Throughout elementary school, my parents tucked a little treat into our lunches every day for my younger brother and me to enjoy. Since Mom rarely baked (she was too busy helping us with our homework and shuttling us between our afternoon sports practices and music lessons!), we usually found store-bought sweets when we opened our lunch boxes.
With so many options to choose from at the grocery store, we rarely ate the same treats for more than two weeks in a row. Things like small soft-baked chocolate chip cookies, circus animal cookies, sugar wafers, elf-shaped cookies with fudge filling…
But our favorites were always Little Debbie desserts! We weren’t picky about the type. Oatmeal crème pies, cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cake rolls with vanilla frosting… We slowly savored every crumb of those treats!
During December, Mom often snagged some of the holiday-themed sweets, like Little Debbie’s small cakes cut into the shape of Christmas trees and decorated with festive red and green sprinkles. If we behaved really well, she even let us each eat one as our after school snack!
When I spotted a prominent display of those tree-shaped cakes at the grocery store last week, I smiled at the childhood memories of enjoying those as a special treat after returning home from school. But I’m sure this healthy gingerbread oatmeal snack cake would’ve been an even better option — and tastier too!
It’s bursting with festive and cozy holiday flavor, and it’s also just as moist as the ones I remember from back then. Since my brother and I have always been huge gingerbread fans, I bet we even would’ve picked this wholesome snack cake over the store-bought ones as kids too!
HOW TO MAKE A GINGERBREAD OATMEAL SNACK CAKE
Let’s talk about how make this healthy gingerbread snack cake! You’ll start with whole wheat flour and instant oats (like these). Instant oats only contain one ingredient: oats! They’re smaller and thinner than traditional rolled oats, which means they soften faster, so they give this snack cake a supremely moist and tender texture. They’re also called “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats, and you can find them right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store.
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy gingerbread oatmeal snack cake gluten-free, use certified gluten-free instant oats. Then check the Notes section of the recipe for my top gluten-free flour recommendations!
To really boost the supremely tender texture, you’ll also mix Greek yogurt into your cake batter. I bet you already knew I was going to say that… Right? It’s one of my favorite ingredients for a reason! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your gingerbread snack cake a protein boost too!
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten your snack cake with pure maple syrup (like this!) and molasses (like this!). I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses! It’s a key ingredient in all gingerbread-flavored treats and provides that deep, rich, cozy, warms-you-from-your-nose-to-the-tips-of-your-toes flavor. Yum! Molasses is shelf-stable and inexpensive, and you can typically find it on the baking aisle near the honey.
Tip: Don’t substitute blackstrap molasses! It’s really bitter and can ruin the flavor. For the best gingerbread snack cake, use regular unsulphured molasses, which is noticeably sweeter. (This is the kind I like!)
Of course, we can’t forget the most important ingredients… The spices! You’ll sprinkle in ginger (pretty obvious!), cinnamon (← I’m obsessed with that variety!), nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Yes, I know that’s a lot of spices! Although it might be tempting to use store-bought gingerbread spice, I find those blends often have a flatter, duller flavor compared to when I make my own with the individual spices. (And you’ll use those spices in most of these recipes of mine too!)
The hardest part of making this cake? Waiting for it to cool! With its cozy aroma wafting throughout your house, it feels nearly impossible to wait for it to reach room temperature… Trust me — I just might know from personal experience! But as tempting as it may be, please promise me that you’ll wait. The cake’s structure hasn’t fully set until it’s completely cool, so you’ll ruin that if you try cutting into it early.
Tip: Once the pan is cool enough to touch with bare hands, you can pop it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process!
Snack time just might be my new favorite time of day! Or maybe breakfast… Since this oatmeal cake is definitely healthy enough for that too! 😉
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 healthy gingerbread oatmeal snack cake!
Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp (10g) ground ginger (see Notes!)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (not blackstrap!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Stir in the molasses and maple syrup. Alternate between adding the oat mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the oat mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the oat mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 22-26 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Morning Glory Gingerbread
♡ Healthy Gingerbread with Maple Glaze
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Donuts with Maple Glaze
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy gingerbread-flavored recipes and healthy oatmeal snack cake recipes!
