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Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake

Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake
Step-by-Step Photos Recipe Comment

I was craving a tea-time treat 2 days back and I ended up baking this incredibly easy, simple, one-bowl and no-mixer yogurt cake flavoured with a little lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. They go sooo well with the Earl Grey tea I was having that I went for a second slice, with an additional scoop of ice cream on top (no photos of that as I was busy pigging away haha).

Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake

Jump to: Step-by-Step Photos · Recipe

Yogurt – I used plain and full-fat Greek yogurt for this recipe. They can be easily substituted with any kind of yogurt you like – flavoured, plain, non-Greek… in a pinch, sour cream can also be used also.

Oil – I used a mix of extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil as I ran out of extra-virgin olive oil. You can use hazelnut oil, almond oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil and in a pinch, even melted butter.

Sugar – I used only caster sugar this time round, but I may substitute some with brown or golden sugar the next time for a change.

Add-Ons – I used vanilla paste (love seeing the specks of vanilla in the cake), lemon zest and lemon juice to give the cake a refreshing flavour. You can use orange or lime zest / juice instead and I’m thinking of experimenting with a chocolate version soon.

Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake

The cake is so easy to make (took me only about 5 minutes to put them together and send the batter into the oven) and though it takes a pretty long time to bake in the oven, the texture is still soft and tender. It has a pretty tight crumb so it doesn’t crumble easily when cut. It’s denser than a regular sponge / chiffon cake but much lighter than a butter cake. I love how it has just the right amount sweetness and I can’t wait to experiment more on this basic recipe – baking them into cupcakes, changing the flavours etc. And really, I don’t think you will need any step-by-step photos, but here are them just in case!


 

Step-By-Step Photos

wet
Measure sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl and whisk together.
dry
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir in gently until everything is incorporated.
bake
Transfer the batter into a baking tin and bake away!
Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake
When the cake is cooled, turn it out, dust with icing sugar and serve with a cup of tea or coffee!
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Easy One-Bowl No-Mixer Lemon Yogurt Cake

This recipe is for a 5-inch cake. Double the quantities to bake in a loaf tin (8 x 4-inch) or a 7-inch round tin.
By Foodie Baker
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Makes: 5inch round, 2inch height

INGREDIENTS
 

  • 75 grams caster sugar
  • 125 grams yogurt, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon oil
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ lemon zest
  • 100 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a 5-inch cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment. Set aside.
  • Measure sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest directly into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until incorporated.
    75 grams caster sugar, 125 grams yogurt, 3 tablespoon oil, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ lemon zest
  • Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk in gently until just incorporated. Use a spatula and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure all the flour mixture is incorporated.
    100 grams all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • Scrape the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast, tent it with a piece of aluminum foil.
  • Place the cake tin on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely. Run a spatula along the sides of the cake tin and turn out the cake. Peel off the baking parchment and turn the cake right side up and transfer to a serving dish. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

NOTES

– Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before mixing them together – take them out of the refrigerator and place on the table counter for 30 minutes before using.
– For the yogurt, you can use Greek or non-Greek, plain or flavoured, full-fat or low-fat – it’s entirely up to you. I used plain full-fat Greek yogurt for this attempt.
– For the oil, you can use extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil or any nut oil. I used a mix of extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil for this attempt.
– Adapted from The Kitchn
Tried this recipe?Mention @foodiebaker or tag #foodiebaker!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Tanja (NL) says

    Recipe to keep, thank you! Searched for a cake that did not require a mixer, to bake in a holiday cottage. Love how fluffy it is. No butter and only 75gr of sugar; not too sweet but still satisfies my sweet tooth.
    Today, made it with oranges instead of lemons: zest of 2 + 2tbsp of juice (could add more). Added 2 handfuls of choc chip but not sure if that really made a big difference. Added a heaped tbsp of orange marmelade as glazing after it cooled down. Slightly bigger mold; turned oven off 10 min earlier and left it in.
    Will look here again for some other experiments

    Reply

  3. Lina Di Marco says

    Can I replace yogurt with sour cream? Would love to try but would bake in a 9 by 13 pan…doubling recipe is probably necessary?

    Reply

  4. Rachel says

    This was a winner! I ended up using a little coconut flour in addition to plain, and used coconut oil – came out tasting so yum!

    Reply

  5. Robyn L says

    Believe the reviews…this cake is amazing! I came across it when looking for a recipe to use up some old yoghurt and lemons. So easy, looks beautiful, tastes amazing and not too sweet! Would be easy to jazz up and layer with some lemon curd/cream if you made 2. But I love that it’s a small recipe for a perfect afternoon tea treat. Now a go to -thank you!!!

    Reply

  6. gg k says

    I just made this cake and it is the best cake I have ever baked! I used Greek lemon strawberry yogurt and reduced sugar by half yet it tasted sweet enough to my personal taste.

    Reply

  7. Jacqueline says

    Hi Jasline,

    Thank you for posting this recipe i had some yoghurt to use up and just made the cake very easy and smells devine cake rised beautifully best cake I’ve made by scratch. I’m very happy with the cake will update when i have a piece tommorrow.

    Reply

    • Jacqueline says

      Update this cake tasted amazing perfect amount of sugar just perfect best cake I have ever made my hubby and daughter loved it too. I doubled the recipe . Definately my go to cake for life .Thanks again

      Reply

  8. Astrid says

    Just made this perfect little cake. Great for the weekend for two people. Added a few choc chips. Thank you for recipe. Will try your marble cake next. X

    Reply

  10. jan says

    I would like to use rice malt syrup instead of sugar – but I do not know how the extra liquid would affect the cake and there doesn’t seem to be any wiggle room to leave another liquid out. What can you suggest?

