For a few weeks one fall during high school, I developed a little routine to unwind before beginning my homework. After dropping off my backpack in my bedroom, I settled onto the sofa in the living room with our family laptop.
With just a few clicks, I landed on a website that offered virtual jigsaw puzzles. The beginner ones with just twenty pieces were free, and I raced the clock to finish a few of those before the timer reached 60 seconds.
(To this day, I still love puzzles… Although I stick with the regular 1000-piece ones instead — not virtual!)
I often grabbed a snack on my way through the kitchen, and I gravitated towards granola bars. I loved the soft and chewy kind the most. Those textures reminded me of cookies or cake!
I especially looked forward to the weeks where my mom bought the fruit-filled ones. The box boasted whole grain oats and real fruit as ingredients, but I mainly enjoyed the bright sweetness of the jam filling.
However… My high school self would’ve loved this healthy blueberry oatmeal snack cake even more. It has a much higher ratio of fruit to cake — and the whole berries taste even better than the jam filling of those store-bought granola bars!
Another great perk? This cake is healthy enough for breakfast too!
QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SNACK CAKE
Difficulty: Fairly easy, including for many beginner bakers.
Taste: A mellow background of spices and very lightly sweetened (similar to the sweetness level of breakfast breads or scones!) — but with bright pops of sweet fruit flavor from the fresh berries.
Texture: Moist and tender cake with lots of soft oats, punctuated by juicy blueberries.
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A HEALTHY BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SNACK CAKE
Let’s go over the ingredients you’ll need to make this healthy blueberry oatmeal snack cake! I’m assuming you already have many of the staples like baking powder, salt, and vanilla… So we’ll mainly cover the more important and interesting ones.
Oats. A very important ingredient… It’s virtually impossible to make an oatmeal cake without the oats! For this recipe, you’ll need instant oats. They’re also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re not the ones sold in those individual paper packets with flavors like apple cinