Healthy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my healthy chocolate cake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

Healthy Chocolate Cake:

• Flours – I used both my Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and tapioca flour to get the best texture. Many brands of almond flour can make your cake grainy, but this one is super fine. The tapioca adds just enough lightness so it’s soft and holds together well.
• Unsalted Butter – If you need a dairy-free swap, butter flavored coconut oil is my fave.
• Eggs – Flax eggs should work as a replacement, but the cake will be even more dense since they don’t leaven like real eggs do.
• Honey – I tested this recipe using my Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey, which is natural but slightly less sweet than regular honey. If you’re using regular, reduce the amount to 1 1/2 cups so the cake doesn’t turn out too sweet.
• Greek Yogurt – I added it to this healthy chocolate cake for extra moisture and extra protein! This coconut cream with a splash of lemon juice should work as a swap, but you’ll miss out on the protein.
• Cocoa Powder – For that chocolate flavor. I use and recommend Dutch processed cocoa powder like this because it’s smoother and less bitter.
• Baking Powder (this non-GMO brand is my favorite — and don’t use baking soda), Vanilla Extract (for flavor), and Sea Salt (to bring out the sweetness)

Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

You can use any frosting on this healthy chocolate cake (my other sugar-free chocolate frosting works great, or even cream cheese frosting or sugar-free buttercream), but my favorite here is this one made with actual chocolate:

• Chocolate Chips – I like this sugar-free brand. Save extra for sprinkling on top!
• Unsalted Butter – The base. The butter flavored coconut oil I mentioned above works okay, but not as well as butter.
• Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This is the only sweetener I recommend here because it dissolves just like real powdered sugar. Almost all other sugar substitutes will leave a gritty texture. Plain powdered allulose (not crystalline or granulated!) will work, but increase the amount to 1 1/3 cups.
• Heavy Cream – To reach the right consistency. Full-fat coconut milk works, too.
• Vanilla Extract

How To Make Healthy Chocolate Cake

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

Cake:

• Cream the butter. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened butter, until fluffy.
• Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the honey, then the eggs, and finally the Greek yogurt and vanilla.

• Add the dry ingredients. Beat in the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt, one at a time.
• Bake the cake layers. Divide the batter between two cake pans (I like these), and smooth the tops. Bake the healthy chocolate cakes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Don’t forget to swap the pans halfway through!

Frosting:

• Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips in short bursts in the microwave, stirring in between, until smooth. Let it cool until it’s warm but not hot.
• Cream the butter and powdered Besti. I do this while the chocolate cools.
• Combine and add vanilla. Beat the melted chocolate into the butter mixture, then the vanilla.
• Adjust the consistency. Add heavy cream as needed to get your frosting smooth and spreadable.

Assembly:

Place a cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Frost the top (I use this icing spatula), add the second layer, and frost the top again. I frost the sides last.

I’m not much of a decorator, so I just sprinkled extra chocolate chips around the edges of my healthy chocolate cake. If you make extra frosting, you can totally decorate the top with piping tips (I just got this set and really like it).