Last week, I dropped by my grandma’s house to deliver a few slices of this healthy fall-flavored pie. She invited me inside, and we settled back into the comfy chairs and couch in her living room to catch up and chat for a bit.
Always so sweet and polite, she asked about the recipes I planned to work on for the rest of November and the holiday season, and I shared a few, including some eggnog-flavored baked treats. I also mentioned my teensy tiny problem: I couldn’t find eggnog at the grocery stores in our neighborhood!
Grandma faintly smiled and reassured me to give the stores a little time. Here in San Diego, where the weather stays above 70°F until December, they rarely stock eggnog until right around Thanksgiving since nobody seems to crave it with such warm, sunny days!
However, we both laughed at the next bit of information Grandma shared… The local Starbucks, in the same shopping center and just a few stores away from the supermarket, already started offering their eggnog lattes, along with gingerbread and peppermint mocha varieties. Go figure!
As I drove home that evening, I realized that also meant that Starbucks was probably selling their iconic cranberry bliss bars too… Those oh-so-irresistible ginger-flavored sugar cookie bars with cranberries, white chocolate, and cream cheese frosting.
Yet instead of driving over to get one (and possibly ask if I could buy some of their eggnog too!), I baked this Healthy White Chocolate Cranberry Pound Cake! It has those same flavors as the Starbucks cranberry bliss bars—tart cranberries, rich white chocolate, cozy ginger, and a sweet cream cheese drizzle—yet unlike the Starbucks treats, this healthy cake contains no refined flour or added sugar… And just 142 calories!
Definitely a better holiday treat, in my {somewhat biased} opinion! ?
So let’s go over how to make this healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake!
One super brief history lesson before we get started… Traditional pound cakes earned their name because they contained a pound of four main ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. That’s one rich cake… And a whole bunch of empty calories!
Which is why we’re making this white chocolate cranberry pound cake much healthier!
Instead of all-purpose flour, you’ll actually start with white whole wheat flour. Yes, that actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white + 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… And that lets the supremely moist and tender texture of your healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake truly shine!
Hint: It’s similar to the difference between red and green grapes. They have the same health benefits, just slightly different flavors!
Next, you’ll whisk ground ginger into the flour. I love its warm and cozy flavor, so I tend to add a little extra. It pairs so well with the white chocolate and cranberries!
Now let’s take care of the butter and eggs. Instead of a pound of butter (about 2 cups) and a pound of eggs (around 9 of them), you just need 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 egg whites for this healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake. That just eliminated a ton of fat and calories—hooray!
Then the rest of this healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake’s tender texture comes from one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking… Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your cake batter as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. It gives your pound cake a protein boost, too!
Moving right along… Let’s turn to the sugar! Instead of mixing in refined granulated sugar, you’ll use 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!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need 4 ½ teaspoons for this entire healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake!
This is the kind I use because I love its sweetness 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!)
Time for the two best parts: the cranberries and the white chocolate! I used fresh cranberries because (a) I love their bright tart flavor and (b) dried cranberries usually contain a ton of added sugar. If you prefer dried, that’s totally fine—I added an option for that in the Notes section of the recipe!
As for the white chocolate, just remember to cut it to be no larger than the size of miniature chocolate chips. This ensures that your healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake bakes evenly, but it also makes sure that the white chocolate is evenly sprinkled throughout the cake!
Once your healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake has fully cooled, it’s time to add the final “cranberry bliss” component… The cream cheese drizzle! Yes, the cookie bars have frosting instead, but I think the drizzle just looks so much prettier and sophisticated.
Plus the drizzle is super simple to make! You just need a bit of light cream cheese, milk, and a little more liquid stevia. Mix those together, transfer to a small zip-topped bag, cut off a teeny piece of one corner, and drizzle it all over the top of your healthy white chocolate cranberry pound cake!
Who else is ready for a slice?? 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 white chocolate cranberry pound cake!
Healthy White Chocolate Cranberry Pound Cake | | Print |
- for the cake
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 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
- 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 ¼ cups (125g) whole fresh cranberries, diced
- 3 tbsp (42g) chopped white chocolate
- for the drizzle
- 2 tbsp (28g) light cream cheese, well softened (see Notes!)
- 3 tsp nonfat milk
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp liquid stevia, or adjusted to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, 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 cranberries and white chocolate.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 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 cream cheese, milk, and liquid stevia 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.
As written, the cake has a prominent ginger flavor, which I absolutely love! (It also turns mellower after 24 hours.) For a less prominent ginger flavor, reduce the ginger to 1 ½ teaspoons or 2 teaspoons.
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.
If you prefer to use dried cranberries, substitute ½ cup (80g), but hydrate them first! Add the dried cranberries to a microwave-safe bowl. Add enough water to completely cover them. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the dried cranberries sit for at least 10 minutes before draining and folding into the dough.
If using white chocolate chips, I highly recommend chopping them a bit first so they’re more evenly distributed throughout the cake!
For a truly “clean eating” version, substitute chopped dark chocolate in place of the white chocolate.
Neufchâtel cream cheese, Greek yogurt cream cheese, and fat-free cream cheese will all work in the drizzle. Just make sure whatever you use is well softened first!
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 option, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
♡ Healthy Cranberry Bliss Scones
♡ Healthy Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Cranberry Apple Pie
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pound cake recipes!
Liz S says...
This totally tops Starbucks! And so wonderful you spent quality time with your grandmother.
Amy says...
You’re so sweet! Thanks Liz!! (And now I think of you whenever I use white chocolate in recipes! 😉 )
Holly says...
Hi Amy! I’ve recently gotten into baking and i’m so glad that I found your blog because it has so many delicious looking recipes that can also fit into a well balanced diet easily. I am really interested in making this cranberry bread since it’s the perfect season to, but I have a question about the liquid stevia. It’s a bit expensive where I am, so I am hesistant to buy it without knowing how it tastes. Does it add the same flavor that regular sugar would, or does it have its own distinct flavor? Also, if regular sugar were to be substituted in its place do you know how would that change the nutritional information (I.e. calories)? Thank you!
Amy says...
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Holly! The liquid stevia doesn’t taste 100% like granulated sugar (no other sweetener does, to be honest, not even brown sugar! 😉 ), but I personally don’t notice any strange aftertaste. Are you located in the US, by any chance? If so, I buy mine online at the link I provided because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found! 🙂 If you’d prefer to use granulated sugar, this is the free nutrition calculator that I use if you’d like to know how the nutrition info would change. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pound cake if you try it!
Callie says...
Hi Amy,
Just to let you know, I love your recipes! I’m excited to try this one out but when I click on the link for the liquid stevia, nothing shows up on Amazon. Would you be able to let me know the exact name of the liquid stevia you use please, so that I am able to search for it elsewhere?
Many thanks!
Callie
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Callie! Are you located outside of the US, by any chance? If so, that’s probably why… Amazon redirects non-US people to random pages instead of showing them the exact ingredients I link to — I have no idea why! I used NOW Foods original liquid stevia. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this pound cake!
Peg says...
Hi Amy x
Would I be able to use sweet white sorghum flour instead?
Thank you!
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Peg! I have very little experience with sweet white sorghum flour, so I honestly don’t know and don’t want to lead you astray. I’d love to hear what you think of this pound cake if you end up trying it! 🙂