Chocolate cake is timeless. It’s not tethered to a season, not limited to a certain holiday, or required to be fancy in any way. It speaks for itself and a slice with a glass of milk is the ultimate comfort food. I remember reading a French parenting book a decade ago and they waxed poetic about an afternoon snack consisting of a simple yogurt cake and my obsession with snacking cakes was born. I’ve developed over 30 recipes for snacking cakes over the years, but this chocolate yogurt cake is the one we return to. We always have the ingredients, there are no chunks of fruit to be picked out by the picky child of the month, it has chocolate chips in it which means it passes as dessert as well as a snack. I’ve made it in loaf pans, round cake pans, 9x13 pans and it works every time. The only tip I have is to make sure you don’t over bake it, besides that you really can’t mess it up!
Ingredients:
Makes 2 9x5 loaf cakes, 1 9x13 cake, or 1 9 inch round cake
1 cup greek yogurt
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup olive oil or melted butter
½ cup cacao powder
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and oil your chosen pan. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, olive oil and eggs with the sugars and vanilla. Add the cacao powder and whisk well. Add the salt, flour, and baking powder and stir until just combined. Fold most of the chocolate chips through the batter but save some for the top of the cake.
Pour into the pan and give it a little jiggle to spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and pop it in the oven.
Bake it for about 30 minutes to start. You’ll want to check it then and see how far you have to go. Give it a little poke with a toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. If not bake for another 8 minutes and check again. Continue until it’s cooked through. Let it cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before trying to slice it. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, a glass of milk, or just by itself!
