Father's Day

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake

Name: Maple Yogurt Pound Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 h
Yield: Serves 1 cake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup; 3/4 cup yogurt, preferably not nonfat; 1/4 cup sugar; 3 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 1/2 cups flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup oil

by: Rivka

March 14, 2010

4 Stars

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Author Notes

I made up this recipe to satisfy a serious maple craving I had a couple weeks back. The cake is extremely moist; unless eating it just out of the oven, toast your slice to get some contrast between the crust and innards. I've made this cake three weeks in a row, and used the office toaster to make my perfect 3 pm snack. One tip: really make sure to pull the cake out of the oven right when it's done. If it stays in longer, it'll dry out a bit. - Rivka —Rivka

Test Kitchen Notes

This pound cake drops the pounds of butter and sugar in favor of oil and maple syrup, creating a springy texture and glistening, shellacked exterior. The oil folded into the batter at the end was a technique new to us, but we think we can hold it responsible for the cake's sweet, crackly crust. Rivka's choice of Grade B maple syrup means that the maple aroma and flavor is pervasive without being cloying. The end result is moist and flavorful enough on its own, but fresh whipped cream and strawberries never hurt. - A&M —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 50 hours
Serves 1 cake

Ingredients

In This Recipe

Directions

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 8 1/2×4 1/2×2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan.
Combine syrup, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Stir or whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir to incorporate. Add oil, and fold gradually until oil absorbs into the batter.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place pan on baking sheet in oven and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack. Turn cake upright on rack and cool completely.

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97 Reviews

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pinki October 14, 2021

nice

Giovanni D. January 10, 2021

Just made it, and although easy, I found it does not compare to a buttery pound cake. The cake is dense, but more elastic than a usual butter-based pound cake. I used canola oil, and found that it pervades the overall taste of the cake with the maple flavour being secondary. Also, a (slight?) correction, the cook time is indicated as 50 hours....should be 50 minutes...

elaine December 9, 2020

Very forgiving recipe. I ran out of yogurt, and used vegan cream cheese instead. Still came out delicious!

wigglyworld August 8, 2019

Wonderful recipe, and a great sort of blank slate. I added 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cloves. I used Grade A maple syrup and found that the flavor came through very complimentary to the baking spices, even though the recipe recommends Grade B (next time!). Looking forward to future experimentation. Thank you!

Jamila E. February 2, 2019

I just made this cake today and it's amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Jodie August 6, 2018

Has anyone frozen this cake?

J B. May 4, 2018

Just made this recipe last night. Time for baking was quite accurate for me. Was moist and delicious however the maple flavour was lacking. Would like a stronger flavour. Suggestions?

kaeli June 19, 2018

Did you use grade B maple syrup? It has a more pronounced flavor than grade A.

Jean January 29, 2018

I made this recipe as directed and though it has good texture, it has no flavor (even toasted). I intend to make french toast with it to use it up.

Sandy W. November 3, 2017

I love this recipe, and I only have Grade A maple syrup (a gift), so I did use maple sugar, which was also a gift. It was perfect. I took it along on a weekend with friends, and they raved about it. So easy and delicious! I want to make it again this weekend to surprise a friend but realized I only have vanilla yogurt, so I'm going to use that anyway. I just won't add the 1/4 cup sugar. Will probably dust this one with maple sugar or glaze with powdered sugar and maple syrup. A keeper!

Hapigal November 3, 2017

What should the oven temperature be?

Sandy W. November 3, 2017

The recipe says preheat to 350. Mine came out perfectly!

Liz H. October 24, 2017

What kind of oil should be used

Tarta January 15, 2017

Love this cake so much! I used 1/2 plain full fat yogurt and 1/2 sour cream. Perfectly moist! I served it with whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup and pomegranate seeds for garnish. Total hit! I would love to find a maple glaze for it, as well...

Jenny July 31, 2016

For some strange reason I ran out of oil so used butter instead (Why not). I had jussssst enough yoghurt and I happily finished it using this recipe. I also swirled in some cinnamon plus sprinkled walnut bits on top of the cake. So GOOD!! Thank you for the recipe!

Kerry G. May 12, 2016

There is a reason why so many people like this recipe: Because it's SO GOOD. I use a combo of plain Greek yoghurt and buttermilk. I did have to cook it longer than 45min.

ale3antra February 6, 2016

This cake is great, thank you! I made it a touch heavier by replacing the oil with browned butter and I'd love to try it with an even heavier grade syrup soon.

Ceecee January 17, 2016

Love this recipe but instead of the 3/4 yogurt I substitute it with unsweetened almond milk. It came out great. Very moist instead!

YukariSakamoto June 14, 2015

We live in Tokyo and Japanese sweets are lighter in sugar. My Japanese husband and son both loved this recipe. Arigato!

Sner April 21, 2015

Just made this as mini muffins for a one year birthday party. Took 18 min in the oven and turned out fantastic.

Foodie52 March 30, 2015

Hi Rivka, I've made this recipe countless times over the past 4 years, even before joining Food52. I just want to thank you for such a great and versatile recipe.

I just made it again last night with more substitutions than ever and it still turned out wonderfully:
-3/4 c of vanilla sugar (ran out of maple syrup)
-4 yolks and 1 egg (had 4 left over yolks waiting to be used)
-Homemade, strained kefir cheese (wanted to save my fage yogurt for the rest of the week)
-1 cup of flour and .5 cup of oatmeal (trying to use up oatmeal)

Definitely richer than usual, but tasty nonetheless!

Author Comment

Rivka March 30, 2015

Thanks for sharing this! Glad you like the recipe - it really is a recipe that lends itself to endless substitutions, based on the fridge's contents and the cook's whim.