one bowl chocolate yogurt cake
I always end up having too much yogurt in the house. I see it at the grocery store, glowing on the shelves, and think, Yeah! I’ll eat it. And then I bring it home, have it for breakfast once or twice, forget it exists. Something about cold weather reduces my yogurt enthusiasm, too. This is a shame though, because yogurt is so versatile! You can add it to lots of dishes to make them richer but without all the extra ‘guilt’. Anyway, this cake is a great way to use up that extra yogurt in your fridge, whether it’s on its way out or you’re just craving a slice of chocolate cake (me, always).
The texture of this cake is light, and the tang from the yogurt is reminiscent of buttermilk, which adds depth to the flavor.
one bowl chocolate yogurt cake
yield: 8-12 servings
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (42 g) cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) plain Greek yogurt (or other thick style yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ (100 g) cup sunflower oil or other mild tasting oil
Powdered sugar, for decorating (if not making frosting, below)
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and parchment an 8 inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center, and add the eggs, yogurt, oil and vanilla. Pierce the eggs yolks with your whisk to break them up, then mix everything together until you see only tiny clumps of flour. The batter should be smooth but not overbeaten.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Place into the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto your serving plate (make sure you peel the parchment off!). Once completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar for a snack vibe, or keep scrolling down for my easy fudge frosting recipe.
easy fudge frosting
yield: about 1 cup, enough for 1 one layer cake
4 Tb. (56 g) softened butter
1 ⅓ cup (150 g) powdered sugar
¼ cup + 2 Tb. (32 g) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
2-3 Tb. (30-45 g) whole milk
In a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, about a minute. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running, slowly add in the milk and continue to mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl. Continue to mix on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes. Use right away or store in the fridge. If using it at a later date, be sure to bring back to room temperature and re-whip to achieve original consistency.
