I’m partnering with Bob’s Red Mill® to bring you today’s recipe! I absolutely love their healthy, top-quality products (flours, oats, protein powders, and more!). They ensure my recipes turn out perfectly and taste delicious every time I make them!
Throughout my childhood, my grandma occasionally flew out to California to visit us. We drove to the airport to pick her up, parked in the short-term lot, and walked all the way to her gate to greet her. (This was ages ago before all of the 21st century airport security measures!)
Once we exchanged hugs, we headed for baggage claim to pick up her suitcase, and we carefully wheeled it out to the car. Back at home, Dad carried it up the stairs to the guest bedroom, and I eagerly bounced around in the hallway, waiting for Grandma to unzip it…
Because she often packed two homemade loaves of zucchini bread for us! Even though it had weird “green things” inside (I was a huge picky eater as a young girl!), the cinnamon and nutmeg and sugar masked their taste… And the texture was so moist and tender, just like pound cake!
Since it was technically called a “quick bread,” even with massive quantities of oil and sugar hiding inside, Mom let us eat slices as afternoon snacks. I often asked for seconds, and the first loaf always seemed to disappear by the time we drove Grandma to the airport for her return flight!
Looking back, I realized that zucchini bread probably should’ve been classified as dessert… But not this Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Snack Cake! With no oil, refined flour or sugar and only 96 calories, it’s definitely healthy enough for snacking—and even breakfast! Yet it has the same irresistible spice flavors and moist texture as those childhood loaves… Which means it disappears just as quickly too!
Let’s go over how to make this healthy snack cake!
You’ll start with a combination of Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour (this kind!) and Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking oats (these ones!). Bob’s Red Mill products are huge staples in my pantry because they’re top quality and taste amazing—and they’re so dependable and affordable! With how many different flours and oats and grains that I use, I could probably single-handedly keep Bob’s Red Mill in business…
But getting back to those oats! They’re the key to this snack cake, both in texture and nutrition, so it’s important to use the correct kind. Quick cooking oats are also called “one-minute” or “instant” oats, and they’re smaller and thinner than traditional rolled (aka “old-fashioned”) oats. This smaller size means they soften faster, and because this snack cake doesn’t bake for very long, that’s really important to getting a nice tender texture!
However, it’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I have!) Too much of either ingredient will make your healthy snack cake turn out dry or crumbly… Especially too many oats! They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter, so make sure you measure them carefully!
You’ll also mix plenty of spices into the flour and oats: cinnamon (this kind works exceptionally well!) and nutmeg (like this!). The nutmeg was a special secret addition to Grandma’s zucchini bread, and after trying this snack cake both with and without… I totally get why! The nutmeg adds a deep richness, depth, and fullness to the spice flavor, so don’t skip it!
With a mere ½ tablespoon of butter (yes, that’s it!) and 2 egg whites, the majority of this snack cake’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt. I love using Greek yogurt in my healthy baking recipes because it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil—but for a fraction of the calories! And it also gives your snack cake a big protein boost. Win-win!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your healthy oatmeal snack cake with pure maple syrup (like this!). You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees and only has one ingredient: maple syrup. It’s usually sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs!
Of course, we can’t forget the freshly grated zucchini! Before stirring it into the batter, remember to pat it dry with paper towels to squeeze out the extra moisture. If you don’t, that water gets released into this healthy snack cake while it bakes, which adds too much moisture… And means your snack cake will turn out underdone in the middle and collapse while cooling. Not good! It only takes a couple extra minutes to squeeze out that moisture, and I promise the end result is worth it!
Doesn’t that look tempting?? 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 zucchini oatmeal snack cake!
| Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Snack Cake | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (150g) Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Oats (gluten-free if needed and measured like this)
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour or Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 6 tbsp (90mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (180g) freshly grated zucchini (see Notes!)
- 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, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Stir in the 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.) Gently stir in the zucchini.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 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.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out your snack cake and give it a crumbly texture—especially the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up moisture from your cake batter.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will prevent the snack cake from fully baking and cause the snack cake to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly shredded zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and firmly press down until the top towel turns completely wet.
For a sweeter flavor, increase the maple syrup by an additional 2 tablespoons (½ cup total), and decrease the milk by 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons instead).
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill®. As always, all text, photographs, recipes, and opinions are my own.
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Mini Muffins
I used whole eggs, full fat milk and full fat yoghurt…..very delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed this oatmeal cake, Wanda! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it really means a lot! 🙂