Yogurt cake is extremely popular in France. Statistics often show that France is the leading country in the entire world for “yogurt consumption per capita.” When I lived there in my early 20s, I would often walk down the multiple aisles of the grocery store dedicated to yogurts. They had more aisles of refrigerated yogurts than we do in America of cereals. So of course they get creative and add yogurt to their cakes and baked goods! In America we often use sour cream or buttermilk to help add moisture to a cake but now I see many recipes that call for yogurt. I’m sure we got this idea from the French.
Anyways, this cake is amazing. It’s number one fan? My French husband, Fabien. When he took the first bite he said, “Oh my God,” in his best American accent. He proceeded to eat about three generous slices while standing over the counter. He proclaimed, “This makes my top 10 dessert list. No question!” That is a huge compliment because he’s VERY honest when it comes to…well, everything. I know exactly why it appeals to him so much. He often is critical of overly sweet and rich American desserts. Whenever he finishes a slice of American cake with buttercream frosting he says, “Ouch. I’m so heavy!!” And I get it. Because in France, you don’t eat a dessert and say that. Desserts are always light. Even the rich ones. They just balance sweetness and richness really well. So you definitely get to enjoy dessert, but it doesn’t fill you up so entirely that you feel like you need a nap afterward. This is exactly that, and it’s thanks to the yogurt. It creates a lightness while also providing a super moist and spongey soft texture.
The chocolate ganache topping is perfectly chocolatey without being overly sweet. (In fact I stirred in a few spoonfuls to get it up to my standards lol). It can even be omitted entirely if you want to enjoy this for breakfast or as more of a snacking cake. All in all, it’s a chocolate cake that satisfies your sweet tooth, without weighing you down.
Note 1: Easily made in 9-inch square pan. Halve the cake recipe and bake for 25 minutes.
Note 2: You can use plain, Greek, vanilla, and yes, if you can even use sour cream but at least call it chocolate sour cream cake if you do. 🙂 It’s just best to keep whatever ingredient you use full-fat (or else not entirely fat free and watery). Bundt
Note 3: The coffee in it really plays up the chocolate flavor. You won’t be able to taste coffee in the cake though if you’re worried about that.
A Bee Bakes 
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