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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.
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.