Towards the end of April, I flew home to visit my parents for the weekend. As something fun to do during my trip, we bought tickets to see a baseball game on Saturday, and even my brother (who notoriously brought books to baseball games and read the whole time throughout our childhood!) came along and cheered with some of his friends.
He and his best friend also spent Saturday night at my parents’ house, and when we all woke up the following morning, we decided to grab brunch at one of our favorite restaurants. Although about a 45-minute drive away, the food is always worth it—and we usually spend the whole car ride chatting and catching up, too!
Despite arriving closer to lunchtime that particular Sunday, the restaurant still buzzed with breakfast activity. When a table cleared a few minutes later, the waiter led us over and handed us a set of newly redesigned menus.
We admired the fresh look with lots of hand-drawn elements and scripted fonts, and we even paused to think about ordering their seasonal peach coffee cake: towering slices of warm buttery cake topped with a thick layer of cinnamon streusel and a dollop of butter that immediately melted into the topping… (Probably more of a dessert than breakfast item!) Yet we all opted for the classic blueberry coffee cake flavor instead. It’s hard to break tradition!
However, I couldn’t get the peach + cake flavor combination out of my head… So I baked this Healthy Peach Pound Cake back at my own house! It’s just as tender and full of juicy peaches, with a subtle hint of warm cinnamon. (Plus my secret ingredient makes it taste even more sophisticated and irresistible!) But unlike the restaurant’s breakfast cake, this one has no refined flour or sugar—and only 129 calories!
I bet this probably qualifies more as breakfast food than the restaurant’s coffee cake!
Let’s go over how to make this healthy peach pound cake! I may be biased but… It’s the best healthy peach cake I’ve ever had!
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!
White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, closer to that of all-purpose flour, which lets the tender texture of your healthy pound cake truly shine.
Hint: The difference between white whole wheat flour and regular whole wheat flour is similar to the difference between green and red grapes. Same health benefits, just a different color and slightly different flavor!
You’ll also mix a small amount of cinnamon into the flour. My grandma always used that in her famous peach pie, so I can’t bake peach-flavored treats without it! This is my favorite kind because it has a stronger, warmer, and slightly sweeter flavor than regular cinnamon. I highly recommend it!
Unlike traditional recipes that use a pound of butter (around 2 cups!) and a pound of eggs (about 9 of them!), this healthy peach pound cake only requires 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 egg whites. Whew! My waistline is so happy about this low-calorie pound cake…
Instead, this healthy peach pound cake gets the majority of its tender texture from—you guessed it!—Greek yogurt. If you’ve been around my blog before, you know how much I love baking with it! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your cake batter as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories… And it also gives your healthy pound cake a protein boost, too!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your healthy peach pound cake with another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla 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… You just need 4 teaspoons for this entire cake!
This is the kind I use because I love its warm flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes 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 best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Time for the star of the show… The peaches! Both fresh and canned in 100% juice will work. (That makes it really easy to enjoy this healthy peach pound cake all year round!) Cut your peaches to be about the same size as blueberries to ensure your pound cake bakes evenly—and that every bite contains a bit of fruit!
One last thing! I can’t let you start baking without telling you about my secret ingredient… It’s almond extract (like this)! Almond extract was my grandma’s secret ingredient in her famous peach pie, so I tested it out in this healthy pound cake. It makes a huge difference in the flavor and makes your cake taste more sophisticated—and even a bit sweeter, too!
By far the best healthy peach cake I’ve ever eaten… And true summer dessert perfection! ?? 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 peach pound cake!
| Healthy Peach Pound Cake | | Print |
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp 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
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp vanilla stevia
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk
- 1 cup (200g) diced peaches (fresh or canned in 100% juice and drained)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan 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, almond extract, vanilla extract, and vanilla stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in 2 tablespoons 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.) Set aside 1 tablespoon of peaches, and gently fold in the rest.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining peaches on top. Bake at 350°F for 55-65 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.
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.
Make sure you measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cake and also make it taste not as sweet.
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.
For a stronger almond flavor, increase the almond extract by an additional ½ to 1 teaspoon.
I do not recommend substituting for the vanilla 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 best price I've found. For a sweeter pound cake, increase the vanilla stevia by 1 teaspoon.
However, if you really prefer to omit the vanilla stevia from the cake, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar and reduce the milk to ½ cup, 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 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.
Dice the peaches to be about the same size as blueberries to ensure the pound cake bakes evenly. I know it takes a little extra time, but I promise it’s worth it!
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Do not use an electric mixer to mix up 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, low sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Peach Streusel Coffee Cake
♡ Healthy Peach Crumble
♡ Healthy Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Raspberry Almond Pound Cake
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Pound Cake
I have never used Stevia before. Don’t even have any. If I find it near me asap what other kind should I get since I doubt
the vanilla creme is avail near me and I want to make this NOW! 🙂
Thanks
Cindy
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Cindy! I mainly use the vanilla flavor, so I haven’t tried many of their other flavors. I buy mine online at the link I provided because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found, and you can also find some of their other flavors at that link too! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think if you try this pound cake!
For nut allergies, can the almond extract be replaced?
Yes, definitely! Vanilla extract is the best substitute. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake if you try it, Ilana!
Can i use Maple syrup instead of vanilla stevia? Thank you, i love all your recipes! <3
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Noelia! If you’d like to substitute maple syrup for the vanilla stevia, then you’ll need 1 ¼ cups. Omit the milk if substituting maple syrup. You may need to slightly increase the baking time as well. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake!
Hello from Bulgaria! Thank you for the great recipe. I’ve just discovered your site via pinterest and just wanted to say how grateful I am that you’ve put the quantities in grams and milliliters as well!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Elena! That means a lot to me! 🙂 I was actually a chemist before I became a baking blogger, and since we measured everything in grams using scales, I actually prefer to do that in my kitchen as well. 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake — or any other recipes that you decide to try!
This sounds like an amazing recipe.. I just don’t have any Greek yogurt or vanilla stevia, can I substitute applesauce for the yogurt and possibly a 1/4 c of maple syrup for the sweetener?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nancy! I’ve actually given alternatives to the vanilla stevia in the Notes section of the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 This recipe really does work best with Greek yogurt. The Greek yogurt contains a lot of protein, which helps the pound cake hold its shape after baking. While applesauce would provide a similar amount of moisture as Greek yogurt, it just doesn’t have the same protein content, so your pound cake would likely turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try this recipe! 🙂