    Reply

  11. Lena says

    This recipe is a dream! I baked it in a muffin tin and I made probably some of the best cupcakes of my life. The texture was amazing and the rise was beautiful. Thank you very much 🙂

    Reply

  12. Emma Nucci says

    I’m the most terrible baker on the planet. Everyone gives me their ‘fail-safe’ recipes and I still manage to ruin them. But this WORKED!!! Thank you a hundred thousand million times 🙂

    Reply

  13. Paul says

    Very impressive simple cake. Love the texture. Doubled quantities and used 2lb loaf tin with a paper liner. Made it for my mother, who is accomplished home cook. She asked me to write your recipe into her cookbook.

    Reply

  14. Ailie Connell says

    Any advice oon how long you think it would keep/ whether it would freeze well? Looking for something simple for a work bake.

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Ailie!

      The cake will last about 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

      I haven’t froze the cake before, but I believe it can be frozen. Wrap the cake in clingfilm and aluminum foil and it can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

      Reply

  15. soo says

    would love to try this as cupcakes (mini-cakes!) has anyone done that? seems like i should try 20-25 mins baking time, same temp?
    thanks!

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Soo! I haven’t made them into mini cakes but I’m sure they will look adorable! Similar to what you said, I will bake them for about 20min (checking them after 15min) at the same temperature. Happy baking! 🙂

      Reply

  16. Rebecca Howles says

    Hi! This was the first Cake I ever made! I made it yesterday for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was delicious. However, I only have a 10 inch round baking tray and I scaled up the ingredients and it didn’t rise… Do you have any advice on the quantities for this size tin plus a recommended baking time? I would really appreciate it! Total cake novice here. 🙂 thank you!

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Rebecca, thank you for trying the cake and I’m so glad you like it!

      To scale the recipe up from a 5-inch cake tin to a 10-inch cake tin, you will need to multiply the quantities by 4 (which will make a huge cake!). If the cake still didn’t rise even after multiplying the quantities by 4, then it may be because your baking powder and baking soda are old (they are not as reactive), and you should buy new baking powder and baking soda.

      If the above still didn’t work, let me know and we can try figure it out again!

      And in the future when you want to scale cake recipes based on your cake tin, you can use this conversion calculator: https://www.foodiebaker.com/recipes/cake-pan-conversions/

      Have a great weekend and happy birthday to your boyfriend! Happy baking!

      Reply

      • Rebecca Howles says

        Thank you so much!!!!! I can’t wait to try it again. So just to check it should bake for 4 times the amount stated as well? Thank you!!!

        Reply

        • Jasline N. says

          You are welcome Rebecca! The baking time should remain the same about 40 to 45 minutes. But always do the skewer test to make sure! If the skewer still comes out moist, just continue baking, checking every 10 to 15 minutes. And if the top is getting too browned, you can tent it with an aluminum foil 🙂

          Reply

  17. LY Kee says

    I replaced lemon with orange instead and baked this in my air fryer. Cake turned out moist but doesn’t seem as fluffy as yours. Do I need to whisk sugar,yogurt and egg mixture for long or just mix together? This is a keeper recipe for people without mixers like me!

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi LY, I’m glad you like the recipe! By right there is no need to whisk the mixture for long as the leavening is done by the baking powder and the reaction between the baking soda and acid (yogurt and lemon juice). Have you tried baking this in a normal oven? I’m not sure if the air fryer affects the texture. Do note that this cake is not a super fluffy kind, so if you reattempt the cake in a normal oven and it’s still not the fluffiness you want, this may not be the right recipe for you. 🙂

      Reply

  18. Lauren says

    Made this into a 7 inch cake with my 3 year old. The recipe was easy to do with a toddler and tasted lovely. I used groundnut oil with the lemon. It could have had an extra 5 min in the oven as it was the slightest bit under done (so 50 min overall).

    Reply

  19. Jee says

    I stumbled upon this recipe (and your blog) trying to find a recipe to use up my batch of almost expiring yogurt. This looks wonderful but I was wondering if I could bake this as muffins? Have you tried experimenting yet? I’m also adding poppy seeds… will report back on the results!!

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi Jee! I haven’t made them into muffins but I think it’s perfectly possible! I think they will be done baking in about 20 minutes, can’t wait to hear your poppy seed version, sounds so yummy!

      Reply

  20. May says

    if i am to bake a 7-inch cake instead of the 5-inch cake in the recipe, do i need to adjust the oven temperature ? Or can i stick to 175 degrees? And can you also advise on the baking time required? Still 40 -45 mins or is there a change?

    Reply

    • Jasline N. says

      Hi May, are you going to scale the recipe to make a 7-inch cake or just replacing the 5-inch tin with a 7-inch tin? If you are scaling the recipe, there’s no need to adjust the oven temperature and the baking time should still be similar. However, do keep an eye on the cake after 30 minutes of baking to make sure the top of the cake is not browning too fast. If it’s browning too fast, cover the cake tin loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking until the cake is done. If you are replacing the cake tin, the oven temperature can be kept the same, but the baking time will be reduced. I’m not sure how long it will take to bake, so just keep an eye on the cake every 10 minutes.

      Reply

  30. Karen (Luvswesavory) says

    Hi Jasline,
    Ooh ! It’s so quick & easy to bake this yummy cake ! Ok, I need to get a tub of yogurt … thanks for sharing !

    Reply

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