Healthier Chocolate Cake
Healthier Chocolate Cake tastes like a double chocolate chip banana muffin! No sugar, butter or oil but uses bananas, greek yogurt and honey instead!
This Healthier Chocolate Cake recipe contains ZERO sugar, butter, or oil. And this is just the first recipe out of several that we’re going to share that is healthier.
Is It Even Possible To Make a Healthier Chocolate Cake?
WHAT?! I know.. I was wondering if I was going crazy because butter & sugar are like my BFFs.
I never really saw this day coming.. it wasn’t really intentional. Well, kind of. Obviously with it being January and everyone is jumping on the gym and healthy eating train.. what’s a dessert blogger to do?
I wallowed with a big bowl of ice cream for a while, but than I thought “Is it possible to make a baked recipe with NO sugar?”
All of my friends who are healthy and paleo bloggers are probably laughing right now since that’s their jam, but I set out to discover if this whole no sugar thing could work.
After I baked up this awesome chocolate cake, I was bragging to Ryan that it didn’t have any sugar, but that it’s sweetened by bananas and honey, but being the chemist he is, he totally called me out and said that honey is sugar.
Well yeah.. but it’s more natural sugar I replied, and then he ate like 4 pieces of this cake. Booyah, honey for the win!
Protein balls are another great sweet but healthier treat option to try!
Healthy chocolate cake ingredients
- bananas: sweetness and fat
- greek yogurt: healthier fat compared to oil or butter
- honey: natural sweetener compared to sugar
- vanilla: flavor!
- creamy peanut butter: healthy fat and flavor
- egg: leavener and binder
- all purpose flour: gives structure
- cocoa powder: deep rich chocolate flavor
- baking soda: leavener
- chocolate chips: hello, necessary!!
How to make healthier chocolate cake with bananas from scratch
- Blend the bananas, greek yogurt, honey, vanilla, and peanut butter.
- Pour the blended mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix in.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, mix until incorporated.
- Add the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, mix.
- Pour the cake into the prepared pan. Sprinkle addition chocolate chips on top of the cake if desired. Bake for 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
What does healthier chocolate cake taste like?
The best way to describe this skinny chocolate cake is that it tastes like a GIANT banana chocolate chocolate chip muffin! It’s so good by itself and it’s also really good with ice cream (espresso chip, just in case you were curious!)
Whenever I get a hankering for brownies, I’m going to bust out this recipe. I love that it’s better for me but taste just as good!
More healthier desserts
Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Fudgy Brownies
Healthier Banana Bread
Healthy Dark Chocolate Cookies
Healthier Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 3 bananas, ripe
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour **can be made GF, see note
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- mini chocolate chips for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
- In a blender, combine the bananas, greek yogurt, honey, vanilla, and peanut butter. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the blended mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix in.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, mix until incorporated.
- Add the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, mix.
- Pour the cake into the prepared pan. Sprinkle addition chocolate chips on top of the cake if desired.
- Bake for 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This Cake wins! I love that you can have your cake and eat it too!
If some one cant have dairy is there anything to use to substitute the yogurt
Try almondmilk yogurt!
LOVE how fluffy this chocolate cake looks and that it’s all naturally sweetened!!
Love that this is free of refined sugar!! It looks so dark and fudgy I think I’m in love! I’ll have to give this a try :)
Hi Beth, I want to make this cake for my soon to be a year old’s birthday party so that she can smash it and may be eat a little. What can I substitute for Honey?
I can’t wait to try this recipe, Beth! I love baking healthier desserts and this chocolate cake looks so moist and delicious. I love your photos of this cake, too!
Umm yea, this is calling my name for SURE
All I can say is…holy cow, that looks amazing!!! Definitely going on the must make list for this week!
This cake looks incredibly moist and rich despite the healthy swaps- I’ve been waxing poetic about bananas recently, and for good reason :) Pinning!
Oh my goodness… This is pure genius! I love all the ingredients you used in place of sugar! I am going to have to give this one a try!
