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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.
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?