One year during my childhood, my family ran out of time to plan a birthday party for my younger brother. His birthday falls at the very end of summer vacation, just a week or so before school starts, and we ended up spending too much time running around restocking our supplies of pencils, paper, markers, and erasers that particular year.
We still celebrated with a “family” party on his actual birthday, complete with cake and ice cream and gifts from grandparents. (To this day, we still have family birthday brunches or dinners every year for each of us—they’re one of my favorite traditions!) But later that fall, Mom arranged for a really big party and invited all of his friends to make up for its tardiness to my brother.
She scheduled it for the first weekend of November at Pump It Up, a huge warehouse full of inflatable slides, bounce houses, and obstacle courses, just like what you’d find at the fair. Because the party wasn’t at the end of August, like usual, practically all of his friends could come since they weren’t on family vacations.
So for two hours, 25 of us kids bounced around like little monkeys, racing each other down the gigantic slide and holding competitions to see who could jump the highest in the classic bounce house. It took an entire banquet table loaded with cheese pizza, vanilla birthday cake, and cookies ’n cream ice cream to bribe us to stop so my brother could blow out the candles and open his presents!
Mom, you definitely outdid yourself that year. ♥
This year, I planned ahead and asked my brother what birthday cake he wanted over a month in advance. I already knew he’d request something lemon-flavored (it’s his all-time favorite dessert flavor!), and when he also included that he’d like it to have fresh fruit as well, I created this recipe for Greek Yogurt Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake. It’s bursting with that bright citrus flavor, and those sweet juicy berries truly take it over the top. But with just 133 calories, there’s still plenty of room for ice cream!
Or, in my case, a second slice…
Traditional pound cakes earned their name because they included a pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. My waistline is cringing at the thought of all those calories! This healthy one is the exact opposite, so let’s talk about how we’ll achieve that.
To start, you’ll use white whole wheat flour instead of refined flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives while whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, which is perfect for this tender cake! It also has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, like extra fiber. I call that a win-win situation!
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and I’ve included my preferred gluten-free flour blend in the Notes section of the recipe.
Instead of a pound of butter (that’s about 2 cups!) and a pound of eggs (about 9 of them!), you’ll only use 1 tablespoon of butter (or coconut oil!) and 3 egg whites. Just think of all those calories you’re shaving off! Because of that, the majority of this cake’s tender texture comes from one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking. Do you know what it is?
Greek yogurt! (Although you probably guessed that from the recipe’s title…) Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and with around 21g of protein per cup, it gives your pound cake a protein boost, too.
To sweeten this cake, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, and I typically buy it online here. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
For the citrus flavor, you’ll add both lemon juice and lemon zest to the batter. I highly recommend freshly squeezed juice, and Meyer lemons are my favorite! The zest actually provides the majority of that bright sunshiny taste. My taste testers all agreed that 3 full tablespoons provided the best flavor, so don’t skimp on it!
And finally, fresh blueberries are the last ingredient you’ll add. I find that fresh berries have the juiciest flavor, and they’re like little bursts of bliss every time you bite into one. So summery and sweet! Gently fold the blueberries into the batter to avoid bursting them and staining the batter that strange shade of gray. And then, after a trip to the oven…
Time for cake! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! ?) I’d love to see your pound cake and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
And happy birthday bud! ♥
| Greek Yogurt Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake | | Print |
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp (15g) freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla crème stevia
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (120mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (210g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Set aside 2 tablespoons of blueberries, and gently fold in the rest with a spatula.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining blueberries into the top. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake will be less tender and have a distinct wheat-y flavor.
The cake requires 3 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the cake maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without all 3 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
For a sweeter flavor, increase the vanilla crème stevia by an additional ½ teaspoon.
I do not recommend substituting for the vanilla crème stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) However, if you really prefer to omit the vanilla crème stevia from the cake, substitute ¾ cup (180mL) of honey or agave. Omit the milk if using this substitution. The baking time may vary slightly. I do not recommend substituting pure maple syrup; it will overpower the lemon flavor. In place of the vanilla crème stevia, you may also substitute ¾ cup (144g) granulated sugar and decrease the milk to 6 tablespoons, but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. The baking time may vary with this substitution as well.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
For the best lemon flavor, use lemons that are entirely bright yellow with no green spots. I prefer Meyer lemons, and I highly recommend using them if you can find them!
Frozen and thawed blueberries (pat them dry to remove the excess moisture from thawing) may be substituted for the fresh. They will stain the batter a grayish color, but the flavor should remain basically the same.
Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Greek Yogurt Lemon Pound Cake
♥ Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♥ Simple Strawberry Lemon Cake
♥ Simple Raspberry Lemon Cake
♥ Simple Orange Poppy Seed Cake
♥ Skinny Lemon Snickerdoodles
Can I use agave nectar instead of stevia and how many calories would that add to the cake ?
I actually answered that already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! 🙂 This is the nutrition calculator that I use, if you’d like to know how that changes the calorie count. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the pound cake Mehreen!
