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This cake has a very healthy hidden secret – carrots! Adding a kick of vegetables to dessert isn’t typical, but it makes this easy chocolate cake rich and moist. And best of all, the naturally sweet and earthy flavor of the carrot blends in seamlessly with the rich chocolate flavors so you won’t even know it’s there!
💕 Here’s Why You’ll LOVE this Cake
- It takes just 9 simple ingredients (10 if you count water) to make this cake.
- It is healthy on its own, but has the added benefit of containing hidden veggies!
- It is high in protein and fiber and it uses a low GI sugar (coconut sugar)
- It is wholesomely clean eating, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian friendly and has no added fats or oils.
- You only really need one bowl to mix it in – so clean up is a breeze!
- It comes together in no time!
- You can enjoy it on its own or dress it up with your choice and flavor of frosting (I included the recipe I use below) or even a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
What Makes this Cake “Healthy”?
If we were to look at the nutritional values of an unfrosted slice of our cake we’d see that:
- This cake is protein rich! Since it’s gluten-free, it’s made from almond flour and eggs both of which allows a single serving slice to have 7g of protein.
- More to that, this cake has no added oils or fats and trust us when we say it doesn’t need it!
- Each slice has only 177 calories, and because it’s made using almond flour, which is high in fiber (4g per slice with only 19g of carbs), it will keep you feeling fuller and satisfied for longer!
- Did we mention that cocoa powder also has tons of natural antioxidants in it?
- And to sweeten the deal even more, a serving of this cake contains just 10g of sugar since we’re using coconut sugar which is a clean-eating, low GI sugar!
- Oh yeah, and we also tossed a whole carrot in which adds both moisture and richness to our cake…hidden veggies for the win!
Now, while “healthy” is a term that does get tossed around a lot, and at the end of the day this is still a cake, let’s, for the fun of it, compare it to two other chocolate cake options out there to see how our chocolate cake measures up nutritionally…
First, let’s look at a made-as-directed unfrosted slice of Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake -vs- an unfrosted slice of our Healthier Chocolate Cake (note that the values for both are calculated for a cake cut into 9 portions.)
- Calories: 308 -vs- 177
- Fat: 15g -vs- 10g
- Carbs: 39g -vs- 19g
- Fiber: 0.6g -vs- 4g
- Sugar: 20g -vs- 10g
- Protein: 4g -vs- 7g
- Ingredient Count: 29 -vs- 9
And secondly, since the images in this post feature a frosting on our cake lets, for the sake of fairness, compare a frosted slice of Starbucks’ Double Chocolate Loaf Cake -vs- a frosted slice of our Healthier Chocolate Cake:
- Calories: 440 -vs- 238
- Fat: 23g -vs- 12g
- Carbs: 54g -vs- 30g
- Fiber: 3g -vs- 4.5g
- Sugar: 36g -vs- 20g
- Protein: 4g -vs- 7.5g
- Ingredient Count: 70+ (I’m really not kidding) -vs- 16 (9 for our cake and 7 for our frosting)
So comparatively, we can see that our cake is arguably the “healthier” option over more mainstream cakes such as Betty Crocker and Starbucks! So in theory, you can now have your cake and eat it too without the guilt!
Ingredients Needed (+ Substitutions)
- Cocoa Powder: Opt to use a good quality cocoa powder for the best results. I recommend not using a Dutch processed cocoa for this recipe as it will not react with the baking soda. If, however, you want to use a Dutch processed cocoa powder, swap your baking soda for two times the amount of baking powder.
- Carrots: I’m using whole fresh carrots. You’ll want to either use the fine section of your grater or finely blitz the carrot in your food processor. We want it as even and small as possible so that it blends well into the cake.
- Almond Flour: Opt to use blanched almond flour. You can also use almond meal (aka unbleached almond flour) if preferred, just note that the crumbtexture will be slightly coarser.
- Eggs: I’m using US standard whole eggs. I do not recommend using any kind of egg replacer.
- Coconut Sugar: I love the low GI nature of coconut sugar but more than that, I love the caramel notes of it as well. If preferred, you can replace the coconut sugar with equal amounts of finely blended raw cane sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla extract adds a lot of flavor even if it’s not obvious. As an alternative, you can also use maple extract (or a combination of the two).
- Espresso Powder: Optional, but espresso powder for baking is a neat baker’s trick that enhances the depth and flavor of chocolate.
- Salt: I’m using my favorite Himalayan pink salt but you can use sea salt or any other salt of your choice.
