Healthy Blueberry Almond Bundt Cake

 
One year for my birthday while still in college, my family drove up to visit me. Since we planned on a small celebration with just the four of us, I decided to bake my own birthday dessert, and I bought a couple of small 6”-round cake pans at the store.  

I baked a basic white cake from scratch, substituting almond extract for the vanilla (it’s my favorite baking extract!), and I mixed up a fresh peach filling for in between the layers. On a whim, I decided to cover my little cake with fondant to make it look pretty and elegant, so I found a recipe to follow online.

After mixing it together and dying it a light peach color to match the filling, I rolled out my homemade fondant into a large circle. But when I started to drape it over my little layer cake…
 

 
It cracked. A lot. The original recipe creator suggested to rub a little shortening on your fingers before smoothing out the cracks, and by the time I finished disguising those imperfections, I was so glad I had only made a 6”-round two-layer cake… Rather than an 8”-round four layer cake like some of the fancy bakeries in town offered. That would’ve taken more than triple the work!

As the amazing people that they are, my parents and brother still admired and praised my little birthday cake, and they proclaimed they enjoyed every bite!
 

 
However, that particular baking episode taught me that if I wanted stress-free birthdays, I should stay away from homemade layer cakes, especially ones with fondant… So I opted for this Healthy Blueberry Almond Bundt Cake this year instead!

I absolutely love bundt cakes because they look so pretty and elegant fresh out of the oven, and sometimes they don’t even need a drizzle. This particular one also contains lots of juicy berries and sweet almond flavor — and it requires less than 30 minutes to make!

That makes for one extra happy birthday! 😉
 

HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY BLUEBERRY ALMOND BUNDT CAKE

Let’s talk about how to make this healthy blueberry almond bundt cake!

You’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). Yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists… And it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour!

Instead, 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. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the moist and tender texture of this healthy cake truly shine!

Hint: I also included my preferred gluten-free option in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to make this blueberry bundt cake gluten-free!
 

 
Whereas traditional bundt cake recipes often call for ½ cup (or more!) of butter or oil, this healthy blueberry almond bundt cake only requires 1 tablespoon. That definitely helps keep this cake low calorie!

Even so, this blueberry bundt cake is still really moist and tender, and that’s because of Greek yogurt! If you’ve been to my blog before, you probably know how much I love baking with Greek yogurt. It adds the same moisture to your cake batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your cake a protein boost too!
 

 
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your healthy blueberry almond bundt 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!), and it’s also really concentrated. You just need 5 ½ teaspoons to sweeten this entire cake!

This is the kind I use because I love its sweet 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 best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)
 

 
Nerd Alert!
Although it may seem strange, you’ll mix 4 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar into the cake batter. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda, which (a) helps the cake rise and (b) gives the cake a better, more tender texture. I promise you can’t taste the vinegar in the finished cake!

Of course, you can’t make this bundt cake without the two very important ingredients… Fresh blueberries and almond extract! I strongly prefer fresh blueberries because they’re currently in season and oh-so-juicy, and they also don’t stain the batter a weird gray color like frozen ones often do.

As for the almond extract (like this!), I absolutely love the sophisticated flavor it gives the cake! It makes the cake taste a little sweeter too, in my opinion. It’s my favorite baking extract, so I’ve been adding it to lots of my recipes lately!
 

 
Once your batter is ready… You must thoroughly coat your bundt cake pan with cooking spray before adding in the cake batter. Because bundt pans have a lot more nooks and crannies than regular smooth, round cake pans, it’s easier for the cake to get stuck to the sides… But if you thoroughly coat your bundt pan with cooking spray, the cake should slide right out!

One last thing! The drizzle. It’s so simple to make! You just mix together a little confectioners’ style erythritol (this kind!), almond extract (like this!), and milk in a small bowl. Transfer that to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over your completely cooled bundt cake!
 

 
How beautiful and delicious does that look? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry almond bundt cake!

Healthy Blueberry Almond Bundt Cake

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 bundt cake, 16 slices

This just might be the best bundt cake I’ve ever had! It’s moist and tender with lots of juicy berries, and the almond extract makes it taste elegant — and a little sweeter! It’s best if eaten the same day it’s drizzled, but leftover cake will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Ingredients 

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 ¾ cups (450g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 4 tsp almond extract
• 5 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
• ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup (60mL) distilled white vinegar (see Notes!)
• 1 ½ cups (360mL) nonfat milk, divided
• 2 cups (280g) fresh blueberries (see Notes!)

FOR THE DRIZZLE

• 3 tbsp (45g) confectioners’ style erythritol (see Notes!)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 2 - 2 ½ tsp nonfat milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and generously coat a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or nonstick cooking spray with flour.
• 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, almond extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar and ½ 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.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 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 transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature and just before serving, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the erythritol, almond extract, and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped plastic bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to 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 give it a crumbly texture, instead of yielding a really moist and tender texture.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to make the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

IMPORTANT BUNDT PAN NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Make sure you coat your bundt pan really well with cooking spray! (This is the bundt pan that I use.) With so many nooks and crannies, compared to traditional round or rectangular cake pans, the batter has more chances to stick to the sides, so a generous coating of cooking spray will ensure your bundt cake slides right out of the pan.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: 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 have a slight wheat-y flavor.

 

EGG WHITES NOTE: The cake requires 4 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 4 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

 

If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 4 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

ALMOND EXTRACT ALTERNATIVE: If you aren’t a fan of almond extract or don't have any, substitute vanilla extract instead.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)

 

However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) granulated sugar AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL), but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions as well.

 

Do not substitute honey, maple syrup, or agave because the cake batter will be much too liquidy with any of those.

 

VINEGAR NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise and give it a better texture. You can’t taste it in the finished cake — I promise! If you don't have distilled white vinegar, lemon juice would be the best alternative because it has a similar pH level and acidity (so it should produce similar results!).

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

FRESH BLUEBERRIES ALTERNATIVE: Frozen blueberries may be substituted for the fresh, but they'll likely dye the batter a gray-ish color. The cake will take longer to finish baking as well.

 

ERYTHRITOL NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: This is the confectioners’ style erythritol that I use. Regular confectioners’ style (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol in the drizzle. Regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent, so start with just ½ teaspoon of milk and add more as necessary.

 

DRIZZLE NOTE: For more drizzle (and a sweeter cake!), double the drizzle.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 2 cups (240g) millet flour, 1 cup (120g) tapioca flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, and 3 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

HALVING THE RECIPE: If you have a 6-cup bundt pan, you can make a half-recipe and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes instead.

 

STORAGE NOTES: This cake is best if eaten the same day it’s drizzled, but leftover cake will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled bundt cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the cake if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor — only the appearance!

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar, higher protein}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Lemon Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Orange Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Strawberry Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Bundt Cake
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Bundt Cake
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡  Healthy Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cake recipes!