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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.
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
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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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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.
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!!