Oh my gosh, Pump It Up sounds like my kind of party! 😉 Your Mom is my hero!! Haha and this pound cake looks incredible, especially because there’s not a pound of unhealthy ingredients in it 😉 And happy birthday to your brother, aka fellow rollercoaster-lover!!! 🙂
Thanks Marina!! We totally need to get the two of you together at a theme park someday… That would be SO fun! 🙂 🙂
This looks delicious, Amy! Wow, I never knew that about pound cakes! 9 EGGS?!! That’s crazy! So glad you’ve made a healthy version for us! I always love your pictures – not only because of the yummy food, but because the lighting is always so sunny and uplifting! Happy birthday to your brother!☺
Thank you so much Katie! That means a lot to me (and my brother)! I truly appreciate your sweet words about my photography. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the pound cake if you try it!
You’re welcome☺. Actually, I decided to write a post about it on my blog, under ‘Making Recipes from other Blogs’ (it should come up on the home page when you click on my name) with how the cake turned out. I have made sure to link all the titles and pictures back to this page, as well as the links for following you at the bottom of the post.?
This cake was truly delicious – my sister and I had it for breakfast and we both loved it! Thank you so much Amy!
Oh my goodness, you’re so sweet Katie!! Thank YOU! ♥ I’m so glad you and your sister both loved the cake!
what type & size of pan do you use for the Greek yogurt pound cake? It sounds wonderful & will be the first recipe from your website that I have tried. thanks.
That information is included in Step 1! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the pound cake Jackie!
If I wanted to make alittle sweeter, how much agave more do I add. I add 3/4 cup.
I’d suggest an additional 2-4 tablespoons of agave. I’d love to hear how that turns out for you Jane! 🙂
Hi Amy,
It’s me again, somehow I have to keep trying your amazing recipes ☺️ I made this cake yesterday and it’s sooo delicious ? It’s my birthday today and even though it’s tradition in my family that my mom bakes my birthday cake, I wanted to bake something to bring to work today. It was a total success and everyone loved it, thank you so much! And thank you for always taking time out of your busy schedule to answer all of my comments, I really appreciate it!
Katja x
Happy birthdya Katja!! I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with your family and friends, especially that traditional birthday cake from your mom! 🙂 I’m honored that you selected my pound cake to bring to work for such a special occasion. I’m so glad everyone loved it! (And I do the same thing and often bake my own birthday goodies too! 😉 )
Hi there – this recipe looks great! I just put my batter in the over, but (as one does) I tasted it a bit and it had a strange aftertaste. I fear that my substitution of your recommended stevia to the one I found (Trader Joe’s liquid stevia extract) might not have been a wise one. 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Rushil! Sometimes a stevia aftertaste diminishes after baking, but the TJ’s stevia is probably what caused that flavor. It could also be that TJ’s stevia isn’t a 1-to-1 substitute for the one that I used. If it’s more concentrated and there was more TJ’s stevia in the batter than was necessary, that excess could also be why you sensed an aftertaste. Keep me posted about whether you can detect that flavor once your cake cools and you try a slice, and we’ll go from there! 🙂
Just came out of the oven – the test still remains! I’ve never used stevia before so can’t tell if thats the reason, but the cake has an almost alcoholic aftertaste and isn’t very sweet tasting. Its quite sour also. I’m quite bummed but I guess I’ll try again with the right stevia at some point. This is the stevia I used: https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Organic-Liquid-Stevia/dp/B00C1LM7Q6
oops, I meant taste.
Where can I get vanilla creme stevia in Sydney Australia?
I’m unfamiliar with Australian grocery stores since I’m located in the US. However, some of my Australian readers have been able to order it online! I always buy mine online from the link I provided because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found — at least here in the US! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake Robbie!
I’ve tried this recipe and it’s delicious <3 It turned out a bit more dense and chewy than how the cake looks on your pictures, but it still tastes amazing!! (I think it's because I've used regular whole wheat flour..?) Love from the Netherlands!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this pound cake Manon! 🙂 It could be the regular whole wheat flour. Did you use an electric or stand mixer at any point while making the batter?
I used an electric mixer!
That would be the cause! It’s very easy to over-mix my pound cake batters with an electric mixer, which leads to that texture you described. Don’t use an electric mixer unless explicitly called for in my recipes. Use a regular whisk when directed and a fork or spoon for everything else. That should solve the issue! 🙂
Ahh I see! Thank you so much! I’ll use a whisk next time 🙂
You’re welcome Manon! 🙂
Hi Amy, would this cake cook up ok if I tripled the recipe and cooking it in a 10×14 spring form pan? And can it tolerate being frosted with a cream cheese frosting? My 4 year old wants a blueberry cake for her birthday and I need to find something I can make that’s large enough for the party and will handle the frosting and edible moana image I bought to put on it 😛
I’m so honored that you’re considering my recipe for your daughter’s birthday Sondra! That means a lot to me! 🙂 This recipe will definitely hold up with frosting. Are you trying to make a single layer for the cake, or are you tripling it to bake in 2-3 layers?