Easy Blueberry Yogurt Cake

An easy, lovely yogurt cake

I make this blueberry yogurt cake regularly because it’s one of the few ways I know to sneak yogurt into my picky son’s diet! Luckily, he actually asks me to make it for him.

The cake is exceptionally easy to make with just a few ingredients, even easier than these Greek yogurt blueberry muffins which I’ve been making for years and years. Like for the muffin recipe, all you have to do is mix the wet ingredients into the dry, fold through juicy fresh or frozen blueberries, scrape into a cake pan, sprinkle more blueberries on top, and bake.

The flavor is very similar to the muffins, but I made the crumb just a little finer and the taste very slightly sweeter so that it does in fact feel like a cake and not just muffins baked in a pan! There’s also the zest of a lemon which enhances rather than overpowers the blueberry and yogurt flavors.

The cake will keep really well on the counter for a couple of days, or 3 to 4 days in the fridge. It also freezes really well, either whole or in individual slices.

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

• All-purpose flour: I usually use regular white flour, but white whole wheat pastry flour or a gluten-free flour blend can be used if you prefer.
• Baking powder, baking soda and salt: The usual trio to help the muffins rise and balance the flavors.
• Sugar: I suggest around three quarters of a cup of sugar. This is not too much, but enough so that the cake tastes like a treat! If you would like the cake to be slightly less sweet, reduce the amount to just half a cup.
• Lemon zest: Rub the zest of a whole lemon into the sugar before using it in the recipe. This really helps to release more flavor from the zest!
• Eggs: You’ll use 2 large eggs, plus the yolk of another in order to keep the crumb more like cake than muffins.
• Oil: Just ½ cup is needed. I often combine olive oil with canola oil to keep the cost down, but vegetable oil or melted butter will work, too. Butter will of course give you a richer flavor!
• Greek yogurt: I like to use plain, authentic Greek yogurt made with just milk and yogurt cultures.
• Milk: The milk simply makes the batter a little looser – again, so that the crumb is more like cake than muffins. If you like, you can replace a little of it with the juice from the lemon you zested, if you would like the cake to taste more distinctly ‘lemony’.
• Blueberries: I’ve used both fresh and frozen blueberries to make this yogurt blueberry cake, depending on whether blueberries are in season or not.
• Powdered sugar (Icing sugar): This is optional, but it looks really nice dusted over the top of the cake just before serving.

How to make blueberry yogurt cake

It’s hard to imagine a cake easier to make than this blueberry and yogurt cake. Just mix the wet ingredients into the dry, fold through the blueberries, scrape into a pan and bake!

Here’s how to make it step-by-step:

First, rub the lemon zest into the sugar in a small bowl. Then, combine all of the ‘dry’ ingredients in a large bowl – so flour, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar and lemon zest. Then whisk all of the ‘wet’ ingredients together in a medium bowl or jug – so eggs, oil, yogurt and milk.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until there’s no dry flour.

Line a round 9-inch cake pan with baking paper and spray it lightly with oil. Fold around two thirds of the blueberries into the batter. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the rest of the blueberries on top.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a skewer or sharp knife poked into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Variations

I’ve found that like the various yogurt muffins on Scrummy Lane (try banana yogurt muffins or Greek yogurt choc chip muffins), this yogurt cake recipe is endlessly adaptable! Here are a few ideas, but feel free to experiment with your own as well:

• For a stronger lemon flavor, replace a little of the milk with the juice of the lemon you zested.
• This recipe works well with other frozen or fresh fruit. Try raspberries, pitted cherries, finely chopped apple, or chopped peaches or plums.
• My son often asks me to throw in a handful of chocolate chips! If I do this, I usually replace the lemon zest with a teaspoon of vanilla essence and reduce the sugar to just half a cup.