Dear Beth, this cake looks absolutely wonderful! I love that it is healthier. Save me a slice! xo, Catherine
Healthier chocolate cake – love it! Honey is one of my favorite sweeteners so I know I’ll love this :)
I’ll have a double serving, pretty please! Love healthier yet still decadent desserts!
This looks so rich and delicious. How awesome that it’s on the healthier side!
Made this today for my husband’s birthday…. I ate a little corner that I then covered with frosting :). Turned out good. For him processed sugar = migraine — not a good birthday gift!
Frosting – melted dark chocolate, cream cheese, peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract 😋
I wish I could have this right now. Chocolate cake is the best and a healthy version even better :-)
This was the first cake I have EVER made. It came out super soft, moist and had the exact melting chocolate flavors I was looking for :)
For a healthier cake, this looks AMAZING! Love it, Beth!
healthier way to get my chocolate fix is always appreciated—especially one that looks as amazing as this!
Could you please provide the calories breakdown? I made & absolutely love them but would like to record my intake.
That looks so delicious! I want some now! :)
Do I need to refrigerate? I made a few muffins to test this in addition to the cake pan and it’s awesome! I just need to know if I need to refrigerate??!? Thank you for the awesome healthy recipe!!!
Nope, you don’t need to refrigerate!
Made this and it’s very delicious… Can I add a coffee to it to make it more moist?
I love love love recipes with banana in them.
I need to make this!!
This cake looks so moist and all that chocolate has me drooling for a bite right now!
Hi, looks delicious! Do you think I could double the recipe and make round cakes, to stack and frost?
Yes! The baking time will be different depending upon what type of pan you use.
Your photos are incredible! I want to eat the whole cake it looks so good!
Can I substitute apple sauce for the banana?
I haven’t tried that myself, so I can’t say!
A cake I won’t have to feel bad about eating! Thanks for the recipe!
Looks delicious! do you think this would work with another type of flour? like oat or almond flour or something else?
I know it works with gluten free flour!
What if I don’t want bananas? Do I need to substitute it for something else or just eliminate ? Thank you.
I sure do love your photography!
Awwww!! <3
I love chocolate cake; especially without the guilt!
Do you think coconut cream would work instead of yoghurt (for dairy free) and almond meal instead of peanut butter (peanut allergy)?
Virtually all brands of chocolate chips have butter as an ingredient–just check their labels. So even this recipe has a little butter in it.
You could definitely omit the chocolate chips if you prefer!
Enjoy Life brand makes dairy free chocolate chips!!
Yes! I have seen those!
I use the Lily’s dark chips. They’re sugar free and vegan
I have found most chocolate chips do not have butter in them: Hershey’s Chipits pure semi sweet chocolate chips, for example, doesn’t. Maybe people confuse “cocoa butter” with regular butter: cocoa butter does not have any dairy in it.
Tried this today: turned out totally delish! Great recipe and will definitely make it again. The texture improves after being cooled completely and wrapped for a few hours. Will be easy to substitute with gluten free ingredients for my celiac son.
Thanks for the great recipe Beth.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! We actually made it gluten free too using Pillsbury’s gluten free flour!
Looks so delicoius I can’t wait to try it out! Just waiting for my bananas to ripen!
I tried this and it turned out so delicious! Now I can’t stop eating
I just made this, and I have to say it is delicious! Even my five year old said it was amazing, an she is picky about her desserts. Definitely going into my recipe book. I love how decadent it is without all of the guilt.
I’m so happy that it was a winner all around!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! it’s mothers day and me and my sister wanted to make our mum a healthy cake – now from my experience it’s been really hard to find a great tasting cake that is still low in sugar. We followed the simple instructions and a lot of mess later, ta-daah! a beautiful cake was born and totally delicious!! will be making again. <3
I love hearing how it turned out!!
Is there any way to get a nutrition breakdown? How many grams of protein, fiber, sugar per serving? I’m trying this recipe regardless, but was curious if anyone knew.
