Cakes are tastier and fluffier if you add one fridge ingredient to the mixture

One bad homemade cake is enough to put anyone off baking for a while. We've all experienced it: a collapsed cake that's somewhat undercooked in the centre or one that's more crumbly and parched than the recipe guaranteed. Whatever your baking troubles, I've uncovered a simple fix that's so versatile I won't make cakes without it.

Yoghurt, particularly the Greek variety, has become a necessity on my weekly shopping list. I first realised just how delicious, delicate yoghurt cakes can be when I prepared a scrumptious one-pot marvel from French chef Manon Lagreve's book Et Voila: A Simple French Baking Love Story, and now I won't create cakes without it as a primary ingredient. I'm not the only one adoring this French classic, a "gateau au yaourt", which also exists as a Mediterranean treat.

Good Housekeeping's Acting Cookery Director, Lucy Jessop, observes that incorporating yoghurt can diminish your cake's overall fat content and transform its texture.

"Less air is able to be incorporated into the bake, which means it's often denser than a traditional cake," she said.

The slightly acidic taste works brilliantly to balance the sweetness of many cakes, especially when you want to drizzle something sweet on top, like a sugary glace icing (the shiny type, made simply with icing sugar and water).

You don't have to fully commit to baking cakes solely with yoghurt. As a general guideline, you can substitute half the butter or oil with an equal quantity of Greek yoghurt.

Yoghurt is somewhat of a nutritional marvel due to its fermentation process and beneficial bacteria. It's also a fantastic source of protein and calcium, as recommended by Dr Chris van Tullleken, author of Ultra-Processed People.

He recognises that plain Greek yoghurt, particularly full-fat versions, is a good source of protein and can be a healthy addition to one's diet.

However, he advises against those labelled as low-fat or with added flavours like sweeteners, syrups, and other flavourings.

One of my favourite recipes I keep returning to requires a mix of olive oil and Greek yoghurt.

The lemon loaf cake is the most moist and tasty cake I've baked, though it's closely followed by Jane Patisserie's delicious carrot cake.

Katie Bird Bakes shared the cake, which is a one-bowl wonder that takes just minutes to prepare. The worst thing you can do is overmix the batter, warns Katie, so it requires minimal effort, too.

Lemon yoghurt cake with olive oil

For the cake:

• 150g granulated sugar
• Two tablespoons lemon zest (from about two lemons)
• 118ml olive oil (extra virgin works well)
• Two large eggs
• 113g plain Greek yoghurt
• 59ml milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy, both work)
• One teaspoon vanilla extract
• Two teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 218g all-purpose flour

Lemon syrup:

• 59 ml fresh lemon juice
• One tablespoon (12g) of granulated sugar

Icing:

• 113g icing sugar
• Two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Method

Combine the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers in a large bowl until fragrant.

Add the wet ingredients and then all remaining dry ingredients except the flour, whisking until smooth. Gently stir in the flour until the mixture is just combined. Some lumpiness is okay as long as all the flour pockets have been incorporated.

Bake in a parchment-lined loaf pan at 175°C until domed and set, 45-50 minutes. Insert a knife or cake tester: it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached when cooked.

Juice the lemons. Add the lemon syrup ingredients to a bowl and microwave in 15-second increments, boiling (carefully) until the sugar dissolves.

Poke holes in the baked, warm cake with a skewer and slowly pour the lemon syrup over the top of the cake until it soaks in.

Whisk powdered sugar with the remaining lemon juice to make a quick icing and drizzle over the cooled cake.