What does yogurt do in baking cake?

Its creaminess helps keep baked goods moist . Its tanginess imparts a crave-worthy, old-fashioned flavor. Its acidity helps activate baking soda, which can make baked goods fluffy and light.

What is Clementine cake made of?

directions. Wash and remove stems from clementines , cut into quarters, process clementines with sugar in food processor until smooth. Add butter, then eggs; process until smooth Add flour,baking powder, process until combined. Spoon into greased 8-cup bundt pan.

Is it better to bake with yogurt or Greek yogurt?

With baking, if a recipe specifically calls for Greek yogurt, the added moisture from using regular yogurt instead might make the dough or batter too wet . Some recipes are more forgiving. For example, a salad dressing might be slightly looser, but work out just fine when made with regular yogurt.

What ingredient does yogurt replace in baking?

I use Greek yogurt in place of much heavier, higher fat or more calorie dense ingredients – like butter, sour cream, oil, or buttermilk . Using yogurt in your baked goods will make them incredibly moist, while adding yogurt to savory dips and soups gives them creaminess with a touch of tang.

What is the origin of the Clementine cake?

History. Clementine cake is probably related to a Sephardic orange cake . Sephardic Jews popularized citrus cultivation in the Mediterranean region in the 15th century and popularized the use of orange in baked goods. In addition to its Iberian flavors, the cake also has North African and Spanish roots.

What's the difference between a clementine and a tangerine?

Tangerines are a specific type of mandarin orange. They are a bright orange color, slightly tougher skins, and their flavor is a little less sweet and a bit more tart. Clementines are the smallest type of mandarin orange . They are super sweet, seedless, and have red-orange skins that are smooth and shiny.

What happens when you add yogurt to cake mix?

Mix 3/4 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt into your cake mix and stir thoroughly. This replaces the oil in the cake adding a richness and denser flavor that also keeps longer.

What does yogurt replace in a cake mix?

Yogurt is a good replacement for any soured milk product such as buttermilk or sour cream , but not for eggs. Eggs are used for moisture, structure/binding and leavening in baked goods.

Can I skip yogurt in cake?

Coconut milk or coconut cream can be used as a dairy-free alternative to yogurt. They both provide a rich flavor and moisture to baked goods. Use the same amount of coconut milk or coconut cream as yogurt mentioned in the recipe. This means one cup of yogurt equals one cup of milk or cream.

Can yogurt replace butter in a cake recipe?

If the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt . However, yogurt tends to increase the moisture content in a recipe, and as such, bakers suggest only using yogurt in place of recipes that call for 1 cup or less of butter.

Clementine Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake Recipe

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FFFreezer Friendly

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 01/31/2014Updated: 11/22/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This yogurt cake has so much great flavor thanks to clementines and vanilla beans that you won’t even notice that it’s made with whole wheat flour and yogurt!

This time of year, we go through clementines like crazy. The kids love them, Ben loves them, and I love them. They are easy to peel, easier to eat, a perfect little snack.

Sometimes I go a little overboard when I’m buying clementines at the store and I need to find another way to use them.

When I saw this recipe on Girl Versus Dough, I knew right away that I’d be making my own version of it. I love that her recipe includes whole wheat flour and yogurt. And obviously, the star of the show, clementines.

I, of course, add vanilla beans because I just can’t help myself! I add them to everything: cream cheese, butter, frosting, granola, applesauce, candied walnuts, and more.

I love the sweet flavor that vanilla adds to citrus, as demonstrated by my love of all things orange creamsicle (but that’s a whole ‘nother addiction to talk about on a different day).

About This Yogurt Cake

Yogurt cake is really easy to make and can be made with all pantry staples, assuming your pantry is stocked exactly like mine. It is, right? All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and oil are all you need. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, just substitute all-purpose flour.

There are a few fridge staples on the list, too, like yogurt and eggs, . I always have plain Greek yogurt on hand. I prefer it to the flavored kinds because it has much less sugar. I just add a smidge of brown sugar, vanilla extract and a sprinkle of cinnamon. My kids both devour it.

The best part of this cake (besides the vanilla beans) is the syrup that you create to pour over the top. It creates a moist, sticky, sweet layer on the top of the cake. The glaze eliminates the extra step of making frosting. Of course, if you want to top the the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, that’s totally up to you!

Easy Cake Recipes

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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Clementine Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Additional Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

8 servings

Print Rate Recipe

This yogurt cake has so much great flavor thanks to clementines and vanilla beans that you won’t even notice that it uses whole wheat flour and yogurt!