Hi this looks great. Any idea for something I could use other than banana as my other half is allergic?
I was just wondering if zucchini could be used for the bananas.
Hi Roxie! I’ve only tried this recipe using bananas so at this moment I cannot recommend a proper substitute.
This cake is in my oven as I type this and my house smells like literal heaven. This is now my new go-to chocolate cake recipe!! Thank you SO much for sharing! <3
Made this tonight and it was amazing!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!! I made it sans chocolate chips and added avocado dark chocolate frosting from Veggie Primer, plus a pile of sliced strawberries…. YUM. It made a delicious birthday cake, with much less sugar!
That sounds AMAZING!!
What can you use in place of bananas?
My daughter made this cake last night. Oh my!!! This was absolutely delicious. The texture was indeed moist, light, and fluffy. My husband took one bite and said, “I taste banana.” He really liked it as he is not much on sweets….but had a second piece of this! We did not have chocolate chips on hand so my daughter decorated with fresh strawberry slices instead. We also only had pina colada flavored yogurt so that was a bonus flavor!! Thank you for sharing!
Ronee, sounds like you really made it your own, way to go!!!!
I was looking for something healthy to make for my husband’s birthday cake – luckily my son’s girlfriend found this recipe on Pinterest! I used coconut peanut butter but besides that I followed the recipe exactly. I probably undercooked it a bit as the center collapsed as it cooled – BUT it was so delicious!! I did not have the mini chocolate chips on top, but rather surrounded the piece of cake with fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and nectarine chunks – LOVE summer time!
Wow! I love how you added the fresh fruit, that sounds lovely!
OK I’ll agree with everyone, it LOOKS wonderful, however, it is really quite nasty! We followed this completely, no sustitutions. It has no flavor and when cooled is rubbery in consistency. As an attempt to salvage this even made a chocolate sauce with almonds on top. No help. This is simply NOT a good recipe. Next.
Hi Victoria, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out. Did you over bake it? Did you overmix the batter? If we were neighbors I’d be happy to make it for you!
Incredible cake ! One of the best I ate in my life. Super healthy. Makes a good thing for sugar cravings. Thanks !
I am so glad you loved it! We love it too!
Hi, this looks amazingly yummy and it’d be the perfect recipe for my dad, who can’t have too much sugar! I was wondering what the purpose of the peanut butter is in this recipe? Is it possible to substitute/omit it? Thank you somuch!
Hi Ella! You could omit the peanut butter and shouldn’t be an issue!
Im wanting to make this cake but in a 9 by 13. Do i need to double the recipe to fill it?
Hi Toni! I haven’t tried it myself but I think doubling the recipe would work!
I have made this twice now and i love it.
The first time I didn’t want to use a blender because it was late so I used the potato masher, it was noticeably more banana-ish and the texture was very dense and almost fudgey.
The second time i used the blender and followed it almost exactly and i can honestly say this worked excellently and is now one of my favourite recipes for something sweet and and delicious.
The only real modification i made was 1 tablespoon extra yoghurt (black swan lactose free yoghurt) because its what i had in fridge.
The texture is fluffy and moist and rich all at once, i would highly recommend giving this a go if you like banana and chocolate!
I am so glad you’ve made it more than once and loved it both times!
Could i substitute flour with almond meal for a wheat free option?
I actually used all purpose gluten free flour in this recipe!
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
I tried this out and it was so goood! I substituted all flour with Half cup ground oats and 1/3 cup whole wheat flour. Used only 2 smallish bananas. Thank you for a relatively guilt free cake :-)
We tried this cake and it was absolutely fabulous. Light, fluffy and rich – almost like a chocolate banana bread. We used a decadent peanut butter, cocoa and honey frosting to round it off.
The cake was so easy to make. Highly recommended – this will be my go to chocolate cake with or without the frosting!
Thanks a million for sharing!!!!
I have this cooling on my counter now – I used whole wheat flour instead but otherwise followed your instructions. I hope it tastes as good as it looks!
