Simple Yogurt Cake Recipe

This is another photo and recipe left over from our last days in Sicily.  When I made this cake, I was clearing out the pantry in preparation of our move and realized I had a box of cake mix and instant pudding to use up.  Thanks to The Cake Mix Doctor, we ended up with this simple and tasty yogurt cake.

I’m really not much of a cake baker, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I like to keep a box or two of cake mix on hand.  I’ll admit that I do prefer cakes made completely from scratch on most occasions, but I have a few great family cake recipes that use cake mix as a base so I’ll usually pick up a box or two when I see it on sale.

Another reason I sometimes pick up cake mixes on sale is that it’s fun to try new cakes from The Cake Mix Doctor, a book my grandmother gave me when I first got married.  I’m generally not a huge fan of cookbooks that rely heavily on pre-packaged and processed ingredients, but I have really enjoyed this book over the years.

Our favorite recipe from the book is Easy Tiramisu. Even after living in Italy for four years and enjoying the real thing on a regular basis, I still love the cake-based version in The Cake Mix Doctor.  It’s not a real tiramisu so I would never try to compare it to the Italian dessert, but it’s a great cake and if you enjoy the flavors of tiramisu, you’ll probably like it as much as we do.

But back to the yogurt cake!  As I was saying, I had a box of cake mix and some instant vanilla pudding in my pantry that needed to be used up before our move back to the states.  I started thumbing through my trusty book and sure enough, I found a recipe that didn’t require a trip to the grocery store.

The Basic Yogurt White Cake recipe in the book calls for vanilla yogurt, but I just used plain. I figured between the cake mix and the instant pudding, the cake would be just fine without the extra sugar from flavored yogurt.  And if there’s one ingredient that I’m never without, it’s plain yogurt!

Occasionally I really enjoy a simple cake like this without lots of sugary frosting or glaze.  This cake was moist and flavorful with just a slight tang from the yogurt.  It makes for a nice afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or tea.

So here’s my very slightly adapted version of Basic Yogurt White Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.

Simple Yogurt Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 large eggs

1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt cake pan and set aside.

2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, water, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute.  Stop and scrape down the bowl with a spatula then turn mixer to medium speed and beat for two minutes more.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing it out with a spatula.  Place pan in preheated 350 degree oven.

3. Bake the cake until it is light golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.  Gently loosen cake with a knife then invert it onto the wire rack then allow to cool completely.

4. Serve plain or sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar.

5. Enjoy!
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Related Recipes:

• Easy Lemon Jello Cake
• Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
• Banana Cream Cheese Roll
• Pumpkin Roll
• Orange Yogurt Bread

Around the Web:

• Yogurt Cake from Chocolate & Zucchini
• Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake from Smitten Kitchen
• Orange Yogurt Cake from Farmgirl Fare
• Gluten-Free Lemon Yogurt Cake from Karina’s Kitchen
• French-Style Yogurt Cake from Alpineberry