Last week when I stopped by the grocery store, I smiled as soon as I walked through the sliding glass doors. The supermarket strategically placed their bakery right at the very front, tempting customers with treats from the moment they entered.
A half dozen display tables stood scattered around that floor space, each holding its own dessert. Cookies, brownies, brownie bites, mini cupcakes, regular cupcakes, cake slices, cake pops, coffee cake, pies, tarts… Every sweet treat imaginable!
Of course, the store tucked away the not-so-sweet baked goods like bread, rolls, and bagels in the far corner… They knew those were far less tempting!
Last week, the bakery had added an extra long folding table display for Valentine’s Day, which looked as if it might collapse under the weight of all the products piled on top! It held packages of pre-baked sugar cookies and boxed cake mix, alongside huge tubs of sprinkles and containers of store-made buttercream frosting dyed in every color of the rainbow.
The bakery knew many people wanted to frost sugar cookies and bake cakes for their loved ones for Valentine’s Day… But those people usually lacked the time to do it all from scratch, so the bakery’s display solved that problem. Buy all of the pre-made components and just decorate at home!
As a kid, I would’ve begged my mom to let us do that… I loved store-bought frosting and treats back then! But as an adult, I’ve started to gravitate away from those overly sweet and decorated desserts towards simpler (and healthier!) options…
Like this Healthy Vanilla Bean Pound Cake! It’s so full of rich vanilla flavor that no frosting is necessary (and even the drizzle is optional!). This healthy pound cake is also really easy to make. You just need two bowls, a whisk, and a fork—no mixer!
But I saved the best for last… This healthy pound cake contains no refined flour or sugar, and it’s just 125 calories! That’s basically the definition of cake heaven in my book!
WHY IS IT CALLED POUND CAKE?
Traditional pound cakes earned their name because they contained a pound of each of the following ingredients: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. They were really moist and dense… And had way more calories per slice than I want to think about!
So let’s talk about how we’re going to make our pound cake healthier!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY VANILLA POUND CAKE
You’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). Yes, such a thing actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour! Regular whole wheat flour comes from coarse and hearty red wheat, whereas white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!). This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, which is perfect for letting the tender texture of your healthy vanilla bean pound cake shine!
You’ll skip the pound of butter (about 2 cups!) and eggs (about 9 of them!). Instead, you’ll use a mere 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 egg whites. Whew! My waistline is doing a happy dance just thinking about how many calories we shaved off!
Therefore, the majority of this healthy vanilla pound cake’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt. Although… You may have guessed that already! I love baking with Greek yogurt because it adds the same moisture to your cake batter as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your healthy pound cake a big protein boost, too!
Rather than granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy vanilla pound cake with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated, so you just need 1 tablespoon to sweeten your entire cake!
This is the liquid stevia that I buy because I love its warm flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste, like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Of course, the true star of the show is the vanilla bean! Because it’s really hard to find good vanilla beans near where I live (especially ones that don’t cost an arm and a leg!), I use this vanilla bean paste instead. I buy it online here! It adds the same richness as regular vanilla beans — and just look at all of those pretty black speckles! They make me so happy! ♡
If you want to make your healthy vanilla bean pound cake look a little fancier, then add a little drizzle on top once it has completely cooled! I made mine with this healthy “powered sugar” as the base, then mixed it with milk and a little more vanilla bean paste. For easy drizzling, put it in a small bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle away!
A slice for dessert… A slice before bed… A slice as a mid-afternoon snack… This healthy vanilla pound cake basically disappeared in the blink of an eye at my house! It truly is the BEST!
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 vanilla bean pound cake!
| Healthy Vanilla Bean Pound Cake | | Print |
- for the pound cake
- 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
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 5 tsp vanilla bean paste (see Notes!)
- 1 tbsp (15mL) liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cups (300mL) nonfat milk
- for the drizzle (optional)
- 5 tsp confectioners’ style erythritol
- 1 ½ tsp nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla bean paste, and liquid stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in ¼ cup 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.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 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 carefully transferring the pound cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the drizzle, just before serving, stir together the erythritol, milk, and vanilla bean paste in a small bowl. Transfer the glaze to a small bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
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.
This is the vanilla bean paste that I used! It’s much more affordable than buying regular vanilla beans, and it’s completely shelf-stable. Each teaspoon is the equivalent of one full vanilla bean! I bought it online here. For a stronger vanilla flavor, increase the vanilla bean paste by another 1 teaspoon.
You may substitute regular vanilla extract for the vanilla bean paste, but the vanilla flavor won’t be quite as prominent.
I do not recommend substituting for the liquid 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!) I buy mine online here because that's the cheapest price I've found. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I did! Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not always a 1-for-1 substitution.
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar and reduce the milk to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons, but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) coconut sugar and reduce the milk to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
In the drizzle, this is the confectioners’ style erythritol that I used. In a pinch, regular confectioners’ (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol. However, regular powdered sugar is more absorbent, so start with ½ teaspoon of milk and add more as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
I do not recommend baking this cake in square or round cake pans. If baked in either of these pans, the center of the cake will likely collapse because of the lack of sugar and how this cake is sweetened with stevia instead. (Sugar actually plays a role in cake’s structure — it’s not just there for sweetness!) For the best taste and texture results, use a loaf pan as instructed.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ½ cups (180g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Raspberry Almond Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Eggnog Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Pound Cake
Hello, i see that in all of your recipes you use creme vanilla stevia, but I can`t find that where i am. However I can get this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/node/1869593031?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=SweetLeaf&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_1869593031 do you think i could use it as a subsitute for the cream stevia and still get the same results? Thank you!!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Elena! When I looked at that link, it actually brought up 38 different products. Did you click on the link to the vanilla stevia that I use? (My links are in pink!) If you click on the link to the vanilla stevia that I use, it’s actually the same as the first result on the page of products that you linked to. 😉 So if you purchase that product, you’ll be just fine! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake if you try it!