Sure wish I could have a piece!
What can i replace eggs with in this recipie…it looks so yummy…i can’t wait to bake it. Please give me an alternative to egg.
Use ground flax seed instead of eggs. You can Google flax egg recipe.
I made this today, and am amazed by just how moist and decadent this is! Tastes far better than any other traditional chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. I also love that there isn’t any refined sugar in this recipe, makes me feel less guilty about eating this:) thank you so much for posting this recipe. Will be my new go to chocolate cake recipe, you’re a star!
I am SO glad it turned out AWESOME!
Hi Beth. Do you have suggestions for a substitute for honey for this recipe? Thanks a bunch!
Hi, just making this cake for my 2 year old’s birthday. I just been wondering if you know by any chance how long does it last fresh and how to store it. I have my little guests coming on Monday morning but making it now (Saturday afternoon) as won’t have time tomorrow. Thanks
I made mine 4 days ago and just have it in a plastic freezer bag on the kitchen counter, not as fresh as day one, but still delicious…
Hi, i ll try this recipe, but i would like to know what ingredient could i use instead of peanut butter. I need to do it nut free because of allergies at school. Thanks :)
Hi Lynda, I don’t have experience with nut free butters – maybe try to google a substitute for peanut butter?
So so good. I love baking in a healthy way and I am so glad I found this recipe. I definitely want a o make this again. It was fluffy a little tough on our side but nothing to bad at all. Thank you so much.
I meant ” want to” also “outside”. Sorry about that
Can I substitute the Greek yogurt with sour cream?
I would imagine so!
can I substitute the baking soda with baking powder? Don’t have any at the mo and would love to give it a go xxx
Hi Ginuca, I would recommend following the recipe for best results!
Chocolate chips main ingredient is sugar – refined sugar…. I’m not sure how you can clearly state this as sugar free?
Hi Eva, this cake doesn’t have any refined sugar in the batter. If you’d prefer sugar free chocolate chips, they sell those!
I really don’t know what went wrong since I followed all the instructions & but this cake was horribly inedible dry!!! Had to just bin it & make a different one. So disappointed! :-(
Hi there! I’m sorry it didn’t turn out. Did you over bake the cake? That will definitely lead to a dry cake!
I too have just baked this following the recipe exactly and it came out very dry and a bit sour. I’m going to try putting some chocolate frosting on it to see if that makes it any tastier. :-/
Hi Naida! It definitely shouldn’t be sour. Was your yogurt expired? And be careful not to over bake, every oven is different and the baking time I list is just a rough estimate.
I normally don’t post comments, but this cake was just amazing. I used whole wheat flour and a loaf tin and it was amazing. (a little less temperature and more baking time) The cake is amazingly moist still after 4 days. I had to hold myself back not to eat it up in the first day… Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. Especially as it is dairy and pure refined sugar free.
I love that you made it in a loaf pan!
I made this cake almost two weeks ago.
I used less chocolate chips and the cocoa powder was unsweetened. It was not sweet at all. I dont know if I should have used more honey than 1/3 cup.
Also, it was not moist inside. I baked for almost 30 minutes.
Please, help me out, so that I might make a better one next time, since this is such a healthy recipe. Thank you
How ripe were your bananas? that could be why? Maybe next time a try and ripen them a bit more. Your choc chips also make a difference – whether dark butter etc
But there *IS* refined sugar in this…the half a cup of chocolate chips.
You could definitely omit them or use cocoa nibs.
Creamy peanut butter has sugar in it too. Would natural work or too oily?
I chopped dark chocolate into pieces (a sugar free chocolate bar)
making this right now..its going to be great….xmas eve..husband loves sugar and desserts..im health minded…i think he’s gonna love it…thanks (its in the oven)..
We are allergic to bananas. I saw several comments asking if there was a way to substitute out the bananas. Did I miss a response that provided an alternative?