This season is all about ginger and cinnamon. Oats are s great ingredient to use I do many recipes. Love this and hope to make it this weekend xoxo
Thank you so much Beverley! I’d love to hear what you think if you end up trying this snack cake! 🙂 Happy holidays, sweet friend!
Do not appreciate having to scroll down thry picture after picture to get to the recipe, a mistake most online cookbooks do.
Ugh.
Yum – these look amazing! Do you think I could use real ginger? I have a ton of it and I’d love to use it up asap, so if I could use it in this or anything else you might suggest, I’m all ears!
Thank you!
Thanks Sarah! I haven’t tried using fresh ginger myself, so I’m really not sure. I’ve seen people say 1 tablespoon of fresh is about the same as ¼ teaspoon of dried… But that would mean 24 tablespoons, or 1 ½ cups, for this recipe. So I’m not sure that’s right! Maybe use a combination of fresh and dried? I’m sorry I’m not much help here — I just don’t want to lead you astray! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this snack cake!
I’m convinced holiday themed and SHAPED treats always taste better. For me it was always Reese’s. Granted, the recipe IS different for the holiday Reese’s, but still! Gingerbread makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
Oh my gosh girl… Me + Reese’s = match made in heaven — or totally dangerous, depending on how you look at it!! 😉 I love the holiday ones for both Halloween and Christmas! And Easter too, come to think of it…
Hi
What does all spice contain?
Allspice is actually a single spice — it just contains allspice and no other ingredients! It was given its name because it has flavor notes similar to a blend of spices, even though it’s just a single spice. Confusing, I know! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this snack cake, Nedaa!
Amy,
I cannot wait to try your healthy recipes! Am I able to substitute Splenda for Stevia in any of your recipes? Also, am I able to substitute Splenda or Stevia for honey in any of your recipes? My husband has a problem with honey and molasses, it’s a challenge to bake for him.
Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Sheila! You’re so sweet to want to make homemade treats for your husband. He’s lucky to have you! It really depends on the recipe! So the best way for me to help you is if you leave individual comments on the recipes you’d wish to try. 🙂 Is this one of the recipes you’d like to modify for your husband?
Hi Amy, I am going to make this one tonight! Will let you know how it turns out. I can hardly wait! And ohhhhhh…I just subscribed to your YT channel! I also liked the videos 🙂 You are doing awesome!
Awwww thank you SO much for subscribing Carmelina!! I’m truly honored! (And maybe now you’ll have some new songs that you sing while baking?… ?) I’m excited to hear what you and your family think of this snack cake!
Hello Amy, I made this snack cake and…..you are right on the money when you say cozy spices! This cake is supreme! Sadly though….it’s only a 9″ pan so it’s all gone!!!!! Yup! It was thaaaat delicious! The texture was perfect! I think I will take a chance, double the recipe and use a 9×13 dish. No fault of your own if it doesn’t turn out as it should because I am choosing to alter the recipe somewhat. Will let you know how it turns out.Thank you!!
YAY!! I’m so glad you and your family loved this snack cake Carmelina! That’s the BEST kind of compliment if you already plan on baking it again… AND doubling the recipe! I’m honored — thank you!! 🙂 🙂
I just made this recipe but as muffins instead of a cake.
I made several changes to the recipe, some on purpose, some by accident. I used rolled oats instead of instant because that’s what I had, organic unbleached all-purp flour instead of whole wheat, 2 whole eggs instead of just whites, didn’t have vanilla extract, 1/2 cup yogurt (I messed up LOL), and 1/4 cup of maple syrup (my ‘helper’ misread and forgot the molasses and read the maple syrup as 1/4 cup WHAT EVEN).
And guess what? Even amid all the changes and f*** ups, they turned out great! Really fluffy and moist and flavorful. They weren’t sweet at all though so we just drizzled honey on top right before eating. Thanks for such a (LITERALLY) fool-proof recipe! I’ll definitely be making these again
I’m so glad your muffins turned out Maria!! That makes me so happy to hear, and I’m truly honored that you’d want to make them again! 🙂