Fudgey Valentine Yogurt Cake

A chocolate cake worthy of Valentine’s Day, baked in heart-shaped pans and ready to deck out with frosting and sprinkles. But the romance isn’t only in the shape. It’s a genuinely fudgy, tender cake, and the secret is plain yogurt.

Yogurt does three things at once. Its acidity tenderizes the crumb for a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, it reacts with the baking soda to give the cake lift, and it adds a faint tang that makes the cocoa taste richer and more chocolatey, much the way buttermilk would.

A good measure of cocoa powder brings deep, fudgy chocolate flavor without the fuss of melting bars.

Beating the batter for a few minutes after the dry ingredients go in develops just enough structure to support that moist crumb. Bake until a pick comes out clean, cool completely, then frost and decorate however your sweetheart likes. Even baked in plain round pans, it’s a moist chocolate cake worth keeping in rotation.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overbake. Pull it the moment a toothpick comes out clean, since chocolate cake dries out fast past that point.
• Cool the layers completely before frosting, or the icing will melt and slide right off.
• Use full-fat plain yogurt for the moistest, richest crumb.

Variations

• No heart pans? Bake it as round layers, a sheet cake, or cupcakes, adjusting the time.
• Frost with cream cheese frosting, chocolate ganache, or a pink buttercream for Valentine’s.
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter to deepen the chocolate.