This yogurt cake has a soft and creamy texture. It is just 3 ingredients and doesn’t require flour, butter or oil, and is healthier than most traditional yogurt cakes. It only takes about five minutes to prepare the batter. This cake can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer. It makes a great snack or dessert.
I was recently inspired to make a thick and creamy yogurt cake. It also is low in calories and sugar. What I especially love about this cake is that it can be cooked in the air fryer or the oven.
Ingredients
- Greek Yogurt
- Eggs
- Cornstarch
Greek Yogurt: For this recipe you will want to use a sweetened nonfat Greek yogurt. The cake has no other sugar other than the sugar from the yogurt, so I recommend using a sweetened Greek yogurt that has a regular amount of added sugar to it. I used vanilla flavored Greek yogurt but other flavors should work as well. I have made a version of this cake with regular yogurt but the texture is more firm and less creamy and soft.
Eggs: The eggs provide structure for this cake.
Cornstarch: This recipe uses a small amount of cornstarch. You will not taste it at all, however, it helps absorb the excess liquid from the yogurt without affecting the texture of the cake.
Yogurt Cake Sweetness and Texture
This is a very low sugar cake and will not taste very sweet. However, it can be easily adjusted to suit personal preferences. You can drizzle some honey or other sweetener of choice over the top of your cake. You can also add sugar to the cake batter (this is discussed in detail in the notes section of the recipe card).
This yogurt cake has a very creamy texture, almost like a cheesecake. The exterior of the cake is a little chewy.
How to Make Creamy Yogurt Cake
The yogurt and eggs are whisked together until the eggs are completely incorporated. The cornstarch is then whisked in until no lumps remain. The batter is then poured into your prepared baking pan and ready to be baked or cooked in the air fryer.
Cooking Yogurt Cake
This cake can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer.
If you cook it in the air fryer, it takes less time (around 20 minutes) and the surface of the cake has a nice caramelized appearance. The cake also deflates less when it is done cooking and the cake is not too moist. This is my preferred method for making this cake.
If you bake this cake, it will turn out but it does take longer baking time (around 70 minutes) and the cake does deflate more when it is finished so the exterior may look a little bit wrinkly. The texture of the cake is the same as the air fryer version but it is a little more moist.
More Yogurt Cake Recipes
3 Ingredient Creamy Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (400 g) nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tbsp (32 g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Spray the interior of a 6-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and then line the interior with a single large sheet of parchment paper so that it completely covers the interior of the cake pan and comes up slightly above the pan. Press and crease the parchment paper as needed so that it sticks to the interior of the pan. It is okay that the parchment paper will be wrinkled and uneven around the edges. This is supposed to be a rustic-looking cake so the cake edges will not be perfectly round.
- Add yogurt and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until eggs are thoroughly combined. If adding sugar, mix it in now. Add in the cornstarch and whisk until batter is smooth. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
- To cook in the air fryer: Preheat air fryer to 320°F (160°C) and bake for about 20-23 minutes. Cake should be puffed up, the batter should not be jiggly or liquidy and the surface should have a caramelized appearance. The cake should deflate a little when it comes out but it shouldn't shrink too much. To cook in the oven, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake for about 70-75 minutes or until cake is puffed up, the batter is no longer jiggly and the cake has a caramelized surface. When the cake comes out of the oven it will begin to deflate and may wrinkle.
- Let cake cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then place it into fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. I usually make mine the night before and just leave the cake overnight in the fridge. Letting the cake sit in the fridge will help develop the flavors. Remove cake from the fridge about 15-30 minutes before serving so that the cake can come back to room temperature. If desired, drizzle with honey or other sweetener when serving.
Notes
- This cake has a very low level of sweetness. If you desire a sweeter cake, you can add about 1/4 cup of granular sugar to the batter (or 1/2 cup if you are using plain nonfat Greek yogurt with no sugar added). You can also drizzle honey on top before serving.
- You can use a 6-inch one-piece round cake pan or a 6-inch round springform pan.
- I use this 6 inch round cake pan.*
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- See post for more details on the differences between the air fryer and oven versions.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
do you think I can substitute vanilla protein powder for the cornstarch?
Sorry, but we haven’t tried that.
I added zest and juice of 1 lemon and about 1/2 cup sugar to batter. Before baking in a loaf pan I swirled in some blue berry preserves. Baking time was about 65 minutes. Wonderful texture and flavor!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Will this recipe work with something other than corn starch?
Sorry, but we’re not sure. We’ve only tested it with cornstarch.
I made this with almond milk yogurt because I’m allergic to dairy. It cracked in the middle while baking kinda like a cheesecake does. It puffed up in only one corner but turned out great still! It was so delicious I’m making it again today but doubling the recipe.
We’re glad it worked with almond milk yogurt!
Just to share that I’ve made it both in the air fryer and oven – air fryer took 35 mins before it no longer had liquid bubbling in the centre, oven took only 45 mins. I used Greek yoghurt that already had a hint of honey, but the general consensus was that a bit more sweetness might be better. However, it certainly had the mouthfeel of cheesecake and the taste of yoghurt, and one of my friends said it “feels guilt-free”. Thanks for an interesting recipe 🙂
Yes, as mentioned, the cake is not very sweet – we offer tips in the recipe card notes if you prefer it sweeter. We’re glad you enjoyed both versions – thanks for sharing your experience!
Absolutely delish! I added zest and juice of one lemon, then baked an hour in loaf pan. Topped with tart cherry preserves. Tasts just like cheesecake!
Love the cherry preserves idea! Thanks for letting us know.
I made this in a 6” spring form pan and it was too much. It overflowed the pan. Yes I measured everything exactly. In fact, I made this once before with a 10 inch pan because that was the only one I had. I can’t understand what went wrong.
That is strange – if you measured and mixed everything following the directions it shouldn’t overflow the pan. Did the batter fit and then overflow once it started cooking? Did you bake it in the oven or in the air fryer?
Hi,
When you say to air fryer the yogurt cake, do you mean to just use the “air fryer mode” or is it in air fryer, but use the “OVEN BAKE MODE”.
Also, do you have a version that uses half egg whites and only 2 whole eggs?
Love your recipes!!!
We’re glad you love the recipes ! For this recipe, we air fried it, so if yours has “air fryer mode” you should use that. Also, we’ve only tested the recipe as it’s written, so can’t say if changing out the eggs will work.
I hosted a girls’ healthy night out at my house, which was perfect! I used the Kirkland brand Greek yogurt and it’s packed with protein. I was stressed about what to bring but we just had our new quartz countertops installed so I wanted to host, ha! Anyway, all the girls wanted the recipe after they had some! I will be making this again!
We’re glad everyone loved the cake!
This has reminded me of a dessert I used to make years ago – I used an individual Muller Light yoghurt (sugar and fat free), one egg, a bit of lemon zest and some frozen raspberries – I used to bake it in a wide ramekin dish in a Bain Marie – I’m definitely giving your recipe a go!
We hope you like it!
I’d like to make this without any sugar, either in yogurt or added. Do you think I can substitute maple syrup for a sweetener?
We haven’t tried it and can’t say how it will change the cake.
Can I make it in a pressure cooker without the whistle,how long will it take ,
Thank you
Sorry, we’ve only tested the recipe with an air fryer and in the oven.
Delicious and nutritious:)
We’re glad you liked it!
Hi! Can I use arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch (corn allergy)? And will coconut yogurt work instead of nonfat Greek yogurt (dairy allergy)? Thank you for this recipe!
Sorry, we haven’t tried those substitutions.
Hello,
I first found your 3 ingredient banana doughnuts. Loved them. Tonight I was reading about your cloud cakes. I would like to make one for our church ladies luncheon. Since it will be in March, I would like to add green coloring. Do you know if that would make it to moist, and ruin it? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Dollie
We haven’t tried it, but a little food coloring should work fine! Let us know how that works for you.
I’m wondering if a non-dsiry yogurt would work. I use almond milk yogurt and wonder what your thoughts are ln using that as a substitute?
We haven’t tried non-dairy yogurt, so we can’t say for sure if it will work. If your almond milk yogurt has the same consistency as Greek yogurt it might – let us know if you try it!
Hi! I made this last week and I did like it a lot but my cake kept having pools of water when I stored it in the fridge and when I first finished airfrying it. Do you know why this happened?
Hm, what kind of yogurt did you use?
I used nonfat Greek yogurt
We haven’t had that issue, so not sure what might have caused it! The only guess is maybe the brand of yogurt you used has more water content which was released when the cake was cooked.
Would love to try all non fatning recipes it helps with diabetes
If i dont have a 6inch pan, can this recipe increased to fit a larger easer found size like a 8 inch pan?
We haven’t tried in a bigger pan. You would need to adjust the ingredient amounts
Can you use a flavored yogurt, like cherry?
yes
Can you use Icelandic skyr?
I think that should work.
Hi, do yu hink one could make a version of this for a microwave?
Sorry we haven’t tried with the microwave
Can this be made substituting applesauce for eggs and some non corn or gluten for the starch?
no it will not work with applesauce substituting for eggs
Can you put any flavoring, like an extract.
yes that should be fine
Can I use plain greek yogurt that will have more body. So I can omit the cornstarch? And can I sweeten this with honey in the batter?
You will still need cornstarch because it absorbs the moisture from the yogurt
Can full fat yogurt be used?
The texture will be firmer, but it will work. We prefer it with nonfat yogurt because it’s softer and creamier.
GREAT RECIPE , I LIKE IT
I’m glad you like it