Last week, I flew to Northern California to visit my family for a few days. My brother and his best friend picked me up at the airport, and when we arrived at my parents’ house, we headed straight outside to play with their exuberant yet extremely loving golden retrievers.
That evening, we celebrated my brother’s birthday (only a little belated!) with homemade hand-churned strawberry ice cream, and everyone agreed it was the best ice cream we had ever tasted. Sweet, smooth, creamy, rich, almost pillowy (according to my brother!)… And although not the least bit healthy, it was worth every spoonful!
Each night after the sun went down, Dad walked around the house and opened nearly every window to help the rooms cool off. With lots of space between our house and our neighbors (and therefore very little noise!), we usually left most of the windows open all night.
When I woke up in the mornings and crawled out of bed, I usually felt like throwing on a sweater because of the light chill in the air both in and outside the house. Although the temperature continued to rise with the sun, reaching between 80° and 90° during the day, those slightly nippy mornings made it feel like fall was right around the corner…
Which made me crave everything pumpkin and inspired me to bake this Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Snack Cake! It’s moist and tender with lots of warm spices, and the cozy pumpkin + rich chocolate flavor combo is one of my all-time favorites. It’s also really simple to make (no mixer required!) and only 110 calories!
Now if Southern California would start to feel a bit more like fall too… Then I’d be all set! Or maybe if I bake this healthy pumpkin snack cake enough, I can attract the autumn weather??
Regardless… Let’s go over how to make this healthy pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake!
You’ll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free if needed!), instant oats (this kind—or this for gluten-free!), and homemade pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice is short for “pumpkin pie spice,” and it’s a combination of the regular spices you’d find in pumpkin pie. (No actual pumpkin included!) For this homemade version, you’ll use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
As for the instant oats, they’re also called “quick cooking” or “one minute oats.” They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which gives your healthy pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake a really moist and tender texture! You can usually find instant oats right next to the rolled oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important that you measure the oats and flour 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 make it crumbly, rather than moist and tender. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your batter!
With just 1 teaspoon of butter (yes, that’s it!), the rest of the tender texture in your healthy pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake comes from pumpkin purée (like this—not pumpkin pie mix!) and Greek yogurt. Both of them provide the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and the Greek yogurt adds a protein boost, too!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your healthy pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake with pure maple syrup (like this!). You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees! It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, and the only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.”
Don’t forget the mini chocolate chips! I prefer using mini’s because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains at least one morsel of chocolate. These are my current favorite because they taste so rich and melt really well! I always save some to press into the top of the snack cake batter right before baking. I think it makes the squares of your healthy pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake look even more irresistible!
And when I can eat pumpkin cake as a healthy breakfast or snack, I’m one really happy girl! ? 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 pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal snack cake!
| Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Snack Cake | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (gluten-free if needed and measured like this)
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 6 tbsp (90mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 3 ½ tbsp (49g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 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, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in the pumpkin purée and 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 fold in 3 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the top. Bake at 350°F for 26-29 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.
For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.
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.
This is my favorite cinnamon! It tastes stronger, warmer, and slightly sweeter than traditional cinnamon.
If you prefer, 1 tablespoon of store-bought pumpkin spice maybe be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For a sweeter flavor, increase the maple syrup by an additional 2 tablespoons (½ cup total), and decrease the milk by 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons instead).
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin recipes!
Hi Amy, another fab recipe I’m looking forward to trying out this week.
What are your thoughts on using oat bran instead of I stand oats?
Thanks
Jane
You’re so sweet, Jane! It means the world to me that you’d like to try so many of my recipes! 🙂 Just like I shared with my pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal muffins, since I’ve been able to substitute instant oats in my oat bran muffin recipes, I’m guessing the opposite would work as well. Just be really careful measuring it since oat bran can be extremely absorbent! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you try making it too!
This looks amazing! I love how you substitute the fat with Greek yogurt! What can we use in this cake for egg whites? I am non ovo vegetarian. I saw in one recipe (I think a cookie recipe) you used a commercial powder egg substitute. I know that yogurt & baking soda or just yogurt can also work sometimes, but it depends on the role of the egg whites. What is the role here? Binder or leavening? You are so creative! Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine as well, Pam! For the best results, I still recommend using Ener-G. It does the best job of imitating the egg white’s structural role, and it’s entirely flavorless (and really affordable too!). Just so you have the conversion here as well, 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’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you end up making it too!
What about changing craisins for chocolate chips as I am allergic to chocolate. ?
I think that’s a wonderful idea, Chris! I’d actually recommend hydrating them first, for the best taste and texture. (I do this for all dried fruit that I use in my baking recipes — it’s a total game changer!)
To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover them with water. Place a lid on top, or tightly cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave that on high for 1 minute. Let the dried cranberries sit for at least 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. (I typically hydrate them before I even begin measuring or mixing together all of the other ingredients, just to let them soak up as much water as possible!) Just before adding them to the bowl, drain off all of the excess water.
I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you end up trying it! 🙂
Hi Amy! LOVE your healthy, yummy recipes and I can’t wait to try tbe Pumpkin Breakfast Bread. Wondering if I could substitute dried cranberries for the chocolate chips and if I should use rhe same amount?
Thank you!
You’re so sweet Laura — that means the world to me!! Yes, you can definitely substitute dried cranberries for the chocolate chips! If you’re a huge fan of dried cranberries, you could probably add up to ½ cup to replace the chocolate chips. However, I’d actually recommend hydrating them first, for the best taste and texture. (I do this for all dried fruit that I use in my baking recipes — it’s a total game changer!)
To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover them with water. Place a lid on top, or tightly cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave that on high for 1 minute. Let the dried cranberries sit for at least 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. (I typically hydrate them before I even begin measuring or mixing together all of the other ingredients, just to let them soak up as much water as possible!) Just before adding them to the bowl, drain off all of the excess water.
I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you end up trying it! 🙂
I am allergic to eggs can I use flaxseed?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Gardenia! I haven’t tried using flax eggs in this recipe, but I know Ener-G will work! My brother is also allergic to eggs, and 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, although that doesn’t apply to this particular recipe!). I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you try making it! 🙂
Can I use the whole egg, including the yolk? I hate to waste it and don’t mind the additional fat.
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe! If you’d like to use 2 whole eggs, then decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this pumpkin cake if you try making it!
If it’s in the blog, I’ve missed it. How many calories per square? Thanks.
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Laura! The full nutrition information is actually included directly underneath the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this oatmeal cake if you try making it!