This old-fashioned little cake is pretty easy to make. It’s moist with a soft crumb and like most tea cakes, it only keeps fresh for a day or so. It’s supposed to be baked in a 20cm/8″ square pan, but I’ve always used a 23cm/9″ one – mistakenly at first, and then out of habit ever since.
This particular cake came about quite serendipitously – our miller friend Kevin Sherrie spotted us a half bag of self-raising flour (half a 25kg bag, that is), I had berries from our last trip to Marrickville, and Pete had a fresh batch of yoghurt made, which I flavoured with a little berry puree.
The original recipe specified fresh blueberries, but I never have them on hand, so I always use defrosted frozen berries. Note that you really do need to let them defrost, or they’ll sink like stones into the cake batter. As it was, mine were still a little too cold, hence the craters in the top of the cake.
- 150g (10 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces
- 155g (¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 large (59g) eggs
- 265g (1¾ cups) self-raising flour
- 200g (7oz) berry yoghurt (I used homemade, but the original recipe recommended Attiki brand fat-reduced strawberry)
- 150g (5.3oz) berries, fresh or defrosted if frozen
- Icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) to dust
1. Preheat oven to 180C (360F) or 160C (320F) with fan. Line the base and sides of a 20cm/8″ or 23cm/9″ square cake pan.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Stir in half the flour and half the yoghurt until just combined. Then stir in the remaining yoghurt and flour until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Scatter the berries evenly over the top and bake for 35 – 40 minutes (check it after 30 minutes), or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Yoghurt cakes are pretty much the only ones I feel comfortable with – I am not yet ready to think about baking, but once lab meetings start here, I might consider baking something for the event.
Will keep yours in mind – I have only made the simple, lemony ones
Oh Celia – this looks lovely – the fruitiness of the berries in a soft cake is heavenly. Since we went to Rome a couple of years ago and the landlady of the apartment made a delish yogurt cake to welcome us, I haven’t looked back. They are HANDS down the moistest cakes I’ve every made and the only cakes I make!Have a blessed weekend
This looks delicious! There is a little cafe in Brisbane called Bouquiniste that serves a wonderful raspberry yoghurt cake. I am going there this morning to have a slice. Yum!
Thank you, ladies! :)
Yoghurt cakes really are so easy to make, and they’re always so moist!
It looks delicious Celia – I’ve been making quite a few cakes with yogurt recently, mostly successful (but a couple of flops!). Love the idea of flavouring my own yogurt with fruit puree – that would help to use some of my mountains of frozen berries too!
Thanks C! We have mountains of frozen berries too – every time I see them on sale I go a bit mad.. :)
ok I wasn’t expected to have a quiet sob into my sourdough toast and tea this morning….I think I need to go outside and fan my eyes for a little. Thanks for adding that snippet.
oh and the cake looks tasty too :-)
I found it incredibly touching as well, Brydie…thanks for watching it…
PS. In case anyone is interested, the video clip we’re talking about is here.
Anything with berries is a winner for me. Yoghurt is just so versatile, the slight tartness and moisture it adds is so unique to the finished product, if you substituted it wouldn’t be the same would it?!
That piece on the Brooklyn couple really is a heartbreaker.
Thanks for sharing.
And the yogurt cake- I think it would be labeled coffee cake here- and I’m making it the first day we get to the shore.
Mmm!
Yum yum yum! I love any kind of yoghurt cake- as you said, the yoghurt gives it such a beautiful crumb and also a dense-ish texture with some substance. And berries are of course always a favourite! :)
This looks lovely Celia. Since I discovered a recipe for making yoghurt banana muffins I haven’t made any other kind – I like the slight tanginess from the yoghurt and of course the moistness. I do love a good afternoon tea!
That clip is bittersweet – what a great project PBS is doing.
Beautiful looking cake, Celia. I love to bake with yoghurt and berries are the perfect addition as they aren’t too sweet!
Thank you all!
Chef, I’ve often used yoghurt and sour cream interchangeably in cakes, but these days prefer Greek yoghurt, as it has far less fat and lactose than sour cream! :)
Heidi, Sarah, heartbreaking and bittersweet are the right words, but also so inspiring. I think it’s impossible not to be moved by the love and sheer honesty of it.
I could go a slice of that yoghurt cake… I’ve just read about Bertie, she’s got a bit of style going on there I’d say. Lopsided Bertie :)
Love the combination of berries and using yoghurt in cakes. Fantastic looking cake!
Anna, thank you! Bertie and style, I’m not sure. She’s one mad chicken. Unkempt. Cranky. Just so full of personality.. :)
Brittany, thank you! :)
Mmm that looks lovely Celia. I’m cradling a cup of tea right now and they would go so well together! And I really must get some more berries! :D
I love yogurt cakes which are also our kids favorite so I make them all the time, more plain, vanilla or chocolate, we finished a lime yogurt cake on Friday night, a not so big one of course. I regularly make almond cakes with raspberries and other berries, I shall add some berries to the yogurt cakes too, btw it looked very nice on that square pan.
C.
Lorraine, thanks again for the headsup on the berries! :)
Claudia, thank you! We love almond meal cakes as well, especially almond and yoghurt ones like the French do!
Delicious looking cake, Celia! It’s so great to use yoghurt in baking and berries are always a favourite.
Re. your snippet – I am beside myself with joy – your first ‘baby’!! That was so fast! How exciting, and it looks like several more are on the way! Many thanks for naming the first one after little ol’ me, I do feel honoured!! :)
Our leeks are the fattest they have ever been with all of the recent rain, we used them in some homemade spring rolls the other night – yummy!
Thanks Chris. Pete had to stop me, I wanted to dig the leek right up then and there and plant the baby one out. I told him you said that was ok, and we could replant the mama one. He rolled his eyes and told me to be patient.. :)
Celia, sadly you are not very good for my waist line :-)
What a lovely sounding tea cake.
I wonder if dusting the berries in flour (if they are still a bit cold) might help prevent them sinking a bit.
:-) Mandy
Great suggestion, thanks Mandy! I’ll try it next time..