Unlike any other cake I’ve baked, this incomparably moist lemon berry yogurt cake has a soft, creamy, and buttery crumb. Lightly flavored with fresh lemon and bursting with Greek yogurt and mixed berries, it’s a generous drop of sunshine in a Bundt cake pan. It’s been dubbed one of the best desserts I’ve ever made.
Chocolate? Who needs it. Caramel swirls? Nope. Peanut butter brownie swirl chunks mixed with cookie dough pieces? Yum, but not today.
When one of my assistants and I were testing this recipe, she turned to me and said, “this is the best thing we’ve ever made.” Out of 1,200 recipes both on my website and in my cookbooks, garnering a description like that is no easy accomplishment. I replied with a simple “agreed.” In other words, today’s cake should not be overlooked.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Supremely moist (other cakes don’t even compare)
- Soft and almost creamy-tasting crumb
- Made with 1 cup of Greek yogurt
- Fresh flavors
- Filled with tart lemon and sweet berries
- Convenient—use fresh or frozen berries
And as a welcome bonus, there’s no complicated decorating required. Let the cake cool and drizzle with lemon glaze. She’s a natural beauty!
One reader, Christina, commented: “Made this the other day and it was incredible! I used vanilla Greek yogurt. The texture and flavors were simply amazing! Definitely a keeper. THANK YOU! ★★★★★“
One reader, Marsha, commented: “This cake is, in my opinion, 100% delish! I bought a bag of organic mixed fruit that contained blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. The whole recipe was so much fun to make and turned out so delicious. The very next time I’m to take a share-me dish, this cake will be my choice. I bet it’s gone quickly! ★★★★★“
One reader, LP, commented: “Wow! Made this yesterday and it was amazing! Everyone at work gobbled it up! Everything I make from Sally is delicious, but this was unique and really an absolutely great cake. Will definitely be making this again and again. ★★★★★“
Video Tutorial
How to Make Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
This doesn’t get any easier—from the mixing bowl to the oven in 15 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Then add the vanilla and eggs.
- Combine all ingredients.
- Fold in the berries.
- Spoon batter into Bundt cake pan.
- Bake. The cake takes about 1 hour, but check with a toothpick.
- Cool for at least 1 hour in the pan. Then invert onto your serving platter and cool completely before icing.
- Drizzle with icing.
Expect the creamiest, silkiest cake batter in the entire world:
Ingredients You Need
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is lighter than all-purpose flour and, depending on the recipe, produces the best cakes. I tested this recipe with both cake flour and all-purpose flour (varying amounts, too) and 3 cups of cake flour won by a landslide. All-purpose flour was simply too heavy. If needed, use this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: With so many wet ingredients, we need both baking powder and soda to help lift this cake so it’s not overly heavy and flat.
- Butter: Butter is the base of this cake. You need 2 sticks of properly softened room temperature butter.
- Sugar: This is a very large cake, so a lot of sugar is required to sweeten the cake and sufficiently cream the butter.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure, stability, richness, and flavor. I based this recipe off of my cranberry orange Bundt cake and reduced the amount of eggs since we are using so much Greek yogurt and lighter cake flour.
- Lemon Zest & Juice: Grab a large fresh lemon and use its zest (around 2 teaspoons, give or take) and lemon juice. You may need a 2nd lemon to yield enough juice. Fresh juice is best. Here is a wonderful inexpensive juicer if you don’t have one.
- Greek Yogurt: You’ll notice that I use yogurt or sour cream in a lot of my cake recipes. Both bring a slight tang (very mild) and brilliantly creamy moisture. I tested this cake with nonfat and low fat Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, and sour cream—all were excellent. Greek yogurt added a little more tang and structure, though. It was our favorite. It’s a powerhouse ingredient in this grapefruit Greek yogurt cake, too.
- Vanilla Extract & Salt: Both are used for flavor.
Each ingredient is important and has a very specific job.
