During my sophomore year of college, I lived in a quaint two-bedroom apartment with three other girls located about a mile away from the university. Two of them and I attended a low-key worship group in a small lecture hall on campus nearly every Thursday night, and many of the other students in the group also rented apartments in our same complex.
Over the first week of our fall quarter, those roommates and I decided to bake a sweet treat as a birthday surprise for each of our worship friends in our apartment complex. Thanks to Facebook, we easily kept track of all those dates! We tried to discretely ask people’s roommates about their favorite baked goodies, but if nobody knew, we whipped up a batch of classic chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or snickerdoodle cookies. Very few people will turn down those!
The first birthday we baked for fell in early October, and it turned out that both of my roommates found that boy incredibly cute—probably the most attractive guy in the group! As a result, they really wanted to impress him, so when they discovered his top favorite treat was pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, they immediately asked if I had a recipe.
Pumpkin and chocolate?? That sounds like a strange combination… I mused, but I printed out my fail-proof, irresistible pumpkin cookie recipe to doctor up with chocolate chips and met my roommates back in our kitchen. A little while later, we pulled the first tray from the oven, and we each sampled a cookie to check the flavor.
As I sunk my teeth into the first bite, my eyes lit up in surprise. That tastes amazing!! I never would’ve guessed they’d be such a perfect pair! I thought, and as I looked at my roommates’ expressions, the same thought crossed their minds. It took all of our willpower to deliver the rest and avoid nibbling on any more cookies!
Ever since then, I look forward to baking as many pumpkin chocolate chip treats as I can each autumn. Cookies, bars, muffins, scones, quick breads, mug cakes, energy bites, oatmeal cookies… And now this Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake! Perfectly tender with cozy spices and plenty of chocolate—but just 150 calories with over 6g of protein!
And unlike those birthday cookies from college… I didn’t share a single bite of this dessert! ?
Traditional pound cakes earned their name because they included one pound of each of the following ingredients: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Yikes… But we can definitely fix that!
To make this healthier pound cake, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a softer type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat, but they both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!). This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, very similar to that of all-purpose flour, which allows the pumpkin flavor to really shine!
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and I’ve included my recommended gluten-free blend underneath the Instructions, if you prefer!
Rather than a pound of butter and eggs (that’s nearly 4,000 calories!), you’ll just use 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil and 3 large egg whites. That’s much more manageable! I don’t feel the need to run a half marathon just to burn off a slice or two of cake anymore…
The rest of this pound cake’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt and pumpkin purée. Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking because it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your treats a protein boost too! As for the latter, use regular ol’ pumpkin purée. Skip the pumpkin pie mix because that contains refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this healthy recipe!
Instead, 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, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way! You just need 1 tablespoon to sweeten this entire cake. This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
I’m a huge chocoholic, which is why I wrote my Healthier Chocolate Treats Cookbook, so I bet you can guess what my favorite part of this cake is! You’ll use mini chocolate chips to ensure every bite contains at least a morsel of chocolate, and I highly recommend this brand. Their chocolate chips taste extra rich and melt really well, and they’re basically the only kind I buy!
Time for dessert! And, umm, maybe even breakfast… But based on the nutrition information, would you blame me?? ? 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 I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your pound cake and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake | | Print |
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tbsp (8g) ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tbsp (22mL) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla crème stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (56g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a 9x5” loaf pan with foil. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt 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 pumpkin purée. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in 3 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips on 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 lifting out the cake by the foil and transferring it 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.
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 1 ¼ cup (300mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. Omit the milk if using this substitution. The baking time may vary slightly. In place of the vanilla crème stevia, you may also substitute 1 ¼ cup (240g) 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.
I highly recommend this brand of mini chocolate chips. They're my favorite and basically the only ones I use! They taste very rich and melt really well.
Do not use an electric mixer or stand mixer to make 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, lower sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♥ Greek Yogurt Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
♥ Greek Yogurt Lemon Pound Cake
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
♥ Clean Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
♥ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Brownies
♥ Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♥ …and the rest of Amy’s pumpkin recipes!
