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
This cake is delicious! I made it yesterday and my family has eaten over half of it already. So moist from the yogurt, and not too sweet, so the glaze and the blueberries balance it perfectly.
Hi Sally
I made this cake and it was absolutely delicious. I have decided to try baking in preparation for my son’s 1st birthday. I have decided to camp here because your recipes are awesome. My cake started crumbling when I took it out of the pan, what could be the issue? I would love to make it again. Everyone enjoyed it though.
I have just made this as a birthday present for my neighbour. She told me today that she’s had it for breakfast, lunch and tea and it’s the best cake she’s ever tasted. She would happily pay for one a week! I followed the recipe to the letter….. Thank you x
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and it’s amazing! This time I made a half recipe. I skipped the lemon completely, put in 1 tsp coconut extract, 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and 1/2 cup chopped pineapple. It fell apart just a bit when taking out of the pan but tasted amazing!
Thanks for the recipe!
Made this cake to use up some yogurt that was about to go bad and it turned out great! I used frozen blueberries which I was worried since they’re not organic which non-organic frozen usually taste like chalk, but they worked so well in the cake! Mine took probably 20 minutes over time, which is fine since I set my timer for 70 and forgot to check at the 55 minute mark lol.
I think it took longer from the extra blueberry liquid, since they had a lot of frost on them. I also had the problem of it cooking slightly uneven in parts but in the end turned out great. My boyfriend even went for thirds!
Hi – I don’t have a bundt tin at all. Is it possible to do this yoghurt cake in an ordinary round cake tin? Thanks very much
Hi Patricia, a Bundt pan (or two loaf pans — see recipe notes for details) is best for this cake. The layers would be pretty dense. You might enjoy this lemon blueberry layer cake and you can use mixed berries instead of all blueberries.
Hi Sally. First of all, your recipes are amazing. I made your blueberry scones and they were a hit.
I’ve just taken this out of the oven after 80mins. I followed your instructions to the letter. I have a couple of questions:
1. It’s started to deflate a little while cooling. Is that normal?
2. It certainly seemed cooked. But ny metal skewer has some moist crumbs at the tip. Is that ok or should I have left it in the oven longer?
Thanks again.
Hi Alia, thanks you so much for your kind note! We’re glad to hear you’ve been enjoying our recipes. A slight deflation is okay, but too much means that it likely needed a bit longer in the oven. You’ll want the toothpick to come out completely clean. It’s a large cake, so it can take quite a while to cook through. An easy fix for next time, though!
Thanks so much for replying. Yes you were right, it was totally underbaked. I was nervous about leaving it in too long. Definitely an easy fix.
Thanks!
So good and perfectly soft! I used vanilla Greek yogurt and cut the vanilla in half. I also tossed the blueberries with flour before adding to the mixture.
While I liked the flavors of this cake, I was disappointed with the texture. Although I felt like I followed the recipe exactly, it came out slightly rubbery. I am not sure what went wrong:(
The cake was a disappointment. It was heavy and so dense that pieces did not cut easily with forks. The 55 minutes was too long which further had dried the cake out. The blueberries (frozen, as noted) which were added all rose to the top half of the bundt pan as well, creating a strange uneven look. The recipes will not be repeated.
The cake is AMAZING!!!!! My mother requests it nearly every week. Would I be able to make it with gluten free cake flour?
Hi Jana, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free cake flour, but we’d love to know if you give it a try. We’re so glad your mom enjoys this one!
Sally,
Fantastic recipe! I added two tablespoons of ground coriander, really works well in citrus cakes. Also, I recommend processing the lemon zest with the sugar in the food processor for a few seconds. This releases the oil and makes the cake more fragrant. Thanks for the recipe, this is a real winner!
Seamus
Made today and came out delicious!! Was so perfectly moist. Made for my mom and a group of her friends and they all ate it, loved it and got seconds! Will definitely be making again!
I had the same problem as a previous poster. All the fruit went to the bottom of the pan ( I used frozen blueberries & strawberries). When the cake cooled & was overturned it was a bit gooey on half the cake; one half was fine except for all the fruit on the top.