Hi Julie! We actually just made a healthy chocolate cake recipe that doesn’t use bananas because I’ve had a lot of people ask about this! Here’s the recipe: https://thefirstyearblog.com/healthy-chocolate-fudge-cake/
Will be making this for the second time tomorrow!
Easy, healthy and yummy ????
I use gluten free flour and 100% chocolate chips.
Thinking of adding dried cranberries this time!
Hi Beth your cake looks soo yummy thanks so much for this healthier option!
I was craving a rich chocolate cake recipe and didn’t fancy any should bought rubbish. I’m so glad i found your page. I’ve baked mine and it turned out excellent!!! Wow. I used organic ingredients and semi sweet chocolate chips. My husband and kids loved it. More so me for a guilt free snack. Ive had it with low fat ice cream, custard and yoghurt. It works and i have to say my 10yr old boy couldnt stop himself ‘ummming’ whilst munching away lol.
God bless you from me and all cake lovers x
Hi Angela! I’m so glad you loved it!
Have you made this with coconut flour but chance? I was wondering if I would use the same amount as the regular flour. Thanks!
Hi Jennie! I haven’t made much experience with coconut flour so I am not sure!
Just made this last night, and it’s so good. I did substitute/alter the flour. I used 1/2 cp oat flour, 1/2 cp almond flour & 1/2 cp all purpose flour. Prior to adding the egg, I tasted it, and preferred a little more sweetness. I added 3 Tbls splenda brown sugar. I used Ghirardelli mini semi sweet chips in the batter (2 Tbls) along with the Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder. With the flour subbing, I had to increase the baking time by 15 min.
The cake was moist and yummy, almost brownie like. Even hubby LOVED it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad it turned out great!
How many calories are in this? Adding recipe and your website info to our healthy eating newsletter and couldn’t find per serving info? Can you help?
I made this cake for my husbands birthday as we love healthier options and it was YUMMY!!! We had cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!
Shared it with friends! Also love that its everyday ingredients.
Thanks for the recipe!!????
Ah wow and we love Jesus also!!!
Awwww!!! You are so sweet!!
I just made this cake for my husband’s birthday . We are trying to cut the sugar and this was a perfect solution . I am no baker but I think my cake turned out fine . Would adding another egg make it fluffier ? thanks so much for your recipe !
Mine turned out pretty dense and more of a chewy brownie, do you know what may have caused that?
Hi Melissa! Could you have over mixed the batter? You’ll want to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until there are no streaks of flour.
Can I sub the eggs? We have egg allergies so cant have eggs
Hi Sam, I haven’t tried substituting the eggs myself, so unfortunately I’m not able to help with that. Sorry!
For this recipe, do you have the serving size and calories associated w/ each serving
Omg I’m gonna try this tomorrow but don’t have a squire pan. Do you know or think a 9″ loaf pan would work? Thanks
Hi,
This cake looks delicious. Couple q. Can I give honey to my soon to be 1 year old? Also, can I replace peanut butter with anything else?
Thanks!
EXCELLENT cake for a 1st bday party!!!! Made it a 3-layer-cake with cream cheese frosting. It was an instant win with everyone, kids and adults alike. Thanks for sharing :)
I love the addition of the cream cheese frosting!
I love your recipe. I bake it and my craving with sweet is satisfy and its so delicious. Do you know how much is the calories per serving for this recipe.
Hi Anna Marie! I haven’t calculated that, but you can put the ingredients in something like spark recipes (https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp) and it will tell you!
I’d like to make cupcakes to send to the day care for my little one’s first birthday. Can I use this recipe and how would you adjust cooking time?
