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Did you know you can make one of the best cakes ever with NO scales or measuring cups? What is this magic?! Yoghurt Pot Cake is a thing, and it’s SO easy and flipping delicious. Cake baking at its simplest, just measure with the pot, stir and bake!
Using yoghurt to make a cake?
I know it’s an unexpected ingredient for a cake, just like it is in my Flatbread recipe too, but while it may not be traditional, it really does work, trust me.
One little pot makes a wonderfully light sponge that is fluffy and moist (sorry, I know we hate the word but it is 100% called for here). The yoghurt gives a tang and a creaminess to our cake.
What’s more, we then use the empty yoghurt pot to measure out the rest of our ingredients instead of all the faff that comes with scales, extra bowls etc etc. WHAAAT?!
If you’re looking for a super easy cake to make, this Yoghurt Cake is so simple, you have to give it a go!
Why you’ll love this Yoghurt cake recipe
⭐️ Cake baking simplified!
⭐️ Only a few ingredients
⭐️ Delicious, fluffy results
I am gluten free and I make this cake every week with gluten free self raising flour. It always turns out really well. I use it as a base recipe and add different flavours. So far I’ve tried: banana, blueberry and coconut, apple and cinnamon, lemon and orange drizzle and strawberry. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s amazing.
Sarah’s notes
I show how easy this cake is to make in my step-by-step videos below, but if you’d rather measure everything out instead of using your yoghurt pot (if you’ve not found the right size, for example), I have detailed these amounts in the recipe below.
Yoghurt Cake Ingredients
- Yoghurt – One 150ml/5.3oz pot of natural or Greek full-fat. This will make it nice and moist.
- Oil – Sunflower or vegetable, or anything that’s flavourless (not olive oil unless you want the distinctive taste.)
- Self-raising flour – Also called all purpose flour outside the UK.
- Caster sugar – This is finer than granulated sugar, and if you’re outside of the UK may be called superfine, bar or baker’s sugar.
- Eggs – I use medium free-range in my baking.
- Vanilla extract – NOT essence, which is synthetic.
- Raspberries – Or your preferred fruit.
How to make Yoghurt Cake
1. Put the contents of your yoghurt pot into a bowl, then use it to measure the flour, sugar and oil, using the full recipe below. Add the eggs and whisk together.
2. Add the vanilla and raspberries, and gently stir.
3. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour in the cake mixture.
4. Bake according to the recipe below or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool and slice.
Hint: Cover the cake with foil if the top is browning too much before it’s cooked through.
Substitutions
- Fruit – I have added fresh raspberries but go ahead and use whatever you like to add additional flavour. A blueberry yoghurt cake would go down a storm too, or perhaps blackberries (or try my Blackberry Cake instead). Be careful with any fruit like strawberries as they may be too wet and make the cake quite gooey.
Storing
Store this in a cake tin or sealed container. You don’t need to refrigerate it because it’s got yoghurt in. It should last up to 3 days (if it hasn’t been devoured by then!)
Baking time
We’re baking this cake at 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Cooking the cake low and slow means that the inside has time to cook before the outside gets too brown.
If the top is browning too much when you check at 45 mins but inside isn’t cooked, cover it with tin foil and return to the oven to carry on.
Please note that the timings are what work for me when testing this, but your oven could mean this takes slightly less or more time, so use your judgement and the skewer test – pop it into the middle and if it comes out clean, it’s baked inside.
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FAQs
I like to bake this in a loaf tin, and this recipe and timings are for a loaf tin. Loaf tin sizes can be very confusing, but I think a small one is better as you get a lovely dome shape on the top of the cake.
This will work in any type of tin though, just adjust the cooking time.
The cake uses yoghurt and oil, so no need to add butter.
Yes! Use dairy free yoghurt and you are good to go.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Yoghurt Pot Cake {No Scales Needed!}
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) Yoghurt, x1 POT
- 250 g (9 oz) Self-raising flour, x2 YOGHURT POTS-FULL
- 175 g (6 oz) Caster sugar, x1 YOGHURT POT-FULL
- 75 ml (1/3 cups) Sunflower oil, x1/2 YOGHURT POT-FULL
- 3 Eggs, Medium
- 125 g (4.5 oz) Fresh raspberries, x1 YOGHURT POT-FULL
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure your ingredients using the yoghurt pot and add to a bowl.
- Stir the ingredients together well until the mixture is smooth. Carefully fold in the raspberries.
- Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour in the cake mixture.
- Cook at 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a ⭐️ rating! Your feedback helps us to make more recipes you really want.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
This recipe was first published here on March 13th, 2023. It was updated again on February 9th, 2026 to add additional step-by-step videos.
I made this for pudding after making your slow cooked marry me chicken. Both were absolutely delicious!! I should have made 2 puddings as it went down a treat!
Hi Hannah, thank you for the five star review! Slow cooker marry me chicken followed by yoghurt pot cake sounds like the perfect dinner to me! We love that it went down so well, maybe double up on pudding next time!
I’ve made this recipe as a loaf previously but decided to make ‘muffins’ this time with blueberries instead of raspberries – in paper cases in a muffin tray. Made a dozen – slightly less risen than typical muffins; probably baked for ~25 minutes in total @ 150C fan.
I am one of those that prefer to weigh and tare(zero) scales between adding ingredients, 75ml sunflower oil is ~68/69g. I find the concept of using a messy small yogurt pot to measure just a fad, grams are much more precise and repeatable…and if you have a large container of yogurt…?!
Hi Kelvin, thank you for such a detailed comment! Your blueberry muffin version sounds lovely and it’s really helpful to know the timings you used. We completely understand the preference for weighing in grams for precision, the yoghurt pot is just a fun, fuss-free option for anyone without scales to hand.
Looks an excellent idea, using the yoghurt pot for measuring. I’m going to try this recipe. Note: it’s aluminium foil, not tin foil (for at 50 years…)
Hi Bryan, thank you so much for this lovely comment! We hope you enjoy making it, the yoghurt pot method really does take the fuss out of measuring. And duly noted on the foil, fifty years of experience certainly earns that correction!
So easy and so delicious! Firm favourite in our house from the first bake.
This is spectacularly easy and successful.
Have made GF and was well received.
oh i was just trying to find if i could do a 70/30 tapioca and coconut flour to replace the flour for gf
Hi Anjii, we have not tested the cake with a tapioca and coconut flour mix, so we cannot promise the results. Coconut flour is very absorbent and does not usually swap one for one, so a blended gluten free self raising flour tends to work best here. If you do experiment, do let us know how you get on.
can I use plain greek yogurt??
Hi Lucy, yes, plain Greek yoghurt works perfectly here. The recipe uses one 150ml pot of natural or Greek full fat yoghurt to measure everything else, so a full fat Greek one will keep your cake lovely and moist. Enjoy baking it.
Thank you ! One of the best and easiest cakes I have made. Amazing for school lunch boxes. Would like work as a sponge cake to make birthday cakes ?
This is such a good ‘base’ recipe which I know I’ll make again and again – I made it this evening with frozen raspberries as I didn’t have fresh, and baked it in a mini muffin tin for lunchbox-friendly individual cakes. A great success!
I made this cake with some lemon zest and small pieces of apple… it’s my weekend cake now…!!! My family loves it…
hey there, could I use less eggs if I had 115ml yogurt?
Hi Ms, as we’ve only tried it using the 150g pot of yoghurt we couldn’t confirm how you would need to amend the rest of the ingredients for the reduced amount of youghurt. Sorry!
Made this at the weekend for a week’s worth of packed lunches, and my family has almost demolished it! Great recipe and so easy, will try again (and hide it next time) 😂