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slice of healthier chocolate cake on metal plate with banana in the background
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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.

tray with baking ingredients - bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, flour, chocolate chips, egg

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.

slice of healthier chocolate cake in glass pan

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!

healthier chocolate cake on plate with bananas in background

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

  1. Blend the bananas, greek yogurt, honey, vanilla, and peanut butter.
  2. Pour the blended mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix in.
  3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, mix until incorporated.
  4. Add the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, mix.
  5. 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

4.44 from 362 ratings

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Healthier Chocolate Cake

By: Beth
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
This healthier chocolate cake tastes like a double chocolate chip banana muffin! No sugar, butter or oil but uses bananas, greek yogurt and honey instead!

Ingredients

  • 3 bananas, ripe
  • ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
  • 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
  • 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.

Video

Notes

This recipe turned out great using gluten free flour! We love King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Beth

I believe that everyone should have a go-to dessert to bring to parties! With hundreds of recipes, I'll help you find yours!

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4.44 from 362 votes (355 ratings without comment)

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217 Comments

  1. 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 :))

    1. Hi Caroline! Store this cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

  2. 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!

  3. 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.
    ?❤️?

    1. Hi Sandra! I haven’t tried it myself, let me know if you try that swap!

    1. 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.

    1. Possibly, I haven’t tried substituting the honey myself, so I cannot give a sure answer!

  4. Hi, do you think I could substitute flour for oat flour, basically finely grounded oat? Thank you so much and it looks so yummy :) 

    1. Hi Isabelle! I don’t have much experience baking with oat flour. If you try it, report back please!

  5. 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.