Hi Alexandra! We actually converted this recipe into muffins: https://thefirstyearblog.com/healthier-chocolate-mini-muffins/
You could definitely “convert” them to cupcakes by adding frosting. I love this lighter chocolate frosting from this recipe https://thefirstyearblog.com/healthy-chocolate-fudge-cake/
Thank you very much for this recipe – it looks delicious. Given that I am hardcore about avoiding refined sugar (and also determined to unveil all the different places that it has been snuck into our foods without our even knowing — to the severe detriment of our collective health), I wanted to point out that it has made at least one sneaky appearance here… in the sponsored brand of chocolate chips you recommend using. :( Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It’s also likely in the peanut butter, unless you’ve sought out one of the few brands that doesn’t add it, so worth mentioning that a real sugar avoider should check the label on that too!
i just baked it , is really nice recipe. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and slightly added more cacao and honey and walnuts instead of chocolate sprinkles.
but it is really tasty and healthy , this a recipe that i will always make…..
This looks like the most delicious chocolate cake! I am so excited to try it! Do you possibly have the nutritional information for this recipe?
This looks fantastic! Can I substitute butter for the peanut butter? I’m baking for a friend with a huge nut allergy
Hi Deb! I’m hesitant to recommend that. Can your friend have almond butter? Or maybe try sunflower butter?
Really moist and delicious! I just made it for my husband’s birthday and he was amazed that something healthy could taste this good ;) Since I didn’t have Greek yogurt in hand, I used half & half and it still turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sounds delicious…but honey IS sugar and chocolate chips are loaded with sugar as well. This has lower sugar content than other cakes but is still unsuitable for diabetics or those watching sugar intake.
Could you please tell me the nutritional value in this cake??
I’ve made it 3 times now and never know what to record on my dietary app!
Thank you!
I want to make this cake for my daughter for her playschool but not allowed to use peanut butter due to allergies that kids might have. What can I use instead please?
Almond butter perhaps?
I am one of those people who likes to taste the batter (yes I know there’s a raw egg involved here). The awful batter turned into a surprisingly good cake .Many no- fat cakes are rubbery…not this one.
Oh my god! Just baked this and it’s fantastic! I’m think this is the yummiest, healthiest thing I have ever made! It’s so fudge like and googey. Love love love the recipe!
My 2 and a half year old has been asking me to make a chocolate since days and i’m so glad I came across your website to make a healthier version for him and it has a fruit! Thanks so much :)
I am hoping you can answer this for me. My husband is allergic to bananas, so I am wondering how much applesauce to use in place of the bananas? I really want to make him a healthier cake that he can enjoy with us, instead of being left out. Thank you in advance hun! ????
Hi Jennifer!
I haven’t tried this recipe without bananas, so unfortunately I can’t give you a proper substitute! But I’ll write it down on my list of things to try!
Thank you for this incredible reciepi!
This cake has come out so well both times ive made it and ive kept a close eye on it each time to prevent over cooking. Im impressed at having no NOT include any white sugar or butter/oil and think the natural yogurt is a clever alternative. Id encourage anyone looking for a healthy chocolate cake to give this a go
Thank you so much for the recipe. I used oat flour and baked in muffin pan. Turned out v yummy
sooooo good!! Just made those together with my 2 year old and it was so easy and fun to put together – we did not even use a mixer, just mashed the bananas, and then mixed everything together, took whole wheat flour (as it’s more compact I took a bit less than indicated), used maple syrup instead of honey as I have an under-one-year-old who also wants to eat everything ;) It was in the oven for well 35 minutes and even though the knife came still out a bit sticky I removed it, and it’s suuuper moist, almost fudge-like, and very very delicious!
I tried this recipe as a test for my daughter’s first birthday cake and it is AWESOME!! However, I just learned that our pediatrician recommends avoiding honey until she is 2. Any idea what would happen if I just left the honey out completely? Or, could I increase the amount of bananas and leave out the honey? Sub maple syrup? Open to any ideas (we’re not super sensitive to sugar). Thanks!
You can definitely substitute maple syrup! Or I would try leaving it out too – haven’t tried it myself, but let us know!
I love it ! But i made little changes . .. i added 1/3 cup of toasted oatmeal flour and mixed it with whole wheat of flour , also i added a little of soya milk .. flixable recipe is a great recipe ??
So glad you made it your own!