Ingredients

▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
▢ ¾ cup whole wheat flour
▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
▢ 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar, divided
▢ 3 large eggs
▢ 2 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest
▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
▢ 1 vanilla bean
▢ ⅓ cup canola oil
▢ ⅓ cup freshly squeezed clementine juice
▢ Powdered sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of a 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper and then spray parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray as well. .
In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt until combined.
In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, clementine zest, vanilla extract and the seeds from inside the vanilla bean (save the scraped out pod!).
Put vanilla bean pod in a small bowl and cover with remaining ⅓ cup of sugar. Set aside.
Slowly stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Stir in oil. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about 10 minutes in pan, then remove from cake pan and transfer to a cooling rack with a rimmed baking sheet underneath it.
While the cake is cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and cook the clementine juice and sugar/vanilla bean pod mixture, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let vanilla bean pod stay in this mixture until the cake is on the cooling rack. Then remove the vanilla bean pod and pour the juice/sugar mixture evenly over warm cake on cooling rack. Cool completely.
If desired, sprinkle top with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

If you want the glaze to saturate the cake, use a skewer to poke several holes in the top of the cake before slowly pouring on the glaze.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 285mg, Potassium: 132mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 119IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review

Amanda says
May 19, 2019 at 1:48 pm
I made this for a potluck with gluten free people. I used gluten free all purpose flour and added an extra egg yolk to help bind the flour. I didn’t have vanilla beans so I just used vanilla extract instead. People LOVED it! One lady literally ate half the cake!
Reply
- Rachel Gurk says
  May 19, 2019 at 1:56 pm
  I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
  Reply
E says
December 22, 2017 at 1:05 pm
You can baste on the sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
- Rachel Gurk says
  December 23, 2017 at 7:18 am
  Enjoy!
  Reply
Angela says
September 20, 2016 at 9:01 pm
Thank you for the awesome recipe! I didn’t have clementines, so I substituted with very ripe Meyer lemons. It was just delicious! This will is already a family fave. :)
Reply
- Rachel Gurk says
  September 21, 2016 at 6:37 am
  Sounds amazing! I’m so glad you liked it – thanks for taking the time to comment! :)
  Reply
Amallia @DesireToEat says
November 17, 2014 at 11:21 am
I just tried your recipe, it was so delicious, perfect for coffee time, I love it so much :-)
Reply
Kris says
April 22, 2014 at 7:31 pm
This is a great recipe. Was wondering if I can use lemons instead of clementines….I feel like trying this recipe out tonight :)
Reply
- Rachel Gurk says
  April 22, 2014 at 8:20 pm
  No harm in trying! I bet it would be great!
  Reply
Marilyne says
March 16, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Just baked this with my daughter who usually loves to cook and tastes everything while we bake but does not eat much once done. Well, she ate almost half of the cake!!! I love that it is a healthier cake but that it is still delicious!
I did not have greek yoghurt around so I used ‘fromage blanc’ (I’m in France) which is pretty close in taste and thickness (it is not cheese!). It was perfect. I prepped both sugars the night before so the zest and vanilla would infuse. Love this cake! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Reply
- Rachel Gurk says
  March 16, 2014 at 3:55 pm
  So happy to hear it!
  Reply
Claire Gallam says
February 10, 2014 at 11:09 am
This looks completely and utterly perfect. Love it!!
Reply
Caroline Taylor says
February 3, 2014 at 9:12 am
I love cakes with yoghurt in them and this one sounds great.
Reply
Samantha Ferraro (@FerraroKitchen) says
February 2, 2014 at 3:45 pm
Gorgeous cake and I LOVE these flavors!!! I bet it would be awesome with a touch of cardamom too!
Reply
Lea @GourmetMommy says
February 2, 2014 at 6:48 am
Orange creamsicle cake…drool. Pinned and shared!
Reply
Caroline Hurley says
February 1, 2014 at 9:28 am
This cake is SO pretty and I love the combination of clementine and vanilla bean! I have to admit…I love a simple and light cake like this, with that dusting of powdered sugar. It makes me feel SO less guilty about having a slice…or two! :)
Reply
Alanna says
February 1, 2014 at 1:01 am
What a handsome cake – look at that crumb! I’m a fan of vanilla with citrus, too. Can’t wait to make this guy! Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Megan {CountryCleaver} says
January 31, 2014 at 10:27 pm
I absolutely adore oranges this time of year- and this cake is so gorgeously fluffy! Homerun, love!
Reply
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
January 31, 2014 at 10:26 pm
Oh YAY! I love that you made this cake — it’s one of my favorites of all time. And I really love the idea of poking holes in the top to soak up more of the syrup (which really is the best part). :)
Reply

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Clementine Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)