This buttery and moist orange yogurt cake is full of bright orange flavor. It's so good it's been on repeat in my kitchen for years. Incredibly moist with a springy crumb, caramelized edges, and bright citrus flavor that truly pops.
Best of all its so easy to make. It comes together in one bowl with minimal prep, making it as easy as it is delicious.
This moist orange yogurt cake might actually be my favourite cake recipe ever. I've been making it for years and finally got around to writing the recipe down. The inside is so rich and moist. And the orange flavor just pops. I can't say enough good things about it.
Besides how good it is, it's also so simple to make. One mixing bowl and some easy prep of your pan (both metal or silicone work great).
Quick Summary
- Moist, tender cake with fresh orange flavor
- Made in one bowl - no mixer needed
- Yogurt keeps it soft and light
- Great for breakfast, snack, or dessert
- Keeps well for several days
Ingredients
Similar to my vanilla loaf cake, what I love about this cake is the simplicity of ingredients which really lets the buttery quality of the cake shine.
- Oranges (zest and juice): The star ingredient—adds bright, citrusy flavor and moisture. You can also substitute other citrus like lemon or lime, or even do a mix
- Butter: For richness and a tender crumb
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps with structure
- Yogurt: Adds moisture, tang, and a soft texture
- Eggs: Help bind everything and give lightness
- Flour: The base that holds the cake together
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening for a fluffy rise
- Vanilla: Adds warm and sweet complexity
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the citrus
Instructions
Preheat the oven and prepare your pan
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F), conventional setting (no fan). To prepare your pan, liberally grease it with butter and then sprinkle flour all over - tap off the excess flour and the pan is ready.
You can use a 20 cm (8-inch) round pan, a 23x13 cm (9x5-inch) loaf pan, or a square pan of similar volume. See section below on equipment for more info on alternatives.
This recipe has been tested and works with both metal and silicone pans. Metal pans produce a nicer crust. If using a silicone pan, place it on a baking tray to keep it stable in the oven.
Mix the wet ingredients
- Zest two large navel oranges and juice them — you’ll need 150 ml (⅔ cup) of juice.
- Try to include some pulp - it adds a lovely texture to the cake. If the oranges don’t yield enough juice, top up with more orange juice (from another orange or a bottle) or a splash of water.
Cream together the orange zest with sugar, softened butter, and yogurt. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Finally, add the orange juice.
Fold in dry ingredients
- For best results, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl then fold into the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- I've also done it plenty in the past where I added dry directly to wets one at a time, quick surface mix before incorporating. This is also okay in a pinch but can yield less consistent results.
You will end up with a nice thick batter that may be somewhat lumpy - that's okay as long as there aren't big pockets of dry flour left.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) uncovered for the first 20 minutes and then covered for another 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any raw batter on it.
Equipment
Citrus zester or fine grater: To zest the oranges
Citrus juicer or reamer: To extract juice (with pulp, if possible)
Loaf or Bundt pan: Both metal and silicone pans work great for this recipe. The recipe is made for standard size loaf pans measuring around 21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm or approximately 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches.
The batter makes about 1200 ml or 5 cups so in principle any silicone or metal pan that fits at least 1500ml or 6 cups should work.
Alternatives
Small Bundt: The recipe works great in a small Bundt with a diameter around 22 cm x 10 cm or about 8.5 x 4 inches (6–8 cup capacity).
Slightly larger loaf pan: (23 x 13 x 7.5 cm or approximately 9 x 5 x 3 inches) can also work but the cake may look a bit flatter.
Large Bundt: A larger Bundt (27 cm x 10 cm about 10.5 x 4 inches 12–15 cup capacity) can work but the cake of course only fills out half the Bundt and may look a bit off depending on the mold.
If using a large Bundt like Nordic Ware or the like then you may want to double the recipe and adjust the cooking time to 75-80 minutes (check doneness often and cover if browning too fast).
Serving Suggestion
This cake is not too sweet so it's perfect for breakfast, with coffee or tea, or as a light dessert. As dessert it's a great way to top off a Mediterranean inspired meal.
Related
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Recipe
Orange Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 naval oranges for zest and 150ml (⅔ cup) juice
- 100 grams unsalted softened butter about ½ cup
- 150 grams granulated sugar about ¾ cup
- 100 grams Greek-style yogurt about ½ cup
- 2 eggs
- 180 grams all purpose flour about 1.5 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon fine salt
for preparing pan
- 1 tabespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
Equipment
- 23x13 cm (9x5-inch) loaf pan or 20 cm (8-inch) round pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease pan with butter, sprinkle on flour and tap out excess.
- Zest and juice the oranges, and set aside 150 ml juice with pulp.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together orange zest, softened butter, sugar, and yogurt until smooth.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes uncovered, then cover loosely with foil and bake another 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack or cutting board to cool completely.
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