Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe - Easy, Moist, and Delicious! (2024)

FAQs

What does adding yogurt to cake mix do? ›

Adding mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, or melted ice cream to boxed cake mix can make the finished product moist and rich. Swapping out ingredients, like oil for butter or milk for water, will take a boxed cake to the next level. Things like coffee, soda, and spices will help to amplify the flavors in a boxed cake.

The yogurt and oil provide lots of moisture, so it can sit on your counter for a few days without any fear of it drying out. In fact, I actually prefer it on day two, once the texture softens even more.

Combine lemon zest with oil or butter

Rub the lemon into the sugar, then add your cooking fat, like butter or oil. The tangy zest will infuse the whole batter, elevating the tart flavor of your dessert. For a shortcut, you can use lemon-infused olive oil.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Yogurt or buttermilk

It's best to use plain yogurt, as flavored and sweetened varieties may alter the flavor of your recipe. You can use 1/4 cup (60 g) of yogurt or buttermilk for each egg that needs to be replaced. This substitution works best for muffins, cakes, and cupcakes.

Lemon flavor: Let's all say it together: LEMON JUICE DOESN'T ADD LEMON FLAVOR (when added to the cake). Instead, try adding more zest, lemon extract, or a lemon soak.

Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.

One of the most common misfortunes among bakers is that they are using too much baking soda or baking powder. Know that too much baking soda or baking powder in cakes will not just lead to a metallic and bitter taste, but it can also make a big mess in the oven as it will rise beyond expectations.

Many professional bakers turn to simple syrup to help keep cakes moist until they are assembled and iced. To make your simple syrup, combine equal parts water and granulated sugar and heat on the stove, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then set it aside to cool.

Is sour cream or yogurt better for cake? ›

Baked goods made with yogurt as a straight substitute for sour cream will turn out less tender, lighter in texture and have a tangier, less buttery flavor.

Baking with Sour Cream: The creamy texture of sour cream makes baked goods more moist than if you used milk. This makes sour cream an excellent choice for recipes that are known to have drier results, like sponge cakes.

Special Considerations. Sour cream and yogurt are thicker than milk, so they can affect the density of your baked goods. They're also tangier, so if you're worried about that, add a bit of vanilla to the recipe to balance any sourness.

Whole-fat Greek yogurt is a great swap for oil in baked goods. It's creamy and rich, and adds a nice texture to pound cakes, cookies, and Blueberry Muffins, plus a bit of extra protein. Due to its thickness, you'll want to add a bit more yogurt to the recipe than the amount of oil called for. Start with a 1:1.25 ratio.

Baked Goods

Yogurt lends itself beautifully to breads, biscuits, muffins, and cakes, providing a slight tanginess and a light, fluffy texture. You can substitute yogurt for several dairy products like sour cream and kefir in many recipes, or bake up a recipe that specifically uses yogurt.

Substitute Greek Yogurt for Higher-Fat Ingredients

From traditional comfort foods to fresh baked goods, Greek yogurt can substitute oil and mayonnaise. Oil: Replace oil with Greek yogurt when baking muffins, cakes and even waffles.