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Sliced cinnamon yogurt cake on a wooden board showing the cinnamon swirl inside, dusted top, coffee mug beside it

Soft One-Bowl Cinnamon Yogurt Cake with Sugar Swirl

A one-bowl yogurt cake with a cinnamon sugar swirl baked into the center, moist for days without a mixer.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French Inspired
Calories: 319
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake Batter
  • 240 g plain full-fat yogurt / 1 cup
  • 150 g granulated sugar / 3/4 cup
  • 2 eggs large; room temperature
  • 120 ml vegetable oil / 1/2 cup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 280 g all-purpose flour / 2 1/4 cups; spooned and leveled
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl and Topping
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon for the swirl
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar for the swirl
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon for the topping
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar for the topping

Method
 

Make the Batter
  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Grease a 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, 150 g sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until smooth and pale.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture in two additions, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick but pourable, like a heavy pancake batter.
Swirl and Bake
  1. In a small bowl, mix 3 tbsp sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon for the swirl.
  2. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar swirl evenly over the top.
  3. Pour the remaining batter over the swirl layer and smooth the top with a spatula.
  4. Mix the remaining 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over the batter.
  5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back when pressed.
Cool and Serve
  1. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and release the springform sides.
  2. Continue cooling on the rack for another 45 minutes, about 1 hour total, until completely cool before slicing. Slicing warm cake smears the swirl.
  3. Slice into wedges and serve.

Notes

  • Batter looks thin before baking, that's normal, it firms up in the oven.
  • Sift dry ingredients to avoid lumps of baking soda in the crumb.
  • Cool completely before slicing or the swirl layer will smear.
  • Use room-temperature eggs and yogurt so the batter blends evenly.