Describe the Taste & Texture
This yogurt cake tastes creamy. I’m not even sure how that’s possible, but the crumb is so luxuriously soft, silky, and buttery. You’ll get a lovely preview of its texture when you experience the massive creaminess of the cake batter. Greek yogurt is a workhorse and when paired with cake flour and butter, it truly takes cakes to a whole other level. The cake is a little dense like pound cake, but the crumb isn’t quite as tight. Like my lemon blueberry cake, lemon blueberry cupcakes, and lemon blueberry muffins, berries add more moisture and a pop of juiciness to each bite.
The lemon flavor is bright, but it’s a little light, so I recommend topping the cake with lemon glaze to really amp up that flavor. The lemon glaze is just lemon juice, a splash of vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Easy!
I can see this yogurt cake becoming the base of many other flavors like strawberry yogurt cake (swap the lemon juice for milk and use only chopped strawberries) or lemon coconut yogurt cake (skip the berries, add 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, and 1 teaspoon coconut extract). Those are just 2 initial ideas. Get creative!
Before You Bundt
- Bundt Pan: I have two Bundt cake pans that I swear by. I love this one and this one. Both are nonstick, but I generously grease them with nonstick spray to be safe. The yogurt cake releases so easily. The size and design of Bundt cake pans is imperative because intricate designs don’t always translate well into a baked cake. Likewise, Bundt pans can be deceptively small. Use a 9.5-10-inch pan that holds at least 10-12 cups of batter. This batter doesn’t yield quite that much, but it rises up.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items, except for the berries, should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
More Lemon + Berry Recipes
- Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
- Lemon Blueberry Tart
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet, studded with berries, and flavored with fresh lemon, vanilla, and butter, this supremely moist yogurt cake will soon become your favorite “anytime” cake. We love it!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (354g) cake flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240g) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (325g) mixed berries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)*
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioner’s sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula. On medium speed, beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat the eggs in 1 at a time allowing each to fully mix in before adding the next. After the 3rd egg is added, be careful not to over-mix. Stop the mixer once all eggs are incorporated.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the butter/eggs. Pour the yogurt mixture on top. Turn the mixer onto medium speed and beat everything together *just* until combined. Do not over-mix. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the berries. The batter will be a little thick and very creamy.
- Pour/spoon batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 55-70 minutes. Loosely tent the baking cake with aluminum foil halfway through bake time to ensure the surface does not over-brown. Use a toothpick to test for doneness and begin checking at 55 minutes. Once the toothpick comes out completely clean, the cake is done. This is a large cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes longer in your oven.
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour inside the pan. Then invert the slightly cooled cake onto a wire cooling rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely before glazing, slicing, and serving.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together. If desired, add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more lemon juice to thin out. Drizzle on top of cooled cake. Icing will set after a few hours, making this cake convenient for storing and/or transporting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Wrap unglazed baked and cooled cake in 1-2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the plastic wrap & foil overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before glazing, slicing, and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10- to 12-cup Bundt Pan (I love this one and this one) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Loaf Pan: Pour the batter into two greased 9×5-inch loaf pans. Bake each at 350°F (163°C) for about 45 minutes or until baked through. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or halve all of the ingredients to make one loaf. (Use 1 egg + 1 egg yolk.)
- Cake Flour: For the best results, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. If you cannot get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
- Yogurt: You can use plain Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or even sour cream. I recommend low-fat, non-fat, or full fat yogurt. If using sour cream, use full fat.
- Lemons: 2 medium/large lemons will be enough for the cake and glaze. If you’re looking for a plain yogurt cake (no lemon flavor), simply leave out the lemon zest and replace the lemon juice with milk (dairy or nondairy) in both the cake and glaze.
- Berries: I recommend sticking with mostly blueberries and chopped strawberries. Some raspberries and/or blackberries are OK, but they become a little wet and mushy and can impact the color and consistency of the baked cake. I use 3/4 cup blueberries, 3/4 cup chopped strawberries, and 1/4 cup each raspberries and blackberries. You can use frozen berries if needed. Do not thaw.
Reader Comments and Reviews
First time baker here – I’ve started working my way through some of your recipes while we’ve all been home and in quarantine. This cake was too good. I did use bread flour instead of cake flour since thats all I had, so it was a little more dense but it was still so moist and delicious. The fresh berries inside really helped too – I think I used a few more than was called for. Anyway, my family really enjoyed it and it went really fast. Thank you!
