Last week, my mom and I started talking about our holiday plans for this year. While we scheduled flights for Christmas relatively easily, Thanksgiving proved to be one step harder, partially because my brother receives less time off from graduate school for Thanksgiving compared to Christmas and has fewer days to travel than the rest of us.
After thinking through various possibilities surrounding a Southern California Thanksgiving, Mom finally drew a conclusion. “I don’t really care what we end up doing as long as I can go to Disneyland at least one day at the beginning of that week!”
I cracked up and immediately responded that her idea worked just fine by me… As long as I could tag along too!
Once we hung up, I started thinking about all of my favorite rides at Disneyland. Since I went at least once every year with my school’s band from 7th through 12th grade, I actually knew the theme park’s layout and streets better than my hometown!
Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain… The Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean… Even Peter Pan, Star Tours, and the Teacups… (Come to think of it, I love just about every single ride there—although some of them have probably changed names since my childhood!)
Of course, I didn’t stop with the rides… I started thinking about my favorite foods to eat at Disneyland too! (Are you surprised? ?) Cheese pizza from Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, chicken skewers from Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland, chowder from New Orleans Square, churros from just about any cart, caramel apples from the Candy Palace on Main Street…
Later that evening, I ended up craving something sweet made with apples as a result of thinking about those caramel apples for far too long. Even though I adore every single flavor from Disneyland, whether covered in chocolate chips or nuts or mini M&Ms, I realized my taste buds wanted something besides caramel and chocolate to pair with the apples…
They craved spices instead! So the next day, I baked this Healthy Cinnamon Apple Pound Cake to satisfy my sweet tooth. It’s supremely moist and tender, thanks to lots of Greek yogurt, and its warm cozy flavor from the spices pairs perfectly with the sweet apples.
Yet unlike those Disneyland caramel apples, this cinnamon apple pound cake is completely healthy and made with no refined or artificial ingredients… And it’s only 133 calories!
Let’s go over how to make this healthy cinnamon apple pound cake!
First, a {very, very brief} history lesson… Pound cakes originally earned their name because they contained a pound of four main ingredients: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Does anyone else think that sounds like a crazy amount of calories? Hopefully not just me…
So we’re definitely making our pound cake much healthier—starting with the flour! You’ll use white whole wheat flour (like this!). I know, I know… The name sounds confusing at first. But I promise it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour!
Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture. That really lets the moist texture and sweet flavor of your healthy cinnamon apple pound cake shine!
Tip: I’ve also included my favorite gluten-free option in the Notes section of the recipe, if you prefer!
Next, you’ll whisk the spices into the white whole wheat flour. You’ll use cinnamon (I’m obsessed with this type and rarely bake with anything else!), allspice (like this!), and nutmeg (this). Yes… The recipe title only says “cinnamon.” But I’ve found that adding a small amount of sweet allspice and cozy nutmeg really rounds out the warm, comforting spice flavor from cinnamon!
Next, let’s tackle the butter and eggs. Instead of a pound of butter (about 2 cups) and a pound of eggs (around 9 of them!), you’ll just use 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 egg whites. Whew! That really helps keep this healthy cinnamon apple pound cake low in calories (and fat!).
Then you’ll stir in lots of Greek yogurt to keep your pound cake supremely moist and tender! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your cake batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your healthy cinnamon apple pound cake a protein boost, too. There’s a reason it’s one of my favorite ingredients in my healthy baking recipes!
Now onto the sweetener! Instead of a pound of refined granulated sugar (a little less than 2 ½ cups!), you’ll use liquid stevia to sweeten your healthy cinnamon apple pound cake. 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 ½ teaspoons of this liquid stevia to sweeten your entire pound cake!
Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I prefer to buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Time for the apples! I use Fuji apples because I love their naturally sweet flavor, and they also have a great texture for baking. Remember to cut them to be about the same size as chocolate chips so your pound cake bakes evenly!
One last thing! If you’d like to add a little drizzle on top (totally optional!), then it’s super simple to make. Just stir together a little confectioners’ style erythritol (I use this one!) and milk in a small bowl. Transfer that to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle all over your healthy cinnamon apple pound cake!
Ready to eat a slice? I certainly am! 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 cinnamon apple pound cake!
| Healthy Cinnamon Apple Pound Cake | | Print |
- for the cake
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp (8g) ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 ½ cups (187g) diced Fuji apple
- for the drizzle
- 3 tbsp (45g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- 2-3 tsp nonfat milk
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in 6 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 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the apple.
- 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 carefully transferring the pound cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has fully cooled and just before serving it, prepare the drizzle by stirring together the confectioners’ style erythritol and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a small zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
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.
Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cake dry, instead of moist and tender.
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.
I do not recommend substituting for the liquid 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!) This is the exact liquid stevia that I use, and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found! For a sweeter pound cake, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ½ to 1 teaspoon.
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar and reduce the milk to ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (75mL), 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 + 1 tablespoon (75mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. You may also substitute 1 ¼ cups (300mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and omit the milk. The baking time may vary with any of these substitutions (especially with the maple syrup, honey, or agave option!).
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I prefer Fuji apples because they have a naturally sweet flavor and a great texture for baking. To ensure they properly soften and your pound cake bakes evenly, cut them to be no larger than the size of chocolate chips.
This is the confectioners’ style erythritol that I use. If you prefer, regular confectioners’ style (powdered) sugar may be substituted in the drizzle, but start with just 1 teaspoon of milk because regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent than the erythritol!
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 Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Banana Pound Cake
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Apple Pie
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ …and all of Amy’s healthy pound cake recipes!
Hi, I hv organic stevia powder and the tin says 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp of sugar. How much wd u recommend I use instead of liquid stevia. Also I hv gluten free self raising flour, do I need to add baking powder or baking soda in the recipe? In the recipe given on the carton, it doesn’t use either. As I am travelling day after I was hoping to use the ingredients at home to bake this tomorrow, so won’t hv TIME to order the recommended ones in time.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Shine! I don’t have much experience with self-raising flour (regular or gluten-free!), so I’m honestly not sure about whether it’ll work and if you’ll need to adjust the amounts of baking powder or baking soda. I just don’t know how much leavener is in your gluten-free blend, so I don’t know how to adjust this recipe accordingly. For your powdered stevia, if ½ teaspoon is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of sugar, then you’ll need ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of your powdered stevia, and you’ll also need to reduce the milk to around ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons. (The batter should be on the thick side, but not nearly as thick as cookie dough!) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this pound cake if you decide to try making it!
This was delicious! But just one tip for anyone trying to perfect baking with whole wheat flour, squeeze half a lemon into your batter, it won’t give a lemon taste at all promise! But it interacts with the baking soda to make a more airy and spongy cake! Also make sure you don’t over whip! However this was lovely!
I’m glad you enjoyed this pound cake, Sukhman!