Gâteau au Yaourt
aka French Yogurt Cake! In most European countries they have a tradition of having a 4pm snack which usually consists of cake and espresso. In France, this daily ritual is called le goûter and I love it so very much. This cake is a le goûter staple and most people in France know how to make it by heart and can throw it together very quickly. The coolest thing about this cake is you use plain, full-fat yogurt and then use that container for all of the measuring. This would be a great recipe for kids who are curious about learning to bake!
Ingredients
1 container grass-fed full-fat 4oz plain yogurt (keep the container) *See bakers note
3 large eggs
1 yogurt container of sugar
1 splash vanilla paste (or extract)
1 yogurt container of olive oil + more for coating pan
3 yogurt containers of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of about half a lemon (or more if your feeling the lemon vibe)
Directions
Set your oven to 350 degrees.
Rub your 8 inch round cake pan with a bit of olive oil using a paper towel or your fingers.
Empty the yogurt container into a separate large bowl. Add eggs, sugar (measured in the yogurt container), and vanilla paste to the bowl and whisk for about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil (measured in yogurt container) and whisk together. Set aside.
Rinse and dry the yogurt container to use for the dry ingredients.
In a separate medium bowl, mix flour (measured in yogurt container) baking powder and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture and gently mix, just to combine.
Add lemon zest and stir only a few times. Be very careful to not over mix this batter!
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 40 minutes.
20 minutes into the bake I like to sprinkle it with sugar but this is optional!
When the cake is browned lightly and you can’t hear any batter bubbling, you will know the cake is done. If the cake starts getting too brown but still bubbling, place foil over the cake until it is cooked through. If you used a bigger than 4 oz yogurt container you will likely need to bake for longer.
Let the cake cool for at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice right before you are ready to eat it (this cake can dry out quickly) and dust each slice with powdered sugar or top with berries or cream.
To store: wrap tightly with plastic and keep in the fridge.
*You can use whatever size yogurt you can find. The size of your yogurt will determine the size and baking needs of your cake. I found this chart online you can use to help determine your pan size.
Yogurt capacity / Cake pan size
4 oz. / 8 inches
4.4 oz. / 9 inches
5 oz. / 10 inches
5.3 oz. / 11 inch
6 oz. / 12 inch