This was sooo good, no substitutions needed, I used cranberries as that was all I had.
I just made this cake. It turned out fantastic! I had purchased a lemon blueberry loaf earlier from a bakery in town. This recipe was so much better! Definitely a keeper. Can’t wait to try some of the other recipes.
Thank you!
Can I used the canned blueberry.
Hi Sally I made this cake and it was AMAZING! And gone very quick! All your recipes are the best, thank you!
Is this possible without a bundt cake?
Yes, this recipe works well in two loaf pans. See recipe note #2 for instructions.
Hi Sally.
I would like to try out this recipe but have a 2 questions please..
Is it possible to use natural white yoghurt instead of greek yoghurt? And is it possible to use freshly chopped strawberries.. do I just pour them in directly to the mixture?
Thanks!
Bettina
Hi Bettina! Yes and yes. See my notes about the berries– I use strawberries too!
THIS RECIPE IS BEYOND AMAZING!!! I’ve been addicted to Starbucks’s blueberry muffin for so so long, and have tried so many different recipes blueberry muffin recipes, but none of them had the oomph that the muffin from Starbucks does. Not until I found this recipe from you. I only made 1/3 of the recipe (1 cup flour, 1 egg, etc), put the batter in muffin tins, sprinkled some sugar on top and baked for around 18 minutes. IT WAS SO SO GOOD, so rich and flavorful, the crumb was a bit crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the tang was just perfect, the flavor so so balanced, dare I say even better than the Starbucks version that I’m obsessed with. Thank you thank you so much Sally, this is an amazing recipe! I’m going to keep this recipe and adapt to many different flavors from now.
what the substitute for berry?? if not available?
You can leave out the berries or try a different add-in like white chocolate chips, your favorite nuts, or dried fruit.
Do you think if I used vanilla Greek yogurt, I could reduce the amount of sugar?
Definitely! I haven’t tested the best amount of sweetened yogurt to sugar though. Let me know what you try!
Hi Sally,
If I made this just blueberry flavor (no lemon) what should I sub the lemon juice with? And is there any other alterations I would have to make?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah! For a plain cake, simply leave out the lemon zest and replace the lemon juice with milk. (Dairy or nondairy.)
Made this for a friend’s birthday and it turned out amazingly! SO many compliments I used fresh blueberries that we just the perfect level of ripeness. The glaze, though simple, was to die for! 10/10
Do you think these can be made into cupcakes?
I can’t see why not! They will be on the denser side, of course. I’m unsure of the exact bake time.
Two questions:
*If I use a loaf pan, should I still plan to cover with foil halfway through?
*I only have one loaf pan, is it okay to refrigerate the remaining batter until the first loaf is done?
So excited to make this; it looks delicious! Thank you for bringing science into your recipes—it is so helpful.
Hi Mary, If you have one loaf pan I recommend cutting the recipe in half and only baking one. I do not recommend letting half of the batter sit for that long before baking. If you notice that the top of your loaf is browning you can loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. I hope you love it!
Hi Sally, I can’t wait to make this cake as it looks amazing! I don’t have a bundt pan though, do you think a 9×13 pyrex will do? Thanks!
Hi Mouna, This might be a bit too much batter for a 9×13 pan. It does work wonderfully in loaf pans though. See recipe notes for instructions using loaf pans.
I made this for my step-daughter’s birthday. She doesn’t like chocolate or icing, so this cake was perfect! Everybody loved it. I should have made the glaze a little thicker, but live and learn. Will definitely make again.
Hi Sally!
You’re recipes are always a hit with friends, family, and coworkers! I just got done baking this and smells amazing.
I recently purchased some cooking lavender and I was wondering if that would pair well with this cake? I absolutely love lavender lemonade so I was thinking it might taste yummy in the cake. What do you think? Let me know!
Hi Pam! You can certainly add some cooking lavender to this cake in any way you’d like.
