Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – 2 cups (240 g)

• Cornstarch – 3 tbsp (24 g)

• Unsweetened cocoa powder – ¾ cup (75 g)

• Sugar – 1¾ cups (350 g)

• Baking powder – 1½ tsp (6 g)

• Baking soda – 1½ tsp (7 g)

• Salt – ½ tsp (3 g)

Wet Ingredients

• Thick yogurt (room temperature) – 1 cup (240 g)

• Milk (room temperature) – ¾ cup (180 ml)

• Vegetable oil – ¾ cup (180 ml)

• Vanilla extract – 2 tsp (10 ml)

• Vinegar or lemon juice – 1½ tbsp (22 ml)

• Hot water (not boiling) – 1 cup (240 ml)

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls

• Whisk & spatula

• Measuring cups & spoons

• Cake pans (6-inch or 8-inch)

• Oven

• Cooling rack

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170°C / 340°F. Grease and line cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until well combined.

3. In another bowl, mix yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk gently until lump-free.

5. Slowly add hot water, mixing gently. The batter will be thin — this is correct.

6. Pour batter into prepared pans, filling only ⅔ full.

7. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

8. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting or carving.

Tips

• Thin batter gives a moist crumb — do not add extra flour

• Chill layers before carving for clean edges

• Use light sugar syrup if extra moisture is required

• Ideal for buttercream frosting and fondant covering

• Mixing note: Unlike vanilla eggless cakes where sugar and yogurt are whipped for extra fluff, here we gently combine wet and dry ingredients. This preserves structure, giving a stable, moist cake that’s perfect for carving and fondant work.