- Baking Soda: This is our leavening agent, be sure you are using baking SODA and not baking powder (unless as mentioned above, you’re using a dutch process cocoa powder)
- Water: good ole plain water, from your tap, from your fridge, from a bottle, just water. 🙂
How to Make This Deliciously Healthy Cake
We’ll start by preheating our oven to 350F and greasing an 8×8 pan. If you’d like, you can also parchment-line your pan.
In one bowl add your dry ingredients (almond flour, cocoa powder, carrots, salt, baking soda, and espresso powder (if using). And in another bowl add your wet ingredients (eggs, water, sugar and extract).
Thoroughly mix the ingredients together until both are fully combined.
Add your wet mix to your dry mix and stir to thoroughly to combine.
Be sure you scrape the bottom of your bowl to ensure no dry mix has lumped or gotten stuck.
With your ingredients fully combined, pour your batter into your greased pan.
Place your pan into the preheated oven and bake it for 30-35 minutes until it passes the skewer test whereby a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out completely clean and without any wetness or crumbs.
Note that your cake might have a dome in the middle upon first taking it out the oven, it will drop a bit as it cools, this is normal. This doesn’t always happen though and sometimes your cake will come out with a perfectly flat top.
Let your cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before you attempt to unmold it. You’ll notice that the sides have naturally pulled away from the pan, that makes unmolding even easier but you can still gently run a butter knife around the edge.
Tips and Tricks for Unmolding
Cover the top of the cake tin with a plate or dish that is larger and in one quick and confident motion while holding the pan and the plate together, flip the cake pan upside down so that your cake gently drops out of the pan and and onto the plate. If you turn the pan upside down and the cake does not drop you can try gently tapping the bottom of the cake pan to see if you can coax it out.
If that still doesn’t work, flip the pan back over, and using your butter knife, run it around the edges but this time gently press the edge inwards while lifting the knife upwards to help the cake unstick from the bottom, work your way around, then try turning your cake out once more.
Easy Chocolate Frosting (Optional)
When decadence calls this easy chocolate frosting answers! Serving as the perfect complement to our deeply rich and moist chocolate cake, this simple frosting comes together in no time, using just 7 simple ingredients, you’ll need:
- 1.5 tbsp softened butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- pinch espresso powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
And to make it you can follow the steps for my Easy Chocolate Frosting recipe. This is the same recipe, however I’m using just half of the ingredients needed (pro-tip: be sure you jump to the recipe card and adjust the servings to 6 for half of the recipe!).
But in short, add the first 5 ingredients into a bowl in the order listed above and combine it into a thick, fudgy paste, then incorporate the milk, and finally fold in your powdered sugar, once combined, use a hand mixer to whip some air into your frosting until it becomes light and fluffy. Chill it for 10-15 minutes before using. Be sure that your cake is completely cooled before you frost it or else your frosting will melt.
And there you have it, a deliciously clean-eating chocolate cake that you can enjoy to your heart’s content! As always, we hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you have any questions or comments feel free drop us a line in the comment section below and if you could, don’t forget to rate the recipe! See you guys next time! 🤗
Kitrusy's Healthier Chocolate Cake - Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, No Added Oil
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups blanched almond flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup carrots about 1 large carrot - finely minced or grated
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup organic coconut sugar or finely blended cane sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or maple extract
Optional Chocolate Frosting* (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 pan with butter or coconut oil, being sure to not miss any spots. If preferred, you can line your pan with parchment to make lifting the cake out easier.
- In a bowl combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, minced carrots, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using).1¼ cups blanched almond flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ cup carrots, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp Himalayan salt, ½ tsp espresso powder
- In another bowl, add the eggs, water, sugar and extract and whisk together until thoroughly combined.4 large eggs, ¼ cup water, ¾ cup organic coconut sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until fully combined and there are no lumps or pockets of dry ingredients left.
- Pour your cake batter into the greased pan and set into the 350°F preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove your cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. If you didn't use parchment, gently run a butter knife around the edges.
- To unmold, let your cake cool for 20 minutes and then place a large plate over the pan and then flip it over. If you greased your pan thoroughly the cake should unmold without issues. If it doesn't drop, flip it back over and use a butter knife or spatula and work it around the edges while gently pushing inwards and lifting, this should help the cake unmold.
- If you wish to frost your cake, allow it to cool completely first. I've included the recipe for the frosting in the notes section along with a nutritional estimation per serving.
Notes
- This cake has 9 servings, nutritional estimations are calculated for a single piece of unfrosted and unadorned cake.
- Once you turn your cake out onto a surface. Using the side that was on the bottom of the pan is a great way to get a flat and leveled cake for frosting.
- To make the frosting you'll need:
- 1.5 tbsp softened butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- pinch espresso powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- Cal: 61
- Fat: 02g
- Carb: 11g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Sugar: 10g
- Protein: 0.5g
