People will often say that they’re a good cook, but not a good baker. My blueberry and yoghurt loaf cake is proof that anyone can be a baker as it’s so simple to make and simply delicious!
Blueberry and Yoghurt Loaf Cake
One of the secrets to success of a perfectly moist yet fluffy and light cake is dairy. But which dairy you may ask? Greek yoghurt might sound like an odd choice, but its natural fat almost guarantees the cake won’t dry out – a great trick for a baker just starting out.
I prefer to make this one into a loaf cake. It makes it easy to cut up and distribute and looks a bit different to your traditional cake. However, if you don’t have a loaf tin, a traditional cake tin will work just fine!
Flavour combinations
Yoghurt cake is a great base for so many of your favourite cake flavours. I love blueberry and lemon together. This makes what is usually a sugary treat into something quite tart and tangy – even those who claim they have no sweet tooth will love having a slice of this.
What you’re going to need
This is a simple cake recipe – it will have primarily cupboard staples like vanilla essence, olive oil and all purpose flour. The fruit combinations can also depend on what is seasonal!
Blueberries – always use fresh over frozen! Frozen blueberries have too much moisture and will leave you with a soggy cake!
Lemon – I always love to use all parts of the lemon where possible which is why this recipe calls for both lemon juice and zest. The lemon zest flavours the sugar and leads to an extra citrus flavour in your cake.
Yoghurt – Greek yoghurt must be used in this recipe and I recommend using full fat!
Olive oil – live oils come in all shapes and sizes from a more robust and heavy flavour to a more light and fruity taste. It really does come down to personal preference however, most cakes call for a light and fruity olive oil.
Olive Oil in a cake?
Yes! You read correctly. This cake uses olive oil making it extremely moist, fluffy and light. Olive oil based cakes also have a fruity flavour and tender crumb. Another bonus about baking with olive oil as opposed to butter is that you don’t need any fancy equipment to make this cake.
There is no need for a stand mixer! All you need is a spatula and large bowl. And while it’s a simple cake to make, it is by no means simple tasting. It’s fancy and sophisticated enough to take to a dinner party and just as easy to dress down and serve with a cup of coffee for breakfast.
FAQ
Why yoghurt?
Since Greek yogurt is naturally acidic, it reacts with baking soda in baked goods causing them to achieve a better rise. That acidity even provides a mellow tang that lends a balanced flavor to your treats.
Can I use other fruits?
Yes! Just make sure you know the moisture content of it so it doesn’t make the cake overly wet. I have used strawberries, raspberries and even raisins in this cake!
Check out my other sweet recipes
Blueberry, lemon and ricotta cake
If you make this blueberry and yoghurt loaf cake, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Blueberry and Yoghurt Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup caster sguar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup light olive oil
- 200 g Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 cups white all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 400 g blueberries
Lemon drizzle
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup icing sugar sifted
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugar and rub the two together with your fingers to flavour the sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until pale, smooth and frothy.
- In the same bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, Greek yoghurt and vanilla essence and whisk until all ingredients are well combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add 1 punnet of blueberries and gently fold through with a spatula.
- Drizzle a 24 x 10cm loaf tin with olive oil and brush all over the sides and bottom. Transfer the cake batter to the loaf tin and smooth out on top with a spatula. Scatter the remaining blueberries on top and push them into the batter so their tops are slightly exposed.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean when poked into the middle. Leave to cool for 15 minutes in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack. Drizzle with the lemon drizzle and serve on its own or with ice cream.
Lemon drizzle
- Mix your icing sugar and lemon juice together until you have a smooth and pouring consistency. You can always add more lemon juice if your drizzle is too thick or more icing sugar if it is too thin.
Hi Daen!
I’m thrilled I found you on line! I also use olive oil & often not the light one when I’m baking! In a few days we go to our friends for dinner & I want to make this great looking cake! What would be better a 9×9 pan or a 9×13. Thanks SO much for sharing your wonderful recipes, can’t wait to dive in!
Amy J 🤗
Thank you for leaving such a lovely comment! I would try the 9 x 9 cake tin!
Thank you, Daen! That’s what I thought as well! But that same day, I decided to make instead, your lemon, coconut, & Olive oil gluten free cake! It was delish! This week friends are coming & infill don’t hesitate yogurt cake. Also because my 9×9 has a bit higher sides, I will bake in 350 F oven! So thrilled all that you have to offer! Blessings to you! 😊
all your recipes look delightful. Is there anyway for the blueberry loaf you can convert into US measurements – thank you. i’m going to use a 1:1 gluten free flour mix as I have Celiac.
Thank you! I am working on installing a conversation chart into my recipes!
Us conversion chart would be great! Recipes look amazing!
Thank you!! I am working on it!!
Hi Dawn, I am preparing to bake your Blueberry and Yogurt cake loaf, however would like to know if you could provide the US measurements for that recipe. I truly would appreciate it.
Thank you
Peggy
Hi Peggy! I am working on having a conversation chart on my recipes. Hopefully this will be implemented soon!
I tried making this with strawberries (having seen above that you’ve tried this before) but unfortunately i would have to recommend others not to use this recipe with chopped strawberries because the loaf turns out far too wet and the texture of the loaf very soggy. I did have bake it for longer (approx 1 hour) and checked with the toothpick method to make sure it was done, it browned quite quickly on top so i baked it with foil wrapped over for part of the baking time. Flavour is nice, not too sweet and cant taste olive oil (i used a “mild” olive oil), but unfortunately the texture was too soggy in parts because of the strawberries.
I am sorry to hear it didn’t work out with the strawberries! I have used strawberries before and it was fine but it can depend on how much moisture they have in them. You can pat them dry with absorbent paper before use to remove as much moisture as possible before baking!
I made this with frozen blueberries that I dried and covered in flour. The cake is a bit soggy and took 90min to cook through.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. I do say within the blog post to not use frozen berries as I have not found a way to make them work in this cake.
Hello there, I checked the U.S. conversion of 400g blueberries which says 4 cups. Is this correct? Thank you, Patti
That sounds about right! It’s just under a pound of blueberries. I hope that helps!
Hi what is all purpose flour, I know plain and self raising?
It’s plain white flour