My sourdough French yogurt cake (gâteau au yaourt) is a simple, one-bowl, sourdough discard recipe made with creamy whole milk yogurt and oil. Perfect for birthdays and brunch, the soft and fluffy crumb stays moist for days! Serves 8.
Everyone needs a back pocket cake. This is mine. From what I understand, French yogurt cake is a classic staple in France, often the first cake kids learn to bake using little yogurt pots instead of measuring cups.
I’ve made it hundreds of times. Here’s what works: I use whole milk yogurt instead of Greek (too thick) and slowly stream the oil into the eggs to emulsify the mixture. This simple step, which I’m surprised doesn’t make it into most recipes, creates the ultimate soft and fluffy crumb.
For the sourdough, active starter or sourdough discard is fine. But room temperature ingredients is a must (I tested cold ingredients straight from the fridge and it stiffens the crumb!). A bright trio of vanilla, almond extract, and lemon makes it extra special for birthdays and brunch with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Sourdough French Yogurt Cake {Step-By-Step Recipe}
Step 1: Mix Eggs & Sugar
This entire recipe happens in one bowl. Grab a large one. Beat the eggs and sugar together until frothy – I use a hand-held mixer.
Step 2: Pour In The Oil
Then slowly stream in the oil with your machine on low speed. Go a little bit at a time. See how the mixture goes from bright to pale yellow? And it’s thicker? PS: I recommend using a mild oil (not a dark, peppery olive oil) to keep the color light and the flavor neutral.
Step 3: Add Mix-Ins
Spoon the yogurt into the bowl, followed by the extracts and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Add sourdough starter and mix again until well blended.
Step 4: Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients
Last step. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and mix until combined. Then pour the batter into a butter coated cake pan. A few bubbles on the surface is ok.
Step 5: Bake The Cake
Bake @ 350 F for about 35-40 minutes, which gives you the perfect amount of time to clean up. When finished, the surface will be golden and a toothpick should come out clean.
How To Serve It
You can dress this cake up or down. Most of the time, I do powdered sugar only. For birthdays or celebrations, I’ll add fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Make it your own! PS: Don’t forget to check out my sourdough French yogurt cupcakes with creamy vanilla frosting.
Food styling & photography: Saltwater Studio
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The Ultimate Sourdough French Yogurt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
My sourdough French yogurt cake (gâteau au yaourt) is a simple, one-bowl, sourdough discard recipe made with creamy whole milk yogurt and oil. Perfect for birthdays and brunch – the soft and fluffy crumb stays moist for days!
Notes & Tips
- Sourdough Starter: For results similar to mine, use active starter or sourdough discard fed @ 100% hydration with all white flour.
- Room temperature eggs & yogurt is a must. I microwave the yogurt for 10+ seconds or so, to get it done fast. For the eggs, I plunge them into a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. Makes a huge difference in the final texture of this cake.
- For the yogurt: Any plain, full fat, cream on top, whole milk brand is good. No Greek. Too dry. Unless it’s Maple Hill.
Ingredients
- 130g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 200g (scant 1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (~100g cracked weight)
- 100g (½ cup) mild oil (e.g. light olive oil or cold pressed sunflower)
- 125g (½ cup) plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 100g (½ cup) sourdough starter or sourdough discard
- Strawberries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Lightly coat an 8-inch springform pan with butter.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt together in a bowl; set aside.
- Add the sugar and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Beat together on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes (hand-help electric mixer or stand mixer is fine).
- Reduce the speed to low. With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil to emulsify the mixture.
- Add the yogurt.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest.
- Add the sourdough starter.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated (do not over mix).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (if there are a few air bubbles, gently tap the pan on the counter to pop them).
- Bake on the center rack for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the cake pan on top of a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
- Dust with powdered sugar, cut into thick slices, and serve with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Comments
Bronwyn Kairuz says
I made this with 10% Greek yoghurt and thinned it out with two tablespoons of lemon juice and this is just about the lightest most delicious cake I’ve ever baked. Made it in a loaf pan. Just delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
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Essie says
Holy smokes! I’ve been wanting to make this and today was the day. I didn’t have any fresh organic lemon – the only zest I’ll use, but I had organic orange extract, so I used that. Just excellent. Thank you!
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Susan says
I’ve made this twice so far, and it will be a standard for sure. The second time I made it, I realized I didn’t have lemon zest, so I used about ¼ tsp fresh lemon juice (I was conservative on the juice so it wouldn’t overpower the cake) to replace it. It came out great! So easy and so delicious. This cake would be great with some fresh-brewed coffee at breakfast.
Emilie Raffa says
Love this, Susan. Thank you for sharing. And good to know re: the lemon juice tip! This cake is excellent with coffee 🥰
Kylie Mason says
Can I use butter instead of oil? I only have strong olive oil so I’d rather not use that.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Kylie! Yes, you can do that. Butter will change the texture slightly but it will still taste delicious.
Patricia Guerin says
Can I use a 9 inch spring pan?
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Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Just decrease the bake time slightly to compensate for the larger pan.
Spooky says
I just baked this. No almond extract, and I used fresh lemon juice instead of zest. House smells delicious… fingers crossed, my sourdough discard flavours come thru!!!
Thank you Clever Carrot!!!
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Jeanne says
I dont have yogurt, trying sour cream.
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Brian Waddington says
Hi, I have a request. Could you create some diabetic friendly recipes? And by the way, your pancake recipe is delicious.
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Emilie Raffa says
Hi Brian! This is the first time I’ve been asked this! I’ll be honest, diabetic recipes is not my area of expertise (but thank you for asking). Let us know if there are any tips you’d like to share.
Brian Waddington says
That I shall. And for the record I’ve been following your instructions for starter and what have you for about two years now and I’m only beginning to appreciate what you said at the very very first thing I read sourdough baking has got lots of rabbit holes. I don’t see what I can do about diabetic and sourdough may not be anything but I’ll be able to look
Emilie Raffa says
I appreciate that very much, thank you Brian.
Brian Waddington says
Hello again Emilie, I am not sure if I’m allowed to add videos rather than just a still photo but as my hands and body shake a little too much to get a decent still shot I’m hoping that this link is going to post.
if the link works it will take you to my YouTube channel. I’m not trying to self promote here it’s just what I use to share with my friends and family.
I have used your basic starter sourdough recipe but for the last couple months I have been exploring with it. I have changed the flour mixture for the dough. I use 3 cups of the best flour that we can find in the store or our neighborhood bakery. And I combine it with 1 cup of coconut flour.
I have also changed from a single day baking to a two day. Once I have mixed the dough I let it rest and then shape it into a ball and let it rise for four to six hours as you suggest. I then split it into two what I call hockey pucks. Once they are turned into hockey pucks I put them in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
The other major difference is that I bake in a small turbo oven / air fryer. This gives me one benefit and one problem. I bake the bread on the steak setting. This gives me two spritzes of water during the bake and the ability to extend my time baking on the top to about 25 minutes depending on the color.
The problem that the air fryer gives me is that it has no direct heat to the bottom so I have to flip my bread over. Once it’s flipped I leave it in for 10 to 15 minutes until the colours right and a strong tap with the finger makes the proper sound.
I’ve been told by AI that the slow rise in the fridge works wonders on the sugar content and starch content which is good for diabetics and that the coconut flour adds a whole bunch of fiber and doesn’t hurt the rise that with the portions I’m using.
I am not a doctor so I would suggest any diabetic out there would be smart to check with their caregiver if this is a good type of bread for them.
But I do know it has a beautiful marvelous scent. And I say sent advisably because it smells like a rare perfume. It also tastes very good. A little sour, a taste of sweet from the coconut; it goes beautifully in stews, peanut butter sandwiches, and even more importantly on its own.
Brian
Cabell says
Also… what is the nutritional information? I have a diabetic husband that would love this.
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Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cabell! I do not include the nutritional information on my site. However, there are many online calculators that will populate the information for you.
Cabell. says
How long after taking out of oven do you wait to pop out of springform pan? And if I only have full fat Greek yogurt, what is a modification I can make?
Emilie Raffa says
I keep the cake in the springform pan for 30 minutes to 1 hour. If using Greek yogurt, you can add a little milk to it to loosen the texture.
Cabell says
Thank you so much 😊
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Wendi says
This recipe looks delicious. Can the cake batter be fermented overnight for my gluten intolerant family members?
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Emilie Raffa says
Hi Wendi! Yes, you can ferment the batter overnight in the fridge, covered. The texture will change slightly depending on how much liquid the batter absorbed, but it can be done.🥰
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