diff --git a/test/groovy/CloudFoundryDeployTest.groovy b/test/groovy/CloudFoundryDeployTest.groovy
index 64cdd31fb..afabbd3af 100644
--- a/test/groovy/CloudFoundryDeployTest.groovy
+++ b/test/groovy/CloudFoundryDeployTest.groovy
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ class CloudFoundryDeployTest extends BasePiperTest {
     @Test
     void testCfNativeAppNameFromManifest() {
         helper.registerAllowedMethod('fileExists', [String.class], { s -> return true })
-        jryr.registerYaml('test.yml', {"[applications: [[name: 'manifestAppName']]]"})
+        jryr.registerYaml('test.yml', "[applications: [[name: 'manifestAppName']]]")
 
         jsr.step.cloudFoundryDeploy([
             script: nullScript,
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ class CloudFoundryDeployTest extends BasePiperTest {
     @Test
     void testCfNativeWithoutAppName() {
         helper.registerAllowedMethod('fileExists', [String.class], { s -> return true })
-        jryr.registerYaml('test.yml', { "applications: [[]]"} )
+        jryr.registerYaml('test.yml', "applications: [[]]")
         thrown.expect(hudson.AbortException)
         thrown.expectMessage('[cloudFoundryDeploy] ERROR: No appName available in manifest test.yml.')
 
diff --git a/test/groovy/MTABuildTest.groovy b/test/groovy/MTABuildTest.groovy
index 46fa9de6f..1aa5f228c 100644
--- a/test/groovy/MTABuildTest.groovy
+++ b/test/groovy/MTABuildTest.groovy
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public class MtaBuildTest extends BasePiperTest {
     private JenkinsLoggingRule jlr = new JenkinsLoggingRule(this)
     private JenkinsShellCallRule jscr = new JenkinsShellCallRule(this)
     private JenkinsStepRule jsr = new JenkinsStepRule(this)
-    private JenkinsReadYamlRule jryr = new JenkinsReadYamlRule(this).registerYaml('mta.yaml', { defaultMtaYaml() })
+    private JenkinsReadYamlRule jryr = new JenkinsReadYamlRule(this).registerYaml('mta.yaml', defaultMtaYaml() )
 
     @Rule
     public RuleChain ruleChain = Rules
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ public class MtaBuildTest extends BasePiperTest {
         thrown.expect(ParserException)
         thrown.expectMessage('while parsing a block mapping')
 
-        jryr.registerYaml('mta.yaml', { badMtaYaml() })
+        jryr.registerYaml('mta.yaml', badMtaYaml())
 
         jsr.step.call(buildTarget: 'NEO')
     }
diff --git a/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/versioning/MtaArtifactVersioningTest.groovy b/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/versioning/MtaArtifactVersioningTest.groovy
index a40a15f0e..f6a98ed3e 100644
--- a/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/versioning/MtaArtifactVersioningTest.groovy
+++ b/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/versioning/MtaArtifactVersioningTest.groovy
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class MtaArtifactVersioningTest extends BasePiperTest{
     @Rule
     public RuleChain ruleChain = Rules
         .getCommonRules(this)
-        .around(new JenkinsReadYamlRule(this).registerYaml('mta.yaml', {"version: '1.2.3'"}))
+        .around(new JenkinsReadYamlRule(this).registerYaml('mta.yaml', "version: '1.2.3'"))
         .around(jscr)
 
     @Test
diff --git a/test/groovy/util/JenkinsReadYamlRule.groovy b/test/groovy/util/JenkinsReadYamlRule.groovy
index ed99027cb..30e74f460 100644
--- a/test/groovy/util/JenkinsReadYamlRule.groovy
+++ b/test/groovy/util/JenkinsReadYamlRule.groovy
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ class JenkinsReadYamlRule implements TestRule {
         this.testInstance = testInstance
     }
 
-    JenkinsReadYamlRule registerYaml(fileName, closure) {
-        ymls.put(fileName, closure)
+    JenkinsReadYamlRule registerYaml(fileName, yaml) {
+        ymls.put(fileName, yaml)
         return this
     }
     @Override
@@ -32,15 +32,17 @@ class JenkinsReadYamlRule implements TestRule {
             @Override
             void evaluate() throws Throwable {
                 testInstance.helper.registerAllowedMethod("readYaml", [Map], { Map m ->
+                    def yml
                     if(m.text) {
-                        return new Yaml().load(m.text)
+                        yml = m.text
                     } else if(m.file) {
-                        def closure = ymls.get(m.file)
-                        if(!closure) throw new NullPointerException("yaml file '${m.file}' not registered.")
-                        return new Yaml().load(closure())
+                        yml = ymls.get(m.file)
+                        if(yml == null) throw new NullPointerException("yaml file '${m.file}' not registered.")
+                        if(yml instanceof Closure) yml = yml()
                     } else {
-                        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Key 'text' is missing in map ${m}.")
+                        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Key 'text' and 'file' are both missing in map ${m}.")
                     }
+                    return new Yaml().load(yml)
                 })
 
                 base.evaluate()