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 sub flax for a whole egg, does anything work for the whites? I know you play with substitutions sometimes for your brother and wondered if you had tried any in this recipe.
You know me well, Helen! 😉 In my recipes, I always use Ener-G as my egg substitute. It’s had the best results of any egg replacers that I’ve tried, including flax! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white (and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk, although that doesn’t apply here!). I can’t wait to hear what you think of this snack cake! 🙂
Thanks so much! I’ve yet to try that, just flax, applesauce, or gelatin. I’ll have to pick some up.
My pleasure, Helen! It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages — one of the many reasons I love Ener-G. 😉 I’m excited to hear how your snack cake turns out!
My old boss used to use flax for eggs in her muffins. What is the recipe for that? It was always so gooey just like eggs but I don’t know the measurements and ingredients.
I’m honored you’d ask me for advice, Corie-Ann! I don’t have much experience with flax as a substitute for eggs, but Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this oatmeal snack cake if you try it!
Hi Amy,
What can you use to substitute the green yogurt? I love zucchini bread and have recently been trying out being dairy free.
Thanks!
Rebeka
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Rebeka! The best substitute would be non-dairy yogurt alternatives (i.e. soy- or almond-based). I love Silk’s non-dairy yogurts! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this snack cake!
Wow! this recipe looks tempting. I have never tried zucchini, but after reading your post I would love to try it. It looks so healthy that I can give it to my daughter in her lunch box as well. Keep posting such healthy recipes and tips with the readers.
I’d love to hear what you think if you and your daughter try this snack cake, Supriya! 🙂
I’ve had chocolate cake with zucchini before and would love to try this recipe. Do you think I could sub one large egg for the two egg whites? I would rather not have left over egg yolks.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Steph! You can use 2 whole eggs, and that won’t affect the flavor or texture. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this snack cake!
Does the yoghurt need to be drained?
No, just use regular nonfat Greek yogurt straight from the tub! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this snack cake!
Can you substitute bananas for maple syrup on this recipe?
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe, Kate! I don’t recommend that substitution for a couple of reasons. Mashed bananas aren’t nearly as sweet as maple syrup, so your snack cake would turn out with a really bland flavor, almost like plain sandwich bread, instead of having the sweetness level of muffins. Mashed bananas would also change the texture, and your snack cake could potentially collapse while cooling and turn out somewhat more dense and gummy. However, I do have a banana version of this recipe here, if you have overly ripe bananas that you’re just trying to use in a baking recipe! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try either of my snack cake recipes!
Wondering if this could be used with something other than zucchini, such as grated apples or carrots perhaps? Or could you do half zucchini/half apple? Thanks!
This looks very good- I am wondering if you think it would freeze well? Thanks
Yes! Once sliced, the individual pieces of this snack cake freeze (and thaw!) really well. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making it, Dee Ann!