Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Plain yogurt does double duty in this chocolate bundt cake: it keeps the crumb moist for days and its tanginess deepens the cocoa flavor the way buttermilk would in a Southern recipe.

Dutch-processed cocoa is a must here. Regular natural cocoa would react differently with the baking soda, and you’d lose that smooth, dark chocolate color and mellow flavor that makes this cake look and taste like it came from a bakery.

The alternating method matters. Adding flour and yogurt in three rounds keeps the batter from separating or getting tough. Go easy on the mixing once the flour goes in. A few streaks are fine. Overworked cake batter develops gluten, and nobody wants a chewy chocolate cake.

This bundt needs no frosting. A simple dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of ganache is all it takes. The cake stands on its own.

Chef Tips

• Grease the bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every ridge. Dusting with the cocoa-flour mix (instead of plain flour) prevents white streaks on the dark cake.
• Cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes. Too long and the cake sticks; too short and it falls apart.
• Test at 45 minutes. Ovens vary, and overbaked chocolate cake turns dry and crumbly fast.
• Swap margarine for real butter if you can. The flavor difference in a simple cake like this is noticeable.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cocoa-flour mixture for a mocha depth.
• Fold in a cup of mini chocolate chips for gooey pockets throughout the cake.
• Use Greek yogurt for an even denser, richer crumb.