A simple recipe for making a deliciously light and fluffy yogurt cake consisting of a bottom cake layer, smooth and creamy center and crumbly cake topping.

Layered Yogurt Crumb Cake

The lovely tri-layered cake with a smooth yogurt filling is perfectly satisfying without being overly sweet. The golden crumble layer makes the cake-prep even quicker while also adding a nice texture to the top. It tastes wonderfully when warm and recently baked but also refreshing and cool after chilling in the fridge.

Overhead view of layered yogurt crumb cake

Why use yogurt for baking?

Using plain yogurt in homemade cakes keeps them moist, light and fluffy while also adding a bit of a tanginess. We’ve also used ogurt to make this sour cherry cake receipe as well as our perfectly marbled bundt cake.

Light and Fluffy Layered Yogurt Crumb Cake

A simple dessert recipe for making a light and fluffy layered yogurt crumb cake.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Croatian

Keyword: cheesecake, yogurt

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 35

Author: Jane and Sonja

Ingredients

Cake Batter

1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
4 egg yolks
2 ¾ cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder

Yogurt Filling

4 egg whites
pinch of salt
1.5 cups plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp flour
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice and lemon zest optional

Instructions

Cake Batter

Mix together butter and sugars until well blended. Slowly add one egg yolk at a time and mix with a whisk.
Save the egg whites for the filling portion of the cake.
Mix flour and baking powder together separately and then combine with egg mixture. Mix all together on low speed with a cake mixer.
Divide batter in two parts.
Wrap and place one half in fridge. Place the other half place in the freezer.

Yogurt Filling

Beat 4 egg whites and pinch of salt on high speed. The egg whites have to be firm.
In a separate bowl, mix plain yogurt, sour cream with sugar. Mix filling by hand.
Add flour, vanilla sugar and lemon juice and lemon zest (optional) and powdered sugar to the yogurt mixture.
Fold in the egg whites with a spatula.

Finishing

Remove dough from the fridge after 20 minutes, no longer or be too tough to roll.
Roll out on a floured surface on top of a sheet of parchment paper (roll out to about 9×13 size) and transfer onto a baking sheet along with the parchment paper.
Spread on the filling.
Break the frozen dough into crumbs over the filling. Alternatively, you can also shred the frozen dough over top.
If shredding dough instead of breaking by hand, shred into a separate bowl and then sprinkle over top. Dip into flour as you shred if too sticky.
Bake at 360F for 30-35 minutes.