Moist, tender, & flavourful – a hit with the fam & friends! No fail recipe. It’s going on my regular bake list . Thanks Sally 🙂
Hi Sally! Thanks for generously sharing your wonderful talents and expertise with us! How does this cake compare to your (INCREDIBLE!) Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake?
This one is a little denser with a tighter crumb. 🙂
Hello Sally, I love your recipes! This one did not work out for me though 🙁 . I live in Colorado so maybe is was the altitude and I made it in two loaf pans, but it was not cooked in the center and the bottom, even after 60 minutes. Do you have any suggestions for me? I really want to try to make it again!! Thank you! <3
Hi Karin, I wish I could help, but I have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Thank you so much for your reply!! I will look at the chart and give that a try! 😀
This cake was very delicious and moist! So many flavors! I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries! So many different flavors! I would add another 1/2 cup of berries next time though!
Can’t wait to make this! Do you recommend tossing the berries in flour first to help suspend them in the batter since they tend sink in cakes?
Hi Julie! I usually don’t, but you certainly can. (It doesn’t hurt!)
Hi Sally! This cake is absolutely amazing!!! I was asked to make it again for a friend who is wanting it for her baby shower. Question is, can I bake this in round cake pans? Or does it have to be in a Bundt? I didn’t know if the texture would allow for cake decorating? I was going to use a vanilla buttercream for it, unless you recommended something else? Thanks a bunch! You’re the best!
Hi Kristina! A Bundt pan is best for this cake. The layers would be pretty dense and heavy and taste super sweet with a layer of frosting.
I halved the recipe and made two small loaf pans.
I used frozen Marionberries and Used Marionberry Greek yogurt (Tillamook)
I’ve made a lot of Sally’s recipes. She’s my favorite teacher and food blogger. I don’t often leave reviews but this recipe warrants it as I got so many compliments on this cake!
My mom and brother think I should sell these, haha. Perfect recipe and exceptional flavor.
Another amazing recipe, Sally! I made this and delivered to my neighbors, who all agreed it’s a hot! One question though… How do you get your icing to look so nice? I made the icing as stated in the recipe, and the cake was completely cooled, yet the icing absorbed into the cake – it ended up clear and honestly hard to tell it was on there. Any ideas?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Joanne! For a thicker icing you can either decrease the amount of lemon juice or increase the amount of sugar.
Made this 2 weeks ago. My husband couldn’t stop eating it. He asked me to make it again today. It came out beautiful. My changes to the recipe were regular flour instead of cake flour, and sour cream instead of yogurt because that was what I had on hand. And all blueberries not mixed berries, because that is what we like. This is one of the best cakes ever! And I have been baking for 60 years. Thank you.
If using a loaf pan instead could I add the crumble from your famous Raspberry Almond Dark Chocolate Coffee Cake on top? The butter in the crumble could potentially ruin the cake underneath so I thought I’d ask.
That should work– I recommend preparing the crumb topping first, freezing it to really solidify the butter, then make the cake batter and top with the very cold frozen crumb topping before baking.
I have this in the oven now! I am curious if there’s a difference between using frozen v. fresh fruit. It seems counterintuitive to use all room temp ingredients and then add in frozen berries. My batter was super cold after adding them and I wonder if that will effect rising in the oven? Do you see any difference when you use fresh v frozen berries for baking?
Hi Erin! The purpose of room temperature ingredients is to ensure they mix together properly, not necessarily to keep the batter room temperature before it hits the oven. You can use either fresh or frozen. I always prefer fresh though. I find frozen berries sink a little more.
Wow! Love love love! Made this to take to a morning tea with friends, and I used frozen mixed berries. The blackberries and raspberries were a bit mushy, but It was gone in a flash and everyone commented on how moist and delicious it was! Sad there was none left, so I will have to make another – blueberries next time. Sally you make me look good 😉
Hi Sally, I just baked the cake. It’s really good, but I’m not sure why when I tried to slice the cake, it breaks apart.
Hi Andrea, assuming you didn’t make any ingredient substitutions, it sounds like the cake could be over or under-baked. Make sure it’s also cooled completely when you go to slice and serve it. Hope this helps! Glad you enjoy the taste.