This Chocolate Yogurt Cake is an ultra-moist chocolate cake made without eggs but with dairy-free yogurt to add moisture and proteins to your dessert. With only 6 basic ingredients, it’s very easy to whip up in just a few minutes!
I love making cake for my family and after making my Easy Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Peppermint Cake, I wanted to make a recipe as moist as the second, but as simple as the first. I believe I managed to make the best combination of moisture and ease with this recipe, you need to try to let me know if you agree!!
While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!
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Chocolate Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Self-Rising Flour - note 1
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - note 2
- 1 cup Unrefined Cane Sugar - note 3
- ¾ cup Dairy-Free Yogurt - at room temperature for 30 minutes (note 4)
- ½ cup Almond Milk
- ⅓ cup Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - note 5
Optional
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the self-rising flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, and salt, if used. Make sure all the cocoa is mixed in the flour and no lumps can be seen.
- Pour the light olive oil, Greek-style yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract, if used.
- Whisk again until a smooth thick consistent batter forms.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake it for 25-30 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool down for 30-60 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Self-Rising Flour: Make your own by combining 1 cup all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder. For a gluten-free option, try ¾ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour and ¼ cup almond flour for better moisture retention.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Both natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder work, though Dutch-processed will give a richer taste. Cacao powder is a healthier but slightly more bitter option.
- Sugar: Any granulated sugar will work. Use coconut sugar or light muscovado sugar for an unrefined option, which will also add a caramel-like undertone.
- Dairy-Free Yogurt: Full-fat coconut or soy yogurt is recommended for moisture. Almond yogurt works too but can result in a lighter crumb. Ensure the yogurt is at room temperature to prevent the batter from seizing.
- Almond milk: or any plant-based milk you like
- Light Olive Oil: Other light-flavored oils like grapeseed, canola, or avocado oil are also suitable. Avoid coconut oil unless melted and the yogurt is warm, as cold yogurt will make it clump.
How to Make Chocolate Yogurt Cake
While this cake is super easy to make with my recipe card further down, I’ve included below pictures of key steps.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl to break up lumps.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Stir the batter until it’s just combined with a silicone spatula.
Pour the batter into a square pan lined with oiled parchment paper.
Bake the chocolate yogurt cake for 25-30 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
Let it cool down for 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Carine’s Baking Tips
I have a few more tips for you to make the best, moistest cake!
- Smooth Batter – Sift the cocoa powder with the flour to avoid lumps.
- Even Moisture – Make sure the yogurt is room temperature to help it blend easily and avoid uneven texture.
- Baking Adjustment for Layers – If making a layered cake, divide the batter into two smaller pans and reduce the baking time by 5-8 minutes.
- Frosting Pairings – Pair with my Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache or Cashew Frosting for a fancy-looking cake.
- Add-Ins – Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruits for added texture and flavor.
- Serving Idea – Serve with my Vegan Whipped Cream or a dollop of coconut yogurt and fresh berries for a light finishing touch.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
If you like chocolate cakes, I have many more recipe for you!
Amazing delicious cake! It was a mix of cake and brownie. My family loved it. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this lovely feedback!
ok to use maple syrup honey or agave syrup? as a substitute
NO, you can’t swap a crystal sweetener for a liquid sweetener, the cake will be gummy and dense.
easy & great texture with yougurt
I am so happy to read your comment, thank you!
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever had. Easy, great texture, great taste.
Thank you !
I love your recipes here in Australia, I wonder if you could reduce the sugar content? I modify my sugar amount. From my research good fats are better for us than sugar.
Thank you for your recipes and the opportunity to comment. Best wishes from down under.
Pamela
Hi from New Zealand! You can cut the sugar if you don’t mind a less sweet cake. You can safely removev 1/3 cup and use 2/3 cup without changing the teture and taste too much. Cutting to 1/2 cup will be very low sweetness.
Can you use sugar substitutes?
I am not sure which one you are referring too. You can swap a crystal sweetener by a crystal sweetner, so coconut sugar, unrefined cane sugar work well. Sugar free sweeteners, like blend of erythritol and monk fruit which states being a 1:1 ratio will work.
You have so many wonderful and easy recipes, do you have a book I can buy ?
Not yet sorry!
I just tried this cake, it tastes really good and the texture is amazing. well done and thanks for sharing recipe
This recipe is awesome! it’s the second time I made it, and again, it was delicious! I doubled the recipe to made a bigger cake. it’s my new favorite! I made it GF using 1 1/4 cups GF flour mix (with xantham gum), and 3/4 cup oat flour. since my yogurt was more liquid, I added more yogurt instead of Almond milk. and I halved the amount of olive oil and used more yogurt I had some homemade yogurt that needed to be used up. I’m in love with the result! Thank you thank you thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing your gluten-free option on making this cake! It will help many readers.
Delicious!! I made it with homemade almond yogurt. next time I will triple the recipe to make a bigger cake. thank you!
great recipe. made it with dairy yogurt and milk and just changed the amount of sugar. it looked too much for just 1 cup of flour, so I added half a cup of brown sugar and it ended up perfect.