Hi Amy!
I’ve been trying and enjoying some of your recipes for a while, and I can’t wait to try this! However, I cannot find the vanilla crème stevia anywhere around me, and not even sweet drops. Anything related to stevia is small sugar packets and occasionaly jars (with the aftertaste sadly). Is there any substituion that can be done using those and not maple syrup/regular sugar/honey etc..?
Thanks!
Lena.
You can purchase on amazon!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Lena! Are you able to order the vanilla creme stevia from the links I provided to Amazon? That’s the cheapest place to buy it, and if you have Amazon Prime, it’ll arrive in just 2 days! That’s the only way I buy mine now. 🙂 Because many brands of powdered stevia (both the packets and jars) have a different concentration of sweetness, I’m not entirely sure of the exact amount you’d need as a substitute. It’d be their company’s stevia equivalent of 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar. I’d love to hear what you think if you’re able to try the pound cake!
I remember the first time I tried the pumpkin and chocolate combination…I was blown away and I’ve never looked back!! 😉 This pound cake looks amazing and is TOTALLY breakfast-worthy, it has protein in it! 😀
Thanks Marina! Probably my favorite fall flavor combination ever… 😉
OHH MY, the fluffff of this cake is soo on point. I wish I could eat it allllll. DAMN YOU body!! HA.
Thanks Brittany! And I TOTALLY hear ya… I paid for it afterward! ?
Hi Amy, looks yummy! How is this different than your chocolate chip pumpkin bread in terms of flavor, texture, etc? The ingredients and measurements are almost identical, so I’m just curious! Which do you like better?
Thanks Jessica! While the ingredients are similar, there are a few key differences (the flour, the sweetener, the number of egg whites, etc.), which gives this pound cake a more tender cake-like texture, whereas the pumpkin bread has a slightly denser texture more characteristic of quick breads. They’re both delicious, but I think I like this one ever so slightly more. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of either one!
I’m sure I wouldn’t share this cake either, Amy!? I first tried chocolate and pumpkin as a combination two years ago – on Halloween in fact! I’m so glad I did! At the time, pumpkin in sweet baked goods was a strange concept for me, as in England it’s not very common. But now I love baking with it, especially around this time of the year! I’ve been looking for a pumpkin cake recipe to make, so this is perfect timing! I think I’ll make it tomorrow and decorate it in a Halloween-themed way?
I had no idea that sweet pumpkin treats weren’t very common in England! I hope you start to change people’s minds with all of your baking! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake, and happy Halloween! I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with your loved ones!
Hey Amy! Love your recipes. Is it possible to use mini-loaf pans instead of a 9×5? How long should I bake them for if that’s the case. Thanks!
Yes, that’s fine! Since I haven’t done that myself, I’m not entirely sure of the baking time. Begin checking on them after about 18-20 minutes to be safe, and they’ll be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I’m excited to hear what you think of the recipe Nyssa! 🙂
Could you substitute the regular stevia sweet leaf drops for the vanilla? I have the regular one on hand!
Oh, and would you please post the nutrition facts you have? Thank you!
Yes, the regular SweetLeaf stevia drops is fine! And the full nutrition information is already included directly beneath the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake Sue!
What should the batter consistency look like? This is my first Pound Cake. I have a loaf in the oven now, but the dough came out super dense, its got an uneven shape because its not falling into form. I made it according to your recipe, but with GF flour andI used the Maple Syrup and Agave combo, instead of stevia. I used slightly less sweeter than recommended. My batter is Super Dense. I now think I should have added the milk. I’ll know in another 30 minutes what I end up. Fingers Crossed. Any suggestion
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jennifer! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 What GF flour did you use, and how did you measure it? With a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe in detail what you did? What’s the exact amount of each sweetener that you used? (If you used less than I recommended, that would mean that there wasn’t enough liquid in the batter, which would contribute to your batter being super dense!) The more information you can give me, the better I’ll be able to solve your issues so you end up with a perfectly tender pound cake! 🙂