Dear Beth, I have tried this recipe and it turned out very dry and crumbly and not even moist at all even though it was cooked for almost 1 and a half hours. Can you show me pictures of what state it should be in when the mixture was ready to go into the pan please. Coz mine was pretty crumblyy, not even smooth and not even blended together – it looked liked breadcrumbs in the pan. I substitute that flour with coconut flour perhaps I needed to add more eggs and abit of milk and coconut oil? What do you think? I am thinking of blending the mixture into powder again and add more eggs then bake the mixture again. What do you think?
Hi Vanessa! You said you baked this bake for 1 and 1/2 hours? This is way too long. The video will give you a good idea of the texture of the batter – it’s like a thick brownie batter.
Hi Beth, Can I substitute for coconut flour instead? Thanks
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tested it with coconut flour, so I can’t say for sure how it will work!
Could I use the blender to do all the mixing or does that add too much air?
Hi Maggie! I like to mix my flour in by hand – so thats the only thing I would be concerned about, over-mixing in the blender.
Lovely ingredients I used Spelt flour, tahini instead of peanut butter as don’t like the latter, also used soya yogurt and dairy free. However Honey is really a sugar just not a very refined processed one so technically your receipt is not ZERO sugar.
Thank you for the clarification!
Hi Beth, what would be the size of round pan if im want to make ths as a round cake ? And also baking time
Hi Rubenee! I would recommend an 8 inch round pan and I would first check the cake at 20 minutes and decide from there how much more time it needs!
How peanut buttery tasting is it? I want to make this for my moms birthday but she doesn’t like peanut butter
Not peanut buttery tasting at all! It tastes more like a chocolate banana muffin!
Hi! Can I replace the honey for stevia? I want to make this diabetic friendly.
Hi PJ! I haven’t tried that swap myself so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
I looove how easy this is to make and just how tasty it is!!
I used 70% extra bitter callebaut callets for my choc chips and added a bit of coffee to bring out the chocolate flavour more.
Thanks for this …I loove cake and chocolate and now I can have it healthy …you’re a life saver!!
I also like how you graciously reply to some of these ‘not so gracious’ comments- good on you ;)
Keep experimenting for the benefit of us all :))
How long does the cake keep in an airtight container? Do you need to refridgerate?
Hi Caroline! Store this cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
Hi! My cake looks and smells wonderful! Thanks for a great recipe. I added a tablespoon or two of milk because my honey was crystallized and the batter was quite stiff. I think this was a great way to use my honey, plus I love the combination of flavors this cake has. Thanks for a great pantry friendly option!
Hi, as a newbie, I would like to say how much I appreciated this recipe. No additional sugar but the ingredients are available on where I currently reside.
Would like to ask though, if I could make this using a steamer or a microwave. Or in a turbo boiler at best.
My baby is turning one next month and would love to feature this cake in her improvised photoshoot.
?❤️?
Can I substitute honey for coconut palm sugar?
Hi Sandra! I haven’t tried it myself, let me know if you try that swap!
Hi will this cake turn out fluffy? can I use cake flour Instead?
Thanks!!
Hi Rose! This cake has a muffin like texture and consistency! I haven’t tried using cake flour myself, so I cannot weigh in on that.
Will it mess up the consistency if I replace the honey with baking Stevia?
Possibly, I haven’t tried substituting the honey myself, so I cannot give a sure answer!
Hi, do you think I could substitute flour for oat flour, basically finely grounded oat? Thank you so much and it looks so yummy :)
Hi Isabelle! I don’t have much experience baking with oat flour. If you try it, report back please!
My 13 year old daughter, who loves to bake, made this and it came out perfect! We decided to make cupcakes (this made 17 cupcakes, we just checked them until the toothpick came out clean). We topped it with a honey buttercream icing. It was fantastic!
Thank you very much for such a great sugar free cupcake.
I wonder if Just Egg can be used instead of an actual egg?
I want to make a birthday cake. Can this be made in 2 round cake pans?
