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Better than the bakery Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake. Whole wheat vanilla cake made with Greek yogurt and espresso powder, then swirled with plenty of sweet, rich dark chocolate chunks. This loaf-style cake is no fuss, whole grain, low sugar, and SO DELICIOUS! Finish the cake with a simple vanilla icing, then lots of chocolate “sprinkles” on top. It’s simpler to make than you’d think (just 1 bowl) and a wonderful cake to enjoy anytime. Much better than the bakery!
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Lately, I’ve had a number of days in the kitchen where I start the day planning to make a certain recipe, then before even starting, I completely switch gears and think up a totally new recipe. That was exactly the case with this chocolate espresso cake recipe!
I was going to make a lemon cake, and I was excited about the recipe. But it was a concept I’d on my “recipes to make list” for a while. If a recipe has been on “the list” for a while, it usually means I may not be overly excited about it. Or maybe I’m just unsure if the idea will work out well.
Making another lemon cake just wasn’t lighting a fire for me, so randomly, I switched gears completely.
And I’m so glad I did because this cake makes me so happy. I am so excited to share it. In my book, it’s pretty perfect.
Here are the details
This Chocolate Chunk Espresso Yogurt Cake has to be one of my simplest cake recipes. Like my favorite banana bread, this is completely no fuss and uses just one medium bowl.
Start with the dry ingredients. I use whole wheat flour for added flavor and a rich texture, plus the health benefits are positive too! Then add baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and espresso powder to the mixture.
The espresso is very important here. It’s the flavor of the cake, but it’s subtle and so yummy with the chocolate.
Next, mix in the yogurt. The yogurt helps to keep the cake from drying out, but also adds a light and fluffy texture to the “crumb”. Using plain Greek yogurt is key. It adds so much protein to this cake too!
Now mix in the eggs, you’ll need three large eggs. Then maple syrup to lightly sweeten, olive oil, which goes wonderfully with the espresso, chocolate, and vanilla.
Then stir in lots of dark chocolate chips or chunks!!
As the cake bakes (it takes around 45 minutes to an hour) make the glaze. Just powdered sugar, vanilla, and water. Sometimes I like to add a shot of espresso too.
I let the cake sit a little before icing, but I do like to pour the icing over the cake while it’s still warm to the touch. The icing drips beautifully over the cake. And to complete the cake, a sprinkle of finely chopped dark chocolate is really nice.
I didn’t intend to have the chunks melt, but magically they melted right into the icing making every aspect of this cake just that much more delicious.
Simple pretty, perfectly sweet, extra light, fluffy, moist, and SO GOOD! Every bite is loaded with rich chunks of melted chocolate.
Hope you guys all enjoy this as much as we do! I swear it’s better than any bakery cake!
Looking for other dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter
Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-3 tablespoons instant espresso/coffee
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate, plus more for topping
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×5 inch bread pan with parchment paper.2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and espresso/coffee powder. Add the yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is just set. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes before icing.4. Meanwhile, make the icing (the icing can be optional). In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1-4 tablespoons of water or brewed espresso/coffee, and vanilla. Pour the icing over the loaf. Top with extra chocolate chunks (if desired). Let set 1 hour (or…not), slice and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Is whole wheat flour same as pastry flour?? I found Bob Mills. And also, can you use the gluten-free one to one flour?
Hi Esther,
Sorry, it’s not the same:) Gluten free flour should also work nicely for you.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
can you use expresso powder instead of the instant coffe/expresso
Hi Sharon,
Sure, that should be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi,
Looking forward to trying this loaf. Looks awesome, so no rating yet.
The link for the whole wheat pastry flour didn’t work for me. What brand do you use in this recipe?
Thank you
Hi there! Here is the link to the flour I like to use! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂 xT
https://shopstyle.it/l/ctqY2
Are you able to substitute pastry flour with cake flour or all purpose flour?
Hi Sarah,
Sure, that should be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Could I use a shot of espresso instead of powder?
Hey there,
Sure, that should work for you! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi Tieghan , all of your recipes are so so amazing ! I’d like to make this more kid friendly, and I was wondering if I could sub the espresso powder with cocoa powder, so that it would be kind of like a chocolate cake loaf. If you could give me your advice, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you!!
Thanks so much for your kind message Tahniat!! You could just omit the espresso here, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Hi Tieghan!
Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes, your books are my favorites!! I’m so excited to try this cake, wondering if I could use coconut oil in place of the olive oil? Thank you again for all you share! 💜
Thanks so much for your kind message Erin!! Sure, coconut oil would work well for you! Let me know how the recipe turns out:) Xx
Just made this tonite. Followed recipe and it came out perfect! Absolutely delicious! Love the whole wheat pastry flour, never used before. Thank you!!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving it a try! xT
So delicious and easy to make! Highly recommend. A plus that it’s lower sugar!
Thank you so much Lizzy! I’m so glad you love this recipe! xT
Not a rating yet, can’t wait to try this. Can I use all purpose flour?
Hi Kathy,
All purpose flour is going to make this cake more dense than the pastry flour, but it will work for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
55minutes in my oven. Gotta say I love these simplistic HBH loaf recipes! For me it’s a mild flavor (but I’m pregnant and my senses are off) I’d probably have added the extra TB espresso, and more cinnamon, maybe milk for the icing instead of water but it’s decent and we’ll see – maybe each day I’ll taste more depth
Hi Mariana,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Sorry to hear it wasn’t the best, is there anything that I can help with? Please let me know! xx