This chocolate yogurt cake is rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey without being overly sweet. The kind of simple, no-fuss cake you might find in a French or Italian kitchen.

This Chocolate Yogurt Cake Is For You If…

You love dark chocolate and want a simple cake to enjoy with coffee or tea.
You have a sweet tooth (like me!) and adore finishing your meals with a dessert that feels indulgent but not too sugary.
You’re after a fluffy, moist texture.
You enjoy basic European-style cakes, baked in one pan and finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar rather than frosting.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

The Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour: Regular flour works perfectly for this recipe.
Cocoa powder: I use 100% pure Dutch-processed cocoa powder with no added sugar. If you don’t have Dutch-processed, natural cocoa powder will work as well.
Baking powder: This is the leavening agent that helps your cake rise beautifully.
Salt: Just a pinch enhances the flavors and balances sweetness.

The Wet Ingredients

Greek yogurt: Full-fat Greek yogurt adds moistness and a tender crumb. It also gives the cake a slight tang that keeps it from being overly sweet.
Light muscovado sugar: Muscovado is a minimally refined cane sugar that retains its natural molasses. It adds depth, moisture, and a subtle caramel note to the cake. If you don’t have muscovado, you can substitute with dark brown sugar, although the cake will be slightly less moist. I don’t recommend reducing the sugar further.
Dark chocolate: I use 70% dark chocolate for richness and depth of flavor.
Eggs: Whisking eggs and sugar until foamy incorporates air into the batter, creating a lighter cake. For best results, bring your eggs to room temperature first; a quick trick is to place them (still in the shell) in warm tap water for 5–10 minutes.
Coffee: Hot coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, making it richer and more intense. It also contributes to a moist, tender crumb. I typically use freshly brewed drip coffee or instant coffee dissolved in hot water. Don’t worry, the cake won’t taste like coffee. However, if you’re sensitive to coffee or prefer to avoid it altogether, you can substitute with milk.
Butter: Butter contains milk solids that add depth and aroma, complementing the chocolate beautifully. Melting the butter (rather than creaming it with sugar) helps create a moist, slightly fudgy crumb. It also makes it easier to combine with the other wet ingredients. If using salted butter, skip or reduce the pinch of salt in the recipe.
Vanilla extract: Use a high-quality vanilla extract (not artificial essence). It doesn’t make the cake taste strongly of vanilla, but it adds a subtle background flavor (much like how onions enhance savory dishes without dominating them).

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

This chocolate yogurt cake is rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey without being overly sweet. The kind of simple, no-fuss cake you might find in a French or Italian kitchen.

Servings 10 slices

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Equipment

9-inch (22.5 cm) round springform pan or cake pan
2 mixing bowls
1 whisk (manual or electric)
1 rubber spatula

Ingredients

3 eggs (room temperature)
⅔ cup packed muscovado sugar (130g)
½ cup unsalted butter (115g, melted and slightly cooled)
3 oz. 70% dark chocolate (85g, melted and slightly cooled – see notes)
⅔ cup full-fat Greek yogurt (150g)
¼ cup brewed coffee (60 ml)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
3 tsp baking powder (11g)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g, preferably Dutch-processed)
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) for conventional heat, or 325°F (165°C) for convection/fan. Grease a 9-inch (22.5 cm) cake pan generously with butter or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs and muscovado sugar together until the mixture becomes slightly foamy and fluffy.
Stir in the melted butter, melted chocolate, Greek yogurt, coffee, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three additions, gently folding with a rubber spatula until just combined and no flour is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20–28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10–15 minutes before removing (if using a springform pan). Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Notes on Melting Chocolate

The easiest way to melt chocolate is using a double boiler (bain-marie). Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with a small amount of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until smooth and fully melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly before adding it to the batter.

When melting chocolate, be mindful of two main risks: contact with water (even a drop can cause the chocolate to seize) and overheating, which can cause it to burn.

Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in a microwave-safe bowl at 50–60% power in 20–30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until smooth. Stop heating once most of the chocolate has melted (the remaining pieces will melt as you stir).

Did you make this Chocolate Yogurt Cake?

Please let me know how this recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @jessicahomekitchen on Instagram.

Looking for more dessert recipes? Try my Hazelnut Brown Butter Financiers!