Baking yogurt cakes is one of my favourite ways to use up leftover yogurt. Dotted with little nuggets of chopped dark chocolate, this matcha yogurt cake makes a really delicious breakfast or tea-time snack. And did I mention that no mixer or creaming of butter + sugar is required to make this cake?
Have you ever faced this problem? You reached for a product that is packed in a larger quantity because it's cheaper. But then you ended up being unable to finish it before its expiry or best before date? I sometimes face this issue with yogurt as I'm the only one eating it at home. But I'm not worried - because I will simply use it in recipes that require sour cream or yogurt.
I already have a few yogurt cake recipes on the blog, but I really like this matcha yogurt cake variation. 1) It looks so beautiful baked into a tall loaf. 2) The chopped dark chocolate goes surprisingly well with the matcha flavour. Do use a really good-quality fresh matcha powder for a strong and delicious matcha flavour. Some other notes on the recipe:
1) Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and then whisk it well.
Yogurt cakes are easy because no mixer is required and it could be a one-bowl recipe if you sift the dry ingredients directly into the cake batter, but nowadays I prefer to take this additional step to ensure that the raising agents (baking powder and baking soda) are evenly mixed and distributed throughout the dry ingredients and hence batter. If the raising agents are not evenly distributed, you may get an unpleasant metallic taste in some parts of the cake. If you find that your cakes sometimes have an unpleasant metallic taste, switch to an aluminum-free baking powder and take the extra effort to sift and whisk the dry ingredients.
2) Plain, Greek-Style Yogurt
I am using plain, greek-style yogurt from Farmers Union brand. I personally find this brand more tasty than other brands. This brand's yogurt is also thicker in consistency. Other yogurt brands seem to be a bit more watery than Farmers Union, so you may have to reduce the amount of yogurt used if your cake is ending up too dense and gummy. If you are using flavoured yogurt - take note to reduce the sugar as flavoured yogurt tends to be packed with sugar.
For my next attempt, I may incorporate anko (sweetened red bean paste), and sprinkle a little black sesame seeds on the batter before baking for an even more Japanese-inspired taste. I will let you know how it goes...
Here are my other yogurt cake recipes should you be interested, but let's head to the step-by-step photos and recipe! (:
Step-by-Step Photos | |
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| 1) Melt butter in a small pot over low heat. | 2) Whisk in sugar… |
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| 3) …and plain yogurt. | 4) Whisk in eggs one by one - I accidentally added both eggs in, don't be like me! |
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| 5) Whisk until eggs are fuly incorporated. | 6) Add in sifted dry ingredients. |
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| 7) Fold until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom well to make sure the batter is well-mixed. | 8) Pour in ⅓ of the cake batter into a lined baking tin. |
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| 9) Sprinkle in half of the chopped chocolate. | 10) Add in another ⅓ of the cake batter. |
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| 11) Sprinkle in remaining chocolate. | 12) Add in remaining cake batter and smooth the top. |
Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy with a cup of tea / coffee!
Matcha Yogurt Cake
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 170 grams all-purpose flour
- 30 grams cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, aluminum-free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 15 g matcha
Wet Ingredients
- 90 grams unsalted butter
- 150 grams caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 225 grams yogurt, plain (non-flavoured); cold from the fridge (see Note 2)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
Add-Ins
- 75 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped to pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 170°C conventional / 160°C convectional. Line a 8x4-inch baking tin with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and matcha in a bowl to get rid of any lumps. Whisk with a wire whisk for 50 strokes to mix the dry ingredients evenly. (See Note 3)170 grams all-purpose flour, 30 grams cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 15 g matcha
- Cut butter into small cubes and place in a small pot. Place pot over low heat and stir occasionally until butter has melted completely. Remove from heat.90 grams unsalted butter
- Whisk in sugar, salt and yogurt until well-mixed and incorporated. If the mixture is still very hot (which shouldn't be) , set it aside and let it cool to room temperature. This is so that you don't end up with scrambled eggs when you add the eggs in!150 grams caster sugar, 225 grams yogurt, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Whisk in the eggs one by one, whisking well until fully incorporated before adding the next egg.2 eggs
- Add in half of the dry ingredients - use a rubber spatula and fold until there are a few streaks of dry ingredients. Add in remaining dry ingredients and fold just until there is no more streak of dry ingredients left. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl while folding to ensure the batter is mixed well, but do not over-mix else you will get a tough cake.
- Alternate ⅓ cake batter - ½ chocolate chips - ⅓ cake batter - ½ chocolate chips - ⅓ cake batter into the tin. Use a rubber spatula to smoothen the top.75 grams dark chocolate
- Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted to the centre of the cake comes out with very few crumbs sticking to the skewer. Place cake tin on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake out and let cool completely on a wire rack.
NOTES
- The recipe is for a 8x4-inch tin which is a more commonly-sized tin; but in my photos I'm using a 8x3-inch tin because I like tall-looking cakes. If you happen to be also using a 8x3-inch tin, the baking time will be around 45 to 55 minutes. If the top is browned but inside is still wet, tent with a foil and bake until the cake is done.
- I recommend using greek yogurt but it's not common in Singapore (and not to mention expensive!) I'm using plain, greek-style yogurt from Farmers Union brand. This brand's yogurt is thicker in consistency than other plain yogurts. If your attempt resulted in a cake that's dense or gummy, it may be because your yogurt is too watery. You may have to experiment with reducing the amount of yogurt in the cake.
- I nowadays prefer to sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and then whisking it to ensure that the raising agents (baking powder and baking soda) are evenly mixed throughout the dry ingredients and hence batter. If the raising agents are not evenly distributed, you may get an unpleasant metallic taste in some parts of the cake.
- Just a variation thought: substitute the chocolate chips with some anko (red bean paste) and sprinkle the top with some black sesame seeds before baking!
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