A soft, light, and sweet Italian Breakfast Bundt Cake made with yogurt and lemon zest. This cake is the perfect way to start your day Italian-style with a slice of sweet Ciambella cake and a cappuccino!
This post was first published on 30th July 2017 but has since been updated.
If you've spent any time in Italy you'll have noticed that the traditional way to start the day is with something sweet and delicious be it a slice of Crostata, custard-filled doughnuts, flaky and buttery croissants or this soft and delicious Ciambella cake.
I have to admit, I enjoy a sweet treat for breakfast every now and then but it's not an everyday thing for me, it's usually kept for lazy weekends or when I can have a slow start to the day.
That being said I'll happily devour a slice of this yogurt cake with a cup of tea or coffee throughout the day as a snack, it's super soft, light and so delicious!
Ciambella is a type of Italian bundt cake made with a ring or bundt mould, they're fairly inexpensive but if you don't have one you could use a regular cake pan you might just need to bake it for an extra 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients you need
The ingredients are super simple all you need is; self-raising flour, large eggs, natural yogurt, sunflower oil (these are both important for the soft texture), baking powder, and lemon zest. See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need.
How to make Italian Breakfast Cake (Ciambella allo Yogurt)
Whisk the sugar and eggs together using a stand mixer or electric whisk until pale and thick. Add the oil and yogurt and whisk together for a couple of seconds to combine (photos 1-3).
Add the sifted flour and baking powder along with the lemon zest and fold it into the batter until it's fully incorporated (photos 5-7).
Pour the batter into a prepared bundt cake pan then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, let it cool then dust with confectioners' sugar before serving (photo 8).
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Yogurt - Make sure to use natural plain yogurt that's not too thick in texture.
- Lemon zest - You can replace the lemon zest with orange if you prefer.
- Extra flavour - For a more intense lemon flavour you can add 1-2 tablespoon of juice into the batter.
- Cake batter - Make sure to sift the flour first to avoid a lumpy batter.
- Cake pan - I used a 10-inch ring cake or ciambella cake mould.
I use a non-stick bundt or ring mould and grease it lightly with butter then lightly coat it in flour making sure to shake out any excess. This ensures the cake can easily be removed after baking.
The Ciambella cake will last up to 5-7 days stored in a sealed container or can be frozen wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (cling film) and aluminium foil.
More Italian sweet treats you might like
- Pistachio Cake with Strawberries & Cream
- Apple Olive Oil Cake
- Torta della Nonna: Italian Custard Tart
- Quick & Easy Tiramisu – Best Ever Recipe
- Stracciatella Gelato (No Churn)
If you've tried this Italian Breakfast Bundt Cake or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
📖 Full Recipe
Italian Breakfast Bundt Cake - Ciambella allo Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour (250g)
- 1 cup caster sugar (200g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plain natural yogurt full fat (250g)
- ½ cup sunflower oil (130ml)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- zest of one large lemon
- confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- Combine the eggs and sugar and whisk together using a stand or electric mixer until pale and thick (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add the yogurt and sunflower oil and whisk for a couple of seconds to combine. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter and add the lemon zest. Fold until fully incorporated.
- Grease the ciambella mould and dust with flour, remove any excess flour. Add the batter to a 10"Â cake mould and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool then remove from the mould, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Notes
- Yogurt - Make sure to use natural plain yogurt that's not too thick in texture.
- Lemon zest - You can replace the lemon zest with orange if you prefer.
- Extra flavour - For a more intense lemon flavour you can add 1-2 tablespoon of juice into the batter.
- Cake batter - Make sure to sift the flour first to avoid a lumpy batter.
- Cake pan - I used a 10-inch ring cake or ciambella cake mould.
- Storage - The Ciambella cake will last up to 5-7 days stored in a sealed container or can be frozen wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (cling film) and aluminium foil.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Terry
This cake is delicious, light and not too sweet. I'm sure it's even better with full fat yogurt, but I only had 0% fat Imperfect Foods plain Greek yogurt. (That yogurt brand is looser than Fage or Chobani. ) I used lemon juice in the batter and added a simple vanilla lemon glaze that I make. Absolutely a keeper-so good! Thanks for sharing!
Carol
This sounds simply delicious! When you say that you use a "fan" oven do you mean a "convection" oven? What oven temperature would you recommend if you do not have a "fan" oven?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Carol, yes I mean a convection oven. That's such a great question, from what I've read convection ovens cook things a little faster and can sometimes be a little hotter. In this case, I'd bake the cake as directed at the same temperature but check it by inserting a toothpick when done. If it doesn't come out clean then it may need an extra 5-10 minutes baking. I hope this helps and hope you love the cake as much as I do! Emily.
Anne
Can you advise where I can buy a ciambella pan?
Thanks
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Anne, I found this one on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordicware-Turquoise-Bundt-Cake-Pan-6-Cup-Non-Stick-Lightweight-/281853325113 it's basically just a bundt pan but without the fancy ridges. The smoother the pan the better, I think this one would work great.
Lisa
I bought a pan just for this recipe. I ordered a 9" Savarin Cake Pan off Amazon. They carry both nonstick and regular.
Can't wait to use it with this recipe!
swayam singh
This looks so delicious! I love a good cake for breakfast, especially if it has yogurt in it 😛 Makes me feel like I am eating healthy and thats certainly a plus! Gorgeous pics too
Calleigh - TheForkBite
I love this lemony sponge cake that's not super sweet. I can't wait to try your recipe, thanks for sharing.
Alyssa
The simplicity of this makes it create for pairing with coffee! I'd probably try placing a piece of my fork and dunking!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
Such a simple cake but as you say not overtly sweet. This would be perfect for breakfast with a cup of tea