This Chocolate Yogurt Cake recipe is soft, tender and super moist thanks to yogurt, then finished with a rich chocolate glaze. It makes for a deep, dark, decadent breakfast, dessert or afternoon treat.
The nice people at Tillamook sent me some of their new light yogurts to try. My kids love to eat yogurt, and my husband has been adding a container (he especially likes the Northwest Berry Patch) to his smoothie every morning and loves it.
But more importantly – I love to bake with yogurt.
Baking with yogurt works the same way as buttermilk. It adds a tang and tenderness to whatever you are baking. And when mixed with homemade chocolate cake mix, it’s absolute heaven.
This chocolate yogurt cake is rich, so a little goes a long way. But my favorite part is the glaze. I love how shiny it makes the cake. Gorgeous.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this decadent chocolate cake are broken down into the chocolate yogurt cake mix and the chocolate glaze.
For the cake batter, you will need flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla yogurt, water, vanilla extract, butter, sugar and eggs.
To make the chocolate glaze, gather together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, water and vanilla.
Cocoa Powder. The cocoa powder provides an intensely rich, deep chocolate flavor. I use it in both the cake and the glaze. Use whatever you have on hand, just make sure it is natural cocoa powder, not dutch-processed. For best results, a high-quality cocoa powder will provide the best flavor.
Yogurt. I love baking with yogurt for many reasons. It’s slightly tangy, acidic and provides so much moisture. Yogurt is a natural tenderizer, so part of it’s job is to keep this fudgy loaf cake soft and tender.
I used one (6-ounce container) Tillamook Light Vanilla yogurt that is already slightly sweetened and flavored with the essence of vanilla. However, plain, regular yogurt will work just as well. Feel free to add an extra 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
If you prefer to use Greek yogurt, use one 5.3-ounce container and thin it out with 1-2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream since Greek yogurt is thicker than American-style.
How To Make // The Steps
All it takes is a few easy steps to make a decadent chocolate loaf cake with chocolate glaze. Simply:
- Mix the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In another small bowl, whisk together yogurt, water, and vanilla. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time.
- Alternate dry and wet. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter. Add the yogurt mixture, and add the remaining flour.
- Mix until just combined. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Bake for 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.
- Make the glaze! Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa, water, and vanilla until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.
Decadent and divine.
What Makes This Chocolate Yogurt Cake So Good?
- It’s rich in deep, dark chocolate flavor with double the chocolate in the cake mix and the glaze!
- The yogurt provides tangy flavor and tenderizes the cake to keep it soft and tender.
- Baking it in a loaf pan makes for a dense crumb and moist cake!
Top Tips For Easy Chocolate Yogurt Cake
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature. This will make the cake mix smoother, resulting in a more evenly baked cake. Plus, it prevents you from overmixing the batter.
- Do not overmix. The more you mix, the gummier the cake will be. Overmixing produces more gluten, which means the cake will be dense and chewy rather than soft and tender.
- Use natural cocoa powder. Unlike Dutch-processed cocoa powder (which has been processed with alkali, neutralizing its acidity), natural cocoa powder still has all of its acidity intact. This reacts with the baking soda and keeps the flavors balanced.
- Replace the water with coffee. The coffee compliments the chocolate and actually brings out the rich flavor of chocolate. Try it out if you’d like a more intense chocolate flavor!
How To Store
This glazed chocolate cake will keep best in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
I would not wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil. You will lose part of that luxurious chocolate glaze since some of it will stick to the wrapping.
If storing in the fridge, remove for 5 minutes before enjoying.
More Chocolate Recipes //
- Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- Mexican Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
- Chocolate Cake with Kahlua Chip Frosting
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Simple Chocolate Rum Cake
- Chocolate Preacher Cake
- Gluten Free and Dairy Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Originally published in May 2010, updated July 2020 with updated images and updated recipe card.
Chocolate Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Yogurt Cake
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 6-ounce container Tillamook Light Vanilla Yogurt
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cocoa
- 3-4 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, whisk together yogurt, water, and vanilla. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter. Add the yogurt mixture, and add the remaining flour.
- Mix until just combined. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa, water, and vanilla until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.
Nutrition
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Why do you need water for this recipe? Just curious.
Thank you.
Susan
Why do you need water? Just curious.
Susan
Great question Susan! In this Chocolate Yogurt Cake recipe, water is added to help create a smooth and balanced batter. The water aids in combining the ingredients more easily and contributes to the overall moistness and texture of the cake. Without the water, the batter could be too thick and hard to mix, potentially leading to a denser, dryer cake as it might not rise as well while baking.
Used the correct alternative for oil instead of butter.
Very dry. Have made recipes with oil and yogurt and usually are moist and delicious. Not sure what happened.
Hi Susan,
I’m sorry to hear that your Chocolate Yogurt Cake turned out dryLet’s see what we can do to help you achieve a moist and delicious cake next time!
First, I’d suggest double-checking the amount of oil you used as a substitute for butter. Generally, you can swap out butter with oil by using 3/4 the amount of butter called for in the recipe. So, in this case, since the recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, you would use 4 to 5 tablespoons of oil.
You mentioned that you’ve had success using yogurt in previous recipes to achieve moist cakes. Make sure you’re using the same type of yogurt as before (in this case, Light Vanilla Yogurt). Different brands and types of yogurt can sometimes affect the moistness of the cake due to varying levels of fat and acidity.
Another tip to prevent a dry cake is to keep an eye on the baking time. Ovens can vary, and sometimes baking for an hour might be too long for your specific oven, causing the cake to dry out. Try checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark by inserting a toothpick – if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, the cake is done!
Lastly, to ensure a tender crumb, avoid over-mixing the batter. Once you’ve combined the flour mixture and yogurt mixture, mix until just combined, and don’t worry if there are a few lumps. Over-mixing can cause the gluten in the flour to develop more, resulting in a tougher cake.
Give those tips a try and let me know how it goes! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. Happy baking! 🍰😊