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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. Â
He and his best friend also spent Saturday night at my parentsâ 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 itâand we usually spend the whole car ride chatting and catching up, too!
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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. Itâs hard to break tradition!
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However, I couldnât get the peach + cake flavor combination out of my head⌠So I baked this Healthy Peach Pound Cake back at my own house! Itâs 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 restaurantâs breakfast cake, this one has no refined flour or sugarâand only 129 calories!
I bet this probably qualifies more as breakfast food than the restaurantâs coffee cake!
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Letâs go over how to make this healthy peach pound cake! I may be biased but⌠Itâs the best healthy peach cake Iâve ever had!
Youâll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). Yes, such a thing actually exists⌠And itâs 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!
Youâll also mix a small amount of cinnamon into the flour. My grandma always used that in her famous peach pie, so I canât 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!
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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 cakeâŚ
Instead, this healthy peach pound cake gets the majority of its tender texture fromâyou guessed it!âGreek yogurt. If youâve 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!
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Youâll 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 itâs clean-eating friendly!). Itâs 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 donât 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 thatâs the best price Iâve found. (And youâll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
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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 evenlyâand that every bite contains a bit of fruit!
One last thing! I canât let you start baking without telling you about my secret ingredient⌠Itâs almond extract (like this)! Almond extract was my grandmaâs 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 sophisticatedâand even a bit sweeter, too!
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By far the best healthy peach cake Iâve 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 Iâll see your picture! ?) Iâd love to see your healthy peach pound cake!
| Healthy Peach Pound Cake | | Print |
- 2 ž cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ž 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
- ž 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 9x5â 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. (â 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. (Itâs one of my favorite ingredients, and youâll 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 Ÿ 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 Ÿ 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 itâs 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
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You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŚ
âĄÂ  Healthy Peach Streusel Coffee Cake
âĄÂ  Healthy Peach Crumble
âĄÂ  Healthy Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies
âĄÂ  Healthy Raspberry Almond Pound Cake
âĄÂ  The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Pound Cake
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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! đ
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! đ 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. đ 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 Âź cups. Omit the milk if substituting maple syrup. You may need to slightly increase the baking time as well. đ 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! đ 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. đ 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 donât 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! đ 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! đ
love all u receipes I love sharing on all my facebook pages esp. Johnson Peaches..am I missing the facebook button on u receipes? to make it easily I want to share u peach receipes on my page off u receipes on u blog g
I’m so honored that you’d like to share links to my blog, Nolan! There’s actually a Facebook share button at the top of each of my blog posts. It’s the small pink “f” directly underneath the blog post title — I know it can be easy to m iss! đ
Helllo again: I have tried and loved a lot of your recipes, including this one. One request, respectfully: would you consider providing a source other than Amazon for the products you recommend? I find Amazon inconsistent with the ethos and ethics and values you promote both in terms of their predatory behavor in the marketplace AND their treatment of their workers. I am not asking anyone to agree or subscribe to the same ojections (but information about this is widely available in mainstream media), but I would like to be able to obtain, say, Vanilla Stevia without uding Amazon. Options would be great, if possible. In any event, thanks for all your great baking guidance.
I’m so honored that you’ve tried and enjoyed so many of my recipes! It really means a lot to me that you’d take the time to let me know. Thank you! đ
I absolutely understand, and I appreciate you sharing your perspective so kindly and respectfully. I’m looking into other alternatives, and I hope to update as many of my blog posts as I can in the near future. With more than 1200 recipes on my website, it’s a slow process, but I’m doing the best I can to update all of them! I’ve been able to find the stevia at many health-oriented grocery stores (if you’d prefer to buy it in person!), and it’s also possible to purchase directly from the stevia brand’s website. I hope that gives you a few more Amazon alternatives, and I’d love to hear what you think of any of my other recipes that you decide to try too!
Hi Amy —
I bake with almond flour or coconut flour. How much should I use in this recipe? I bake with non-liquid Stevia. How much should I use in this recipe for the sweetener?
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Sue! Unfortunately, almond flour and coconut flour won’t work in this cake. Coconut flour makes the batter much too dry. We generally recommend using it in our recipes only when it’s explicitly called for in the Ingredients list, but we do have a selection of recipes made with coconut flour! You can find those here.
We don’t recommend substituting almond flour in our cake recipes either. This 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 our recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. However, almond flour will work as a substitute in the majority of our cookie recipes and brownie recipes because neither of those rise the way cakes do! You may need to add a touch more since it isn’t as absorbent as wheat-based flours.
If you’d still like to make this cake with one of the flour options listed in the Ingredients or Notes section, then we’re happy to help figure out whether the stevia product you have will work! What’s the exact brand and product name?
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes that are healthy! My question is can I use the egg whites that I buy in a carton? Iâm not very good at separating eggs. đ˘. Is the vanilla stevia you use a liquid or crystal In regular sugar? I subscribed to your recipes and I canât wait to start getting emails!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lori! I’m honored that you’ve subscribed to my email newsletter. That means so much! âĄ
The stevia is a liquid. If you click on the pink “vanilla stevia” text in the Ingredients list, or on the pink “here” in the Notes section’s stevia paragraph, both of those are links to the exact stevia that I use. (My links are the pink-colored font â but I know it can be easy to miss that detail! đ )
Here is that same link to the vanilla stevia. I also really like this liquid stevia and have started using it more than the vanilla one. Because many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. Therefore, for the best results, I highly recommend using one of those two that I do! (It just so happens that the vanilla stevia and “original” liquid stevia are completely interchangeable, which definitely makes life easier! đ )
I haven’t tried using egg whites from a carton, so I’m not personally sure how that will work. However, I’ve found that the easiest way to separate eggs (without getting shells in them or accidentally breaking the yolk!) is to crack the entire egg into a small bowl. Then reach in with your hand, gently lift out the yolk, carefully wiggle it a bit with your fingers to “shake” off any white still clinging to it, and place just the yolk in a second separate bowl. Does that make sense? đ
I’m really excited to hear what you think of this cake â and any other recipes you end up making too!
Thanks so much for the very swift reply! Iâm going to try tomorrow to âcrack some eggs â and see if I can do it your way. I actually found a kitchen tool that I bought about 10 years ago that is supposed to be able to separate eggs. So Iâm going to try both of them and see which one works best. I canât wait to make your peach pound cake!
It’s my pleasure, Lori! That sounds like a handy kitchen tool. It’s always nice to have gadgets like that make our lives easier, isn’t it? đ I really hope one of the two egg separation methods work (if not both of them!) â I can’t wait to hear how your cake turns out!