Yogurt cake (French children’s recipe)

If you have children, you will love making this French yogurt cake recipe with them. With easy to follow instructions for kids who enjoy cooking.
You are currently viewing Yogurt cake (French children’s recipe)
(As an Amazon affiliate living in France, I may earn commissions on purchases. All information provided is for entertainment purposes only.)

This Recipe includes

yogurt Yogurt
flour All purpose flour
egg Eggs
butter Butter
oil Vegetable oil
brown sugar White or brown sugar
baking powder Baking powder
vanilla Vanilla extract
lemon (Optional) Lemon

Why we love it

The Gâteau au Yaourt, otherwise known as yogurt cake, is a very popular recipe in France for families with young children. Not that people without children can’t enjoy a good yogurt cake, it is just that the idea is that kids make this recipe themselves with or without the help of mom and dad.

It is a simple cake recipe as far as French cakes go, but the trick is in the measurements. Instead of complicated “grams, cups, and liters”, everything is measured by the size of an ordinary individual-size yogurt cup. The idea is that it is so easy, that even a child who can’t read, can understand the basic instructions and be able to participate and make his/her own dessert.

I see a lot of French yogurt cake recipes that miss this essential point, et c’est un peu dommage quand même! (it’s a shame).

The cake is also perfect as part of a goûter (afternoon snack) that all French children abide by religiously. Small children in France don’t have school on Wednesdays since it is the day reserved for activities. For this reason, this cake is also called the Gâteau du Mercredi (wednesday cake), since this is the perfect time to bake a cake together for that afternoon snack.

So without further ado, here is the traditional French yogurt cake recipe. I’ve included the basic ingredients, along with instructions on how to take it up a notch by turning it into a lemon yogurt cake.

What type of yogurt to use?

Use any unsweetened and unflavored natural yogurt in your recipe. You can also use greek yogurt if you wish.

Can you use dairy-free?

Yes, use one that doesn’t have artificial sweeteners in the same proportions as the regular yogurt in the recipe.

What size cup should you use?

You should use an individual size yogurt container. The standard size is 5.3-ounce size, but they can range up to 8-ounce sizes. For a yogurt cake, the importance is the ratio of the ingredients, not the size of the cup itself.

Yogurt cake recipe

French Yogurt Cake Recipe

Nassie Angadi
The traditional kids' yogurt cake in France.
4.61 from 23 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Snacks
Cuisine French
Servings 6
Calories 686 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup of plain yogurt
  • 2.5 empty yogurt cups filled with flour
  • 1.5 empty yogurt cups filled with sugar
  • 1 sachet of baking powder
  • 0.5 empty yogurt cup filled with vegetable oil
  • 10 g of butter
  • 1 sachet of vanilla extract

Optional

  • 1 lemon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (375F).
  • Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
  • Add each ingredient slowly (except butter) and mix. In order of yogurt, flour, sugar, baking powder, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
  • (Optional) Add a bit of the zest of lemon, and some of the lemon juice to your mixture, depending on personal preference.
  • Blend thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.
  • Butter the loaf pan.
  • Add the mixture in the pan and place in the oven at 180C (375F) for 30 minutes, until the top looks browned and golden.
  • Test with a knife to see if it is sufficiently cooked.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 686kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 14gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 163mgFiber: 1gSugar: 46g

Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates are approximate. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health. This website is written and produced for entertainment purposes only.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
spacer

☞ READ MORE: ABC of French Cuisine (the Food Dictionary)

If you enjoyed that, check out our other French snack ideas recipes that are easy to prepare. Bon appétit and à bientôt!

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Carleen

    Hi, I am new to your blog and am adapting this recipe to my Oregon, USA kitchen. How many grams of baking powder is in a standard sachet? How many ounces of yogurt are in a standard French container. Here it can be anywhere from 6 to 8 ounces. Thanks, CC

    1. Nassie

      Hello, thanks for messaging Carleen. A standard sachet of baking powder is 11g here, and a yogurt is also marked in grams actually, at 150g. As long as flour and the yogurt is proportional, you should still get the fluffiness with the yogurt and butter, even if you use a larger yogurt cup. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

  2. Ivy Suen

    Hi! I made this and was wondering what size pan did you use? I must’ve over mixed my batter because it came out super dense and flat. The batter was also thick after I added the flour. Thanks!

    I still love the idea and story behind this cake though so I will try again. Can you elaborate on the yeast usage too? Your site is the first I landed on but now I have seen this cake on other sites and their recipes do not use yeast. Is it because of no baking powder?

    1. Nassie

      Hello Ivy! Yes, it is a baking powder, I think I was a bit unsure of what to call it in English, in French it is called “Levure Chimique” and we get it in a little packet like this: https://courses.monoprix.fr/products/MPX_11920/details. Thanks for pointing it out, I will edit the description!

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating