Birthday cakes, wedding cakes, just-because-you’re-craving-it cakes. Who doesn’t love cake? In most households, cake is a food of celebration that brings family and friends together. But when one thinks of the foods featured in a healthy diet, cakes are seldom mentioned. Cakes are burdened with a bad reputation because they typically lack nutritional value and are chock-full of empty sugar and fat calories. But what about healthy cake recipes? Yes, they do exist!
Leading a healthy lifestyle means eating smart and getting plenty of physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. However, that does not mean we cannot occasionally satisfy our food cravings. If you crave cake but feel guilt-ridden when you indulge, these delicious healthy cakes recipes will allow you to satisfy your dessert desires without remorse.
Guilt-Free Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake with no butter and no egg yolks, means a cake with no fat. A generous portion smothered with fresh fruit, won’t sabotage an otherwise healthy diet. Getting its lift and lightness from beaten egg whites, angel food cake is the perfect guilt-free dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 cups egg whites (approximately a dozen eggs)
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and flour. Set aside.
- 在一个冷却的碗中,混合蛋白,杏仁提取物,香草和盐。打至起泡。在混合物上撒上酒石,再次搅拌,直到蛋白形成有光泽、坚硬的峰状。
- Gently fold in sugar and flour mixture.
- Spoon batter into a greased and floured 5 x 9-inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and top springs back from the touch.
- Remove from the oven and place on a baking rack to cool.
- 冷却后,翻过来把面包从锅里拿出来。
- Store cake in an air-tight plastic container. Refrigerate to preserve freshness.
Zero-Cholesterol Spicy Carrot Cake
With zero-cholesterol, this sweet and spicy cake enhanced with apples and carrots, lets you indulge your cravings without the guilt.
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix (18.25 ounces)
- 1/2 cup golden sultan raisins
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups of freshly grated apple (2 or 3 large)
- 3 cups freshly grated carrots (4 to 6 large)
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cups coconut or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 3/4 cup fat-free egg product
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use a teaspoon of the coconut or vegetable oil to coat sides and bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Dust baking pan with a teaspoon of the dry cake mix.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, toss carrots, apples, and raisins with 1/4 cup of the dry yellow cake mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend the remaining cake mix, egg product, spices, applesauce, and oil.
- Stir in carrot, apple, and raisin mixture, blending well.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan on a baking rack.
- When the cake is cool, sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar.
Healthy Fruit Cake Recipe
Store-bought holiday cakes made from fruit peel, sticky-sweet candied cherries, and chewy citron are simply icky. They’re dry, disgusting, and dreadful, but fear not!
Related Post:8 Low Sugar Fruits: A Safer Way To Snack
Today’s healthy cake recipes are moist, rich, flavorful and loaded with crunchy nuts and delicious dried fruits. Providing generous amounts of protein and fiber, a serving of this gluten-free healthy cake is not just good, it is good for you.
Ingredients
Fruit
- 8杯或12磅的干果丁。干菠萝,杏,葡萄干,枣,苹果,醋栗,蔓越莓,桃子,梨,或李子。
- 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger (optional)
- 3/4 cup rum or brandy (for an alcohol-free cake, substitute apple or cranberry juice)
Batter
- 1 cup softened, unsalted butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large eggs at room temperature (for a lighter, fluffier cake, substitute4 duck eggs)
- 3 cups gluten-free baking flour
- 3 cups mixed unsalted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, or Brazil nuts)
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 1 cup apple or cranberry juice
Directions
- In a large glass bowl, combine dried fruit and ginger with your choice of liquid marinade. Cover and allow to stand overnight.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Choose pans, lightly grease, and flour them. This recipe makes 3 standard loaves or 16 mini loaves.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, eggs, butter, fruit juice, baking powder, espresso powder, salt, and spices. Blend well.
- Fold in fruit and nuts.
- 用勺子把面糊舀进烤盘,放在烤箱中间的架子上。
- 大面包烤两个小时,小面包烤一个小时左右。当一根牙签插在蛋糕中间取出来的时候是干净的,水果蛋糕就完成了。
- Remove baking pans from oven and place on a raised baking rack to cool.
- 完全冷却后,将平底锅倒在架子上,将水果蛋糕从锅中取出。
- Securely wrap each fruitcake with plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place for up to eight weeks. For longer storage, refrigerate or freeze.
Gluten-Free Apricot Almond Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1/3 pound of slivered almonds
- 1/2 pound of diced dried apricots
- 1/2 pound chopped dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup gluten-free baking flour
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 在两个烤盘(5 x 9英寸)上铺上抹过油的羊皮纸。
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk eggs with yogurt, add orange peel, vanilla, cranberries, and honey.
- Sift together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add almonds.
- Combine moist and dry mixtures, blending well.
- Spoon batter into loaf pans
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a loaf comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and place on a baking rack to cool.
- 完全冷却后,从锅中取出,撒上糖粉。
- Freeze or store refrigerated, in individual air-tight plastic containers, to preserve freshness.
Healthy Chocolate Cake
If you have a sweet tooth for chocolate but want to avoid refined sugar and excess butter, check out this recipe from The First Year Blog.
Related Post:10 Basic Cake Decorating Tips For The Perfect DIY Dessert
这款蛋糕的糖霜只需要两种原料,而且蛋糕本身是用可可粉而不是巧克力片调味的,这就去掉了很多原本会包含的糖。
Vegan Rhubarb Streusel Cake
Do you have a huge patch of rhubarb in your garden that needs to be used? This healthy cake recipe from Occasional Eggs is a great way to use up some of your rhubarb in a more healthful way.
One-Bowl Healthy Yogurt Cake
Inexpensive, low in sugar, and high in nutrients, this yogurt cake is topped with a simple apricot jam topping for a sweet, healthy cake for any occasion.
Reduced Cholesterol Pineapple, Coconut, And Pecan Cake
Pineapple and coconut oil provide mouth-watering tropical flavor while coconut and pecans add fiber and a satisfying crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix (18.25 ounces)
- 2 cups flaked coconut
- 16-ounce can crushed pineapple
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine yellow cake mix, undrained crushed pineapple, egg, and 1 cup of flaked coconut (reserve remaining coconut for topping). Blend well.
- Pour blended cake batter into a buttered, glass 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle batter with pecans and 1/2 cup of flaked coconut.
- Bake mixture for 45 minutes.
- Remove baking dish from the oven.
- 当蛋糕冷却时,在一个小的厚底炖锅中,放入杏仁奶、椰子油、剩下的半杯椰子和红糖,不断搅拌,慢慢煮至焦糖。
- Remove mixture from heat and spread topping over the cake.
- Serve warm.
Healthy High Protein Peanut Butter Cake
Maybe you’re the type of person who craves peanut butter. This recipe from The Diet Chefs has 8 grams of protein, only 117 calories, and 3 grams of fat, making it one of the healthiest recipes on this list.
Healthier Hummingbird Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
With a similar tropical taste to the pineapple, coconut, and pecan cake above, this hummingbird cake features layers of decadent (but not too sweet) cream cheese frosting. Though the fruit does make this cake a little dense, the sweet moist flavor is absolutely delicious!
Double Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Bites
无论是周年纪念、婚礼还是生日晚宴,这个简单易做的布朗尼食谱都会大受欢迎。Madewith duck eggs, these thick, moist, soft, and chewy cake-like chocolate brownie bites are a fudge-y, delicious treat.
Ingredients
- 3duck eggs
- 2/3 cup softened butter
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 cups gluten-free baking flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 package dark semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Butter and flour a 9 x 18-inch glass baking dish, and set aside.
- Sift cake flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Add duck eggs one at a time, blending well.
- Blend dry mixture with wet ingredients, alternating dry and wet ingredients until fully combined.
- Pour blended batter into buttered baking dish.
- 烤40到45分钟,或者把牙签插在锅中间,拿出来是干净的。如果牙签掉出来时沾满了湿面糊,那就说明布朗尼还没有完全做好。
- Spread marshmallows and chocolate chips over brownies.
- Return baking dish to the oven for 3 minutes to allow chips and marshmallows to melt slightly.
- Remove from oven and place on a baking rack or wooden cutting board to cool.
- When brownies cool, cut into 1-inch squares.
- Store brownies in a covered, sealed container and refrigerate to preserve freshness.
Strawberry Banana Ice Box Cake
This no-bake ice box cake is the perfect healthy cake option for the Fourth of July, summer birthdays, and other warm-weather family get-togethers.
Related Post:Growing Strawberries
每份蛋糕只含11克糖和147卡路里,这是一款轻而美味的蛋糕,完全没有罪恶感。
Skinny Orange Creamsicle Cake
将美味的橙子和甜甜的奶油结合在一起就是一道美味的甜点。这是一个相当简单的食谱,只需要一些食材,使它成为一个很容易的甜点在最后的烧烤或聚餐。
References:
- Angel Food Cake, United States Department of Agriculture
- Importance of Good Nutrition, United States Department of Health and Human Services
- Health Benefits of Eating Well, National Health Scotland
- A Closer Look Inside Healthy Eating Patterns, Health.gov
Joannesays
There’s some truly delectable-sounding desserts on this list, but with those ingredients, I’m not truly buying the “healthy” angle. To be sure, they’re better than some recipes, but to really turn these into something that you won’t regret, I would recommend to substitute organic whole wheat flour for all the white, refined flour, using grass-fed butter, and take down the TONS of sugar. If you’re willing to allow your body to detox from needing so much sugar, you’ll do yourself a far better turn than demonizing calories (we do need some of those to function, after all!) gluten, and fat. Also, I can’t get behind ever using a box mix…have you read the multi-syllable ingredients on those things??
也就是说,这个名字可爱的蜂鸟蛋糕可能需要出现……就像今晚。