Hi Joan! I would double the recipe and split between 2 round pans. The recipe as written wouldn’t make enough batter to split between 2 pans.
Will it take like bananas? Because I don’t like the taste of banana in bread lol.
It tastes like a chocolate banana muffin! Here’s a recipe for a healthy chocolate cake that doesn’t have any bananas: https://thefirstyearblog.com/healthy-chocolate-fudge-cake/
Yummmo! I tried this recipe and just added walnuts to the batter. It came out so moist and fluffy. You barely miss the sugar!
I am thinking of giving this a try, can anyone please advise as too if this is freezable or not, thanks from me in advance.
Hi Gary! I haven’t tried freezing this whole cake myself.
Hello I was wondering how many calories are in a slice of the healthier chocolate cake?
Are there any substitutes for the honey?
Can I substitute almond butter with peanut butter?
I think that would be okay!
This recipe looks like I need to give it a try. Can you please tell me the amount of banana in measurements? Thanks.
There is a lot of sugar in chocolate chips, so it is not sugar free.
Hi Louise! The base of the cake is refined sugar free! Chocolate chips are optional!
This cake is everything I have been searching for for a long time! Low sugar and healthy. I will make this over and over again. Now if I can just figure out how to bake it in two round pans for a layer cake and with a healthy frosting!
I have bookmarked your website, Thank you!
I made mine exactly as recipe instructed. Cake was extremely dry and the cocoa did not fully incorporate. Suggest shifting cocoa in and using care to ensure its fully incorporated. I used flour as recipe recommended. Overall there was no flavor and too dry to serve. Hopefully others have better luck!
Some of us diabetics can’t have honey either.
I have made probably 100 pans of these. I make a giant batch in an evening and cut the cake into squares the next day after totally cooled and freeze on a parchment covered pan for an hour or two and then bag them up. If they are defrosted in an airtight container they are VERY moist like first baked!
I have found that 3 medium bananas works best, too large and it is too wet, too small and it is too dry. Experiment.
There IS refined sugar in this because of the chocolate chips, I tried leaving them out once and it is NOT the same. Perhaps a sugar free chip might make it totally refined sugar free. Of course honey is also sugar..healthier but still sugar for those that have to be aware of that. I have given out this recipe so many times..it is our go to snack for company and I always have some in the freezer!
I noted someone having issues with incorporating the cacao powder and flour. I use whole wheat PASTRY flour for a really nice texture, finer than whole wheat and still gives you the whole wheat in the mix..I see it can also work with gluten free as well.
So when I make up batches of this stuff (worth it to do at LEAST two pans at a time!) I put my flour, cacao powder and baking soda in a bowl and use a whisk to get it all incorporated. My sifter is so old and rusty I didn’t bother getting a new one! Whisking the dry ingredients together works just great, you can see when it is a homogenous color.
I note that people that use too small of bananas, it is always dry..again experiment.. Nice chubby medium bananas work great! Or a combo of large and small if that is all you can get..
Oh my gosh, this is so good! I’ve made it a couple of times for my kids and they absolutely love it. It’s super moist and delicious, and best of all it’s super healthy! I actually substituted peanut butter for almond butter or sunflower butter because one of my kids have a peanut allergy. It’s great and tasty, and I totally recommend it.
I would make this again. While it does not have a cake texture exactly, it feels indulgent and satisfies that chocolate desert craving while having some nutritional value. I made it in a 9 inch round pan so that it would look more like a cake (sprayed with PAM and put parchment on the bottom so that it would remove easily). I also skipped the blender step and used my regular stand mixer instead because I was trying to be quiet, but maybe the blender results in a more cakey texture.
I made the cake per the recipe, only subbing veg oil for peanut butter since I had none, and excluding the chocolate chips. It was phenomenal! I doubled the recipe to make a two layer cake and used the avocado chocolate frosting recommended by another commenter. Everyone raved; and of course the best thing is that it feels like a healthy treat.
Thank you!!!