Easy Yogurt Cake (Kek me Kos)
A soft, moist loaf cake made in one bowl with yogurt, oil, lemon zest and vanilla — the everyday cake of Balkan home kitchens.
Every Balkan household has a version of this cake. In Albania it's kek me kos, in Greece yiaourtopita, in Turkey yoğurtlu kek — and the old family trick is to measure everything with the empty yogurt pot.
Yogurt makes the crumb tender and slightly tangy, and oil keeps it moist for days. It's mixed in one bowl with a whisk, so it's the kind of cake you can decide to make at 4 pm and serve with coffee at 5.
Easy Yogurt Cake (Kek me Kos)
- Prep Time
- 15 min
- Cook Time
- 50 min
- Cooling
- 30 min
- Total Time
- 1 hr 35 min
- Servings
- 10 · One 23 × 13 cm (9 × 5 in) loaf
- Calories
- 300 kcal*
- Difficulty
- Easy
Equipment
- 23 × 13 cm (9 × 5 in) loaf tin
- Large bowl and whisk
Ingredients
For the cake
Optional lemon glaze
Instructions
Prepare
Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F (155°C fan). Grease the loaf tin and line it with a strip of baking paper that hangs over the long sides.
Whisk the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute until slightly pale. Whisk in the yogurt, oil, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and fold together with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Don't overmix.
Bake
Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until golden, risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
Cool
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out using the paper and cool completely on a rack.
Glaze (optional)
Whisk the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but pourable glaze, and drizzle it over the cooled cake.
Tips & Tricks
- Room-temperature eggs and yogurt blend more smoothly and give a better rise.
- Overmixing after adding the flour makes the cake tough. Fold until just combined.
Substitutions
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt works; thin it with 2 tbsp milk. Kefir also works well.
- Flavor: Replace the lemon with orange zest, or fold in 100 g blueberries tossed in 1 tbsp flour.
- Round cake: Bake in a 22 cm (9 in) round tin for 35–40 minutes.
Storage Instructions
- Keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for 5.
- Freeze slices, wrapped well, for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with Turkish or Greek coffee, or tea.
- Top with thick yogurt and fresh berries or a spoonful of fig jam for dessert.
Nutrition Information
Per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Protein
- 5 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Saturated fat
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 170 mg
* Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the ingredient list and will vary with brands and portion sizes. See our disclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the yogurt pot to measure?
Yes — that's the traditional way. With a 125 g pot, use 2 pots of yogurt, 2 pots of sugar, 1 pot of oil and 4 pots of flour, plus the eggs, baking powder and flavorings.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
It was most likely underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early. Check with a skewer, and don't open the oven for the first 35 minutes.
