This yoghurt cake has long been a go-to cake of mine. Like all of my recipes, it’s evolved over the years (from a high sugar, refined flour cake) – I’ve always loved the nice moist crumb yoghurt cakes produce. I’ve been keeping this recipe aside for a special occasion and with Mother’s Day coming up, here we have it.
Seeing as the weather has cooled off a bit, I thought I’d make it with winter fruit and warming ginger. When I made this one to photograph, my daughter said it tastes like a ‘real tea cake’ – ha ha! Compliments are hard to come by from teenagers so I’ll take it as a win.
If you’re not a fan of pear and ginger, don’t despair, it is very easily adapted to other flavours. Take a look at the variations below for all the details as well as suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements.
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This simple, healthy yoghurt cake is an adaptable basic cake that I know you'll keep coming back to.
- 100 grams butter, melted
- 250 grams (1½ cups) full-fat natural or unsweetened Greek yoghurt
- 170 grams (½ cup) sweetener (honey or rice malt syrup)
- 3 free-range or organic eggs
- Zest of one lemon
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh, finely grated ginger or 2 teaspoons ground
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 300 grams (2½ cups) wholemeal spelt flour
- 1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rapadura or coconut sugar
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Pre-heat your oven to 170℃ (fan-forced). Grease and line a spring form pan/ tin with baking paper. I used a 22cm cake tin.
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In a mixing bowl or food processor, beat the butter, yoghurt, sweetener of your choice, eggs, zest and ginger until well combined.
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Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sea salt and blend again for a few seconds to just combine.
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Now gently fold in the spelt flour and mix until the flour is just combined. The more you mix this, the heavier the cake will become, so less is certainly best.
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Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, top with the pear, sprinkle over the sugar and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is firm in the middle (a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean).
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Melt your butter 90, 1 min, speed 3. Add the yoghurt, sweetener of your choice, eggs, zest and ginger and blend 1 minute, speed 4.
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Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sea salt mix 5 seconds speed 4.
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Add the spelt flour and mix 5 seconds, lock the lid, on the flour symbol. Scrape down the sides and fold any uncombined flour as much as you can by hand. You really don't want to over process it, less is best.
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Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, top with the pear, sprinkle over the sugar and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is firm in the middle (a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean).
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This is so yum served with double cream, or creme fraiche.
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In an airtight container for a few days.
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It can also be frozen (also in an airtight container)
Dairy-free
Replace the butter with macadamia nut oil and the yoghurt with coconut yoghurt. If you need it to be nut-free you can use coconut oil, but it will effect the taste and texture (the cake will toughen as it cools). Another option is olive oil.
Fructose friendly
Choose rice malt syrup as your sweetener and replace the pear with berries and omit the sugar on top. Take a look at the flavour combo's below.
Gluten-free
I haven't tested this with a gluten-free flour as yet. But this Basic Easy Healthy Cake recipe is my all time favourite gluten-free cake (but not nut-free). Another great gluten and nut-free cake is my Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (this recipe also makes one large cake).
White spelt
You can certainly replace the wholemeal spelt with white spelt flour - this will produce a lighter, less dense cake batter.
Egg-free
I also haven't tested this but suspect it will work well with chia egg or aquafaba.
Another flavour
So for all of these - omit the ginger and pear.
- Lemon Yoghurt Cake - double the lemon zest and place very thinly sliced pieces of lemon on top (before baking). This is lovely with the ginger too (your call).
- Orange Yoghurt Cake - add the zest of one orange and place very thinly sliced pieces of orange on top (before baking). This is lovely with poppy seeds sprinkled on top too.
- Raspberry Yoghurt cake - top with fresh or defrosted raspberries.
- Apple Tea Cake - add a tablespoon of cinnamon to the cake batter. Thinly slice one apple and arrange on top. Mix a teaspoon of cinnamon in with the sugar and sprinkle on top.
Jigisha Madhav says
Hi. I think the weight of the yoghurt might be wrong. 25g doesn’t seem right.
Georgia Harding says
Yes the zero dropped off the grams, I noticed myself just after publishing it but thanks so much for pointing it out G x
Nicole K says
All of these variations look delicious! I might have to try this one on the weekend.
Georgia Harding says
Hope you got to try it Nicole. G x
Tina says
Hi Georgia, can I use buckwheat as opposed to spelt flour? Thank you, Tina x
Georgia Harding says
Hi Tina, it may be a little heavy with straight buckwheat. I generally will mix it with almond meal if subbing for spelt (50/50) G x
Paula says
So good!!
Georgia Harding says
So glad you loved it Paula, Cheers for rating it G x
Carolyn says
Delicious!! Made this for Mother’s Day afternoon tea and it was a hit!! Thank you for posting the recipe.
Georgia Harding says
So happy you loved it Chelsea, hope you had a great day. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback and rate he recipe too G x
Isabel says
Hi,
I made this on Saturday night ready for Mother’s Day and after I put it into the oven hubby went to use the microwave and found the butter that I had melted in there! Too late to put it into the cake but amazingly the cake turned out beautiful and moist anyway! Delicious flavour too, great for winter with all the lovely pears around. Thanks for this recipe and all your recipes from a long-time follower, Cheers, Isabel
Georgia Harding says
That’s so funny Isabel, I’ve done the same for other cakes before. This is a REALLY forgiving cake – I’ve overcooked it a few times (including the one in the pic, I should learn to use a timer) and it is still lovely and moist. Thank you so much for comment and rating the recipe too. Mean a lot G x
heathers_kitchen says
I made this for the Mothers day breakfast at OSHC along with other brilliant recipes from you. The cake looked amazing was moist and enjoyed by all. the Spanish eggs were a big hit as were the pancakes, I made the power pikelets in the sandwich press, then filled with spinach, fetta and smoked salmon rolled them up and sliced..divine. Chia pudding and granola another hit.
I tell everyone about your magic Georgia, keep up the great work.
Georgia Harding says
You’re amazing Heather – the kids in your care are truely blessed to be so well fed (and the Mums in this case too lol). Thank you for sharing whats on your menu, it’s made my week!! G x
Sabine Simmonds says
Thanks so much Georgia for this delicious cake. My hubby baked it as a Mothers Day treat, and it was sooooo delicious! Moist & tasty, offering a different palete of flavours with the ginger and lemon combination.
Since then I’ve baked 4 of them in the last week (substituting apple for the pear) making delicious, wholesome thank you gifts for people in our school community who have helped us. They have been delighted!
It’s the current favourite flavour of cake in our family.
Georgia Harding says
Fabulous Sabine – I’m so glad it’s become a favourite in your house too. I really appreciate your feedback and rating the recipe too G x
Amy Loubser says
Really impressed with this cake! Thank you for a fantastic family friendly recipe! This cake turned out brilliantly, which really gave me a confidence boost! I’m not the best at baking and I often find the more healthy baking recipes a bit too complicated, or turn out to be disappointing, but this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Georgia Harding says
Ah so pleased – it’s my aim with all of my recipes that they are versatile and just taste good. Glad you’ve found a keeper Amy (and thanks for taking the time to comment/ rate it ) G x
Rona says
This is a beautiful cake and yes tastes just like tea cake. And to my gluten free plant based family it was perfection. We used flax eggs and almond flour + buckwheat flour 50/50 (cup measurement not weight), coconut yoghurt and omitted the butter. I only have 18cm springform so I increased bake time to 60 minutes. Yummm. Thanks for another great recipe that you can tweak to suit dietary requirements x
Georgia Harding says
You’re very welcome Rona. So pleased you enjoyed it and I really appreciate you sharing your variations too. G x