Soft Greek Yogurt Lemon Coffee Cake

Finding the perfect coffee cake that doesn’t leave you feeling guilty can be pretty tough. Most recipes are loaded with butter and sugar, making them more of a dessert than something you’d feel good about serving with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

That’s where this Greek yogurt lemon coffee cake comes in handy. It’s moist and flavorful thanks to the tangy yogurt, but much lighter than traditional coffee cakes. Plus, the bright lemon flavor makes it feel fresh and not too heavy, so you can actually enjoy a slice without the sugar crash later.

What Kind of Greek Yogurt Should I Use?

For this coffee cake, you’ll want to use plain Greek yogurt rather than flavored varieties, since we’re adding our own lemon flavor. Full-fat Greek yogurt works best because it gives the cake a richer, more moist texture, but 2% will also do the job nicely. If you only have regular yogurt on hand, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth for about 30 minutes to remove some of the excess liquid and make it thicker. Just make sure your Greek yogurt is at room temperature before mixing it in – this helps it blend more easily with the other ingredients and prevents any lumps in your batter.

Options for Substitutions

This coffee cake is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so here are some options if you need to make changes:

• Greek yogurt cream cheese: Regular cream cheese works perfectly fine here – the recipe even mentions it! You can also try using mascarpone for an extra rich filling, though it might be a bit softer.
• Greek yogurt: Regular plain yogurt or sour cream can step in for Greek yogurt. If using regular yogurt, drain it for 30 minutes in a fine mesh strainer to remove excess liquid, or your cake might be too wet.
• Vegetable oil: Melted butter, canola oil, or even melted coconut oil work great. If using coconut oil, make sure it’s just melted and not hot, or it might cook the eggs.
• Fresh lemon juice and zest: Bottled lemon juice can work in a pinch, though fresh tastes better. For the zest, you can use about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract instead, but start with less since extract is more concentrated.
• All-purpose flour: You can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if needed, though the texture might be slightly different. Cake flour will make it more tender – use 1 3/4 cups instead of 1 1/2 cups.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake with coffee cake is overmixing the batter, which creates a tough, dense texture instead of the tender crumb you want – mix just until the ingredients are combined and you still see a few flour streaks.

Another common error is using melted butter for the crumb topping instead of cold cubed butter, since cold butter creates those perfect crumbly pieces that don’t disappear into the cake during baking.

Make sure your cream cheese is truly softened at room temperature before mixing, or you’ll end up with lumpy filling that won’t spread evenly throughout the cake.

Finally, don’t skip checking for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the cake portion (not the cream cheese swirl) – it should come out with just a few moist crumbs, and remember that the cake will continue cooking slightly from residual heat even after you remove it from the oven.

What to Serve With Greek Yogurt Lemon Coffee Cake?

This tangy, moist coffee cake is perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or an afternoon snack. The bright lemon flavor pairs beautifully with fresh berries like blueberries or raspberries on the side, which add a nice pop of color and extra freshness. You could also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or even more Greek yogurt drizzled with honey for an extra creamy touch. For a more indulgent treat, try it alongside vanilla ice cream as a light dessert after dinner.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: This lemon coffee cake stays moist and delicious when covered tightly with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The Greek yogurt keeps it nice and tender, so you don’t have to worry about it drying out quickly.

Refrigerate: If you want to keep your coffee cake longer, pop it in the fridge where it’ll stay fresh for up to a week. I actually think it tastes even better after a day or two because the lemon flavor has time to develop throughout the cake.

Freeze: You can freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. This way you can grab a piece whenever you’re craving something sweet with your morning coffee!

Serve: Let frozen slices thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or give refrigerated cake about 15 minutes to take the chill off. Dust with a little fresh powdered sugar right before serving to make it look bakery-fresh again.

Preparation Time	15-20 minutes
Cooking Time	40-45 minutes
Total Time	55-65 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2600-2900
• Protein: 35-45 g
• Fat: 110-125 g
• Carbohydrates: 360-400 g

Ingredients

For the lemon cream cheese layer:

• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the batter:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I always use King Arthur all-purpose flour)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (full-fat for best texture)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or any other neutral oil like canola)

For the crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cold butter (cubed into small pieces)

For finishing:

• Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Step 1: Prepare the Baking Dish and Preheat Oven

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on two sides for easy removal after baking.

If you don’t have parchment paper, simply spray the dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2: Make the Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened (or regular cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine the softened Greek yogurt cream cheese (or regular cream cheese), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice.

Stir the mixture together until it becomes smooth and creamy.

Set the bowl aside for later.

Step 3: Prepare the Dry Ingredients for the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

In another medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Set this flour mixture aside.

Step 4: Make the Cake Batter

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• dry ingredients from Step 3

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, mix together 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until well combined.

Add 1 large egg and mix until smooth.

Add 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, mixing well on medium speed until the batter is creamy.

Gradually add the dry flour mixture (from Step 3) and mix on low speed just until everything is incorporated.

Be careful not to over mix, as that can make the cake dense.

I like to scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined.

Step 5: Assemble the Coffee Cake

• cake batter from Step 4
• cream cheese filling from Step 2

Spoon the prepared cake batter (from Step 4) into the lined baking dish and spread it out evenly to the edges.

Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture (from Step 2) over the top of the batter, spreading it almost to the edges for even coverage.

Step 6: Make and Add the Crumb Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cold butter, cubed

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons cold butter (cubed).

Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.

Sprinkle this crumb topping evenly over the cream cheese layer in the baking dish.

For extra crunch, I sometimes add a little pinch of salt to the topping here.

Step 7: Bake, Cool, and Finish

• powdered sugar, for dusting

Bake the assembled coffee cake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Let the coffee cake cool completely in the pan.

Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake onto a cutting board.

Cut into 16 squares before serving.

I like to dust generously for a beautiful finish!