White self-raising flour
Sugar – I like golden caster sugar but you can use white if you prefer.
Oil – I use a light olive oil.
Eggs – Large and free range
Berries – Fresh or frozen – choose your favourites.
Lemon zest – Choose an unwaxed lemon.
Salt – really helps to enhance the flavour
How to make lemon and berry yogurt loaf cake
Step 1 – Line and grease a 1lb / 15cm loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
Step 2 – Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3 – Add the yogurt, eggs, oil and lemon zest. Gently fold the mixture together.
Step 4 – Now pour about a third of the batter into the prepared tin. Fold the fruit into the remaining batter and then pour this over the batter already in the loaf tin.
This will help with the distribution of the fruit throughout the cake, avoiding all the fruit sinking to the bottom.
Pro Tip
The trick to distributing fruit evenly throughout the batter is to simply put a third of the batter into the tin first. Then add the berries to the remaining batter and pour it over the top. The berries will still sink a little, but into the plain batter. Forget all the tricks such as dusting with flour, which don’t work, and do it this way.
Step 5 – Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. Check half way through cooking and if the top of the cake is cooking too fast, lightly cover it with foil to prevent burning.
Step 6 – Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the cake from the loaf tin.
Once cool the cake will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
Hints & Tips
- I love my reusable liner sheets to line cake tins. Just cut to the right width, use clips to hold it in place, and wash after use.
- If baking with frozen berries the cake will take a little longer to cook. Also mix them in as gently as you can to stop the juices bleeding into the cake.
- If you bake often, use cake release spray.
Variations
This basic cake formula is so easy and delicious that you will want to make it again and again. Why not try these variations?
- Chocolate chip and orange zest
- Lemon and poppy seed
Lemon & Berry Yogurt Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) self raising flour
- 125 g (1/2 cup) golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) salt
- 125 g (1/2 cup) yogurt
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) light olive oil
- 3 (3 ) eggs
- 100 g (100 g) mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 (1 ) lemon – zest
Instructions
- Line and grease a 2lb loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark4.
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the yogurt, eggs, oil and lemon zest. Gently fold the mixture together.
- Now pour about a third of the batter into the prepared tin.
- Fold the fruit into the remaining batter and then pour this over the plain batter. This will help with the distribution of the fruit throughout the cake, avoiding all the fruit sinking to the bottom.
- Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. Check halfway through cooking and if the top of the cake is cooking too fast, lightly cover it with foil to prevent burning.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the cake from the loaf tin.
Notes
- I love my reusable liner sheets to line cake tins. Just cut to the right width, use clips to hold it in place, and wash after use.
- If baking with frozen berries the cake will take a little longer to cook. Also mix them in as gently as you can to stop the juices bleeding into the cake.
- If you bake often, use cake release spray.
If you love this loaf cake, why not try my sticky orange marmalade loaf cake?
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com
This sounds delicious! I love the classic French yogurt cake–SO easy to throw together. Using the coconut yogurt from Onken sounds like a great swap!
Helen
I love yogurt cake, so moist, and so delicious. It is the base for so many recipes.
Tracy | Baking Mischief
I’m a big fan of using yogurt in baking, and I LOVE the idea of using coconut-flavored yogurt for a loaf cake. I like coconut flavor, but I’m not a big fan of the texture of it in my baking, so this is like the best of both worlds! Gorgeous cake. Pinning, so I can give this a try.
Helen
I know what you mean about texture. The yogurt is so delicious and ideal for a bake
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
I’m not familiar with Onken brand yogurt (perhaps not available here in the States) but the cake looks delicious! I love yogurt in baked goods – such a delicious texture.
Helen
I need to bake with yogurt more often. It always gives a good result.
Michelle Blackwood
Love how the yoghurt gives the loaf a moist texture plus the coconut flavor with berries is awesome!
Helen
yogurt is such a good ingredient.
Michelle Blackwood
Love the coconut flavor of the yogurt, it really makes the bread moist and soft!
Helen
I love baking with yogurt. So delicious.
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
Looks delicious! Coconut yogurt is really good.
Helen
it is so good!
Camilla
This sounds like a wonderful cake, must look out for coconut Onken as I do love their yogurts. Great tip for distributing the fruit too:-)
Helen
I love the Onken yogurts, so creamy and delicious
Lucy
I love a good old loaf cake too, brilliant with a cuppa. I’m also a big fan of yoghurt cakes, I will have to give it a go with Onken to add some coconut flavour too.
Helen
I think a loaf cake is so much nicer than something covered with icing.
Laura @KneadWhine
I love coconut! The loaf looks so moist and ready to be accompanied with a hot drink at breaktimes!
Helen
it is perfect with a hot drink. I do love a loaf cake.
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
Helen, WOW – this loaf cake sounds and looks wonderful! So loving your addition of yogurt – the cake/loaf looks so moist!
Helen
It certainly is moist. I love the texture you get from baking with yogurt.
Fiona Campbell
Just wondering if you defrost the fruit or just add it still frozen to the mix?
Helen
Add it from frozen. I’ll amend the recipe.
Erin
Your loaf cakes certainly looks tasty on the photos. Great tip about distributing the berries evenly, it is such an annoyance when they sink.
Carly
Such an easy recipe for a great result. Handy that you can add frozen berries in, buying fresh is nice but not always convenient.
Mike
There is something very proper about having loaf cake with a pot of tea. My Grandmother always used to serve it that way. It came out the same tin, and was always a real treat. This version sounds great.
Caroline Jessop
I’m the same as you Helen, much prefer a tasty loaf cake. Love how easy the recipe is, and with the addition of yogurt, I bet it’s lovely and moist. Just how it should be.
Kaitlin
I make a similar loaf cake to this, and find it my go to recipe. Looks perfect from the photos.
Janice
What a delicious cake! The tip for stopping the berries drop is genius, I’ll definitely be making this again.
Helen
thanks Janice – so glad you liked it