Will try again.
This cake is fabulous! It is my husbands absolute favorite cake and he is usually a chocolate cake man. We warm it up in the microwave and serve with vanilla ice cream. So yummy and fresh
This cake is fabulous! It is my husbands absolute favorite cake and he is usually a chocolate cake man. We warm it up in the microwave and serve with vanilla ice cream. So yummy and fresh
The flavors from the lemon and berries were great, but this recipe didn’t work for me. I believe that I did everything correctly but all of my frozen, mixed berries sunk causing the cake to stick to the bottom of my nonstick and greased pan.
ABSOLUTELY delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made the recipe today for the first time. I used frozen blueberry’s and halved the sugar. A big hit with my husband and all who had a piece. Even had requests for the recipe.
Kia Ora Sally, this recipe is great, made it twice in 3 days to use up yogurt just past it’s use by date. I reduced the sugar to 1 cup both times, taste fabulous. Thanks
Hi Sally, can I use some cherries in the mix?
Hi Ruth, Yes, chopped cherries should work. Just keep the total amount of fruit to 2 cups. Enjoy!
Hi Sally. I’m a big fan of your recipes, and so is my family! Can I use whole milk plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Absolutely – same amount!
Delicious cake! I made it for my father’s birthday and decorated the top with berries, my bro actually thought it looked impressive 😉 The only issue I had was using a tube pan (could not find Bundt pan in time) which had a smaller capacity so it almost overflowed. I’m going to try halving the quantity and make cupcakes next time.
This is the best cake recipe I have ever known!!! It is moist and tender, fruity and luscious, it is not that sweet but full of flavour~ I likes the tips you provided, I used the cream to replace the lemon (my families don’t really like lemon), and it turned out perfectly. After following few of your recipes, I totally get the importance of soften the butter to room temperature, it makes a lot difference~
Had a strange texture, sort of wet but also crumbly. Would not make again.
Hi Sally, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have made it three times now, once using a quartet Bundt pan (amazing looking little cakes, but too much leftover batter), once using bread loaf tins (taste great but looked average), and the third time in square cake pans (great for cutting into equal pieces for sharing). The mangos are in season here in Australia and they are just too good to pass, especially because they don’t turn sour when cooked like other fruit. This is quite a forgiving recipe too, so even if you make small adjustments to the ingredients (by mistake, or to experiment), the cake will turn out fine.
Hi! Can we use normal cake pan instead of a Bundt pan for this cake recipe?
Hi Adeline, 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. You might enjoy this lemon blueberry layer cake and you can use mixed berries instead of all blueberries.
Hi Sally,
What a great recipe! I made this cake today and loved it! However, it turned out quite dense (not too moist though). I was just wondering if it is usually very dense and if there’s anything I could do to get the dough a little more fluffy?
Hi Sally,
I made this recipe today and it turned out delicious. The only thing I swapped was the sugar for monkfruit sweetener! I baked it in a Glazed earthenware bundt cake pan. Used frozen blueberries. It worked great, except the baking took 2 plus hours~perhaps the pan or the monkfruit~but I had plenty of free time to wait! I used the confectioners sugar for the glaze. Came out moist, but not too moist! I proclaim it was a success.
Thanks,
Kellea
Hi Sally,
If I wanted to make this strawberry coconut, what measurements would you recommend for those?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah, We haven’t tried this exact recipe with coconut but you can try either adding coconut extract and/or reducing the amount of strawberries you add and replacing with shredded coconut (to keep the total amount of add ins to 2 cups). Let us know if you try anything!
I am in the mood for a Lemon Cranberry Bundt cake was wondering if I could use dried cranberries? If so should I rehydrate them? Or should i use your recipe for Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake and use lemon where it calls for Orange.
Hi Diane, Dried cranberries should be just fine. You can use dried cranberries without rehydrating. Though, if desired for added flavor, you can rehydrate them in orange juice. Enjoy!