Oh my bad, https://www.amazon.co.uk/SweetLeaf-Sweetdrops-Vanilla-Flavour-Sweetener/dp/B07KXS4W6Z?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_1869593031 Hope this link is ok. It’s the Vanilla Sweetner in the blue bottle. As i said i can`t find the vanilla stevia you used and added in the link, as i`m from Romania, but i did find the blue bottle sweetner from SweetLeaf and was wondering if i could use that as a replacement and have the same result. I already tried out some of your recipes (that didn`t require stevia), but as you realize my options are limited, and i would really love to try out more! I don`t wanna replace it with sugar cuz i`m watching my calories and macros and this is the first site where i have all that info and i can eat sweets guilt freee and still have results:D Also, i love that your recipes are soooo good, unlike some others that i tried before i found your site so, i just wanna make sure that i would get a good result without that creme stevia sweetner, cuz i can`t quite get in the possession of that 🙁 Keep up the good job and thank you so much!
No worries Elena! Thanks so much for this link — that’s really helpful! This stevia company has a handy conversion chart on their website here. Based on that, you’ll need 72mL of the vanilla drops, which is almost 5 tablespoons. If you decide to use 5 tablespoons of the vanilla drops to replace the vanilla stevia that I used, then reduce the milk by 4 tablespoons (so just 1 cup!) to compensate for the added liquid. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of this pound cake!
Hi Amy. Thanks so much for this recipe. Is it possible to substitute the flour for 1/2 regular all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat flour? Also, can I decide to use 3 eggs instead of just the egg whites? Thanks so much.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lisa! You can definitely substitute half all-purpose flour and half regular whole wheat flour for the white whole wheat flour. You can also use 3 whole eggs. The baking time may increase slightly due to the extra volume from the egg yolks, but the flavor and texture will remain the same! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake!
I can’t eat stevia.. I’m wondering if I could substitute with honey.. Maple syrup.. Something else… I know it will add calories but every time I eat stevia it makes my head buzz. ????
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tami! I’ve actually covered the best alternative sweetener options in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake!
Hey Amy,
Can i bake it in a regular cake pan instead of a loaf shaped one? thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Frankie! I’ve haven’t tried, so I’m not personally sure how it’ll turn out. However, if you’ve had good luck with doing that with other similar recipes, then it’s probably worth a shot! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you try making it!
do u have a recipe for triple layer vanilla cake? With buttercream frosting?
I don’t, Jody — but if you decide to make this vanilla pound cake, I’d love to hear what you think of it! 🙂
Sure thing. I made a vegan triple layer vanilla cake from a recipe i found online today but it turned out awful. Like 3 frisbies lol or 3 thick pancakes 🤣
Oh gosh — that sounds frustrating, Jody! I know that pan sizes can actually greatly affect how recipes turn out, especially ones made with stevia instead of sugar, like this one. With stevia-sweetened recipes, pans that are too long or wide will often result in sunken middles. This is because sugar actually contributes to the structure of loaves and cakes, not just sweetness… So recipes sweetened with stevia (or many other no-calorie sweeteners!) will lack that structural component, and if the pans are too wide or too long, the loaves and cakes will sink. (Unfortunately, I’ve learned this from personal experience when I’ve tried baking my cupcake recipes and pound cake recipes inside of 9″-round, 9″-square, and 9×13″ cake pans! 😉 )
I just wanted to mention that in case you were considering trying to make this recipe as a layer cake! It works as a pound cake, but it doesn’t as layers… It’ll end up collapsing and sinking in the middle. And I don’t want you to waste your time or ingredients!
Hello Amy! This recipe looks really good and I can’t wait to bake it. I was wondering if I used almond flour instead of whole wheat flour if it will change the outcome?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Kyra! Unfortunately… Yes. It’ll change the outcome quite a bit.
I typically don’t recommend substituting almond flour in my cake recipes, including this one. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Almond flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and collapse while cooling. Does that make sense?
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with almond flour (where your pound cake may collapse and will likely turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this pound cake!
Thank you for responding! So I actually went out and bought the whole wheat flour and I used vanilla extract instead of paste. I made the loaf as a present for my dads birthday. I was in such a rush I didn’t have anytime to taste it. But my dad ate some and he loved it!
It’s my pleasure, Kyra! I’m happy to help, and I’m so incredibly honored that you made my recipe as a gift for such a special occasion. That’s the best kind of compliment there is, especially if your dad loved it! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know, and happy birthday to your dad too! He’s so lucky to have you!
Hi, here are some questions:
1) Is it possible to substitute semolina flour in this recipe? If so, how may i substitute it in?
2) As i do not have access to greek yogurt and only have milk at home, may i know how i may substitute the greek yogurt with the milk?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Hazel! I don’t have enough experience with semonlina flour, so I’m honestly not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. I don’t recommend using milk in place of the yogurt; that will change the texture of this cake too much (and it may collapse while cooling!). Is Greek yogurt not sold in grocery stores where you live? If not, what types of yogurt do you have available to you?
is the whole thing 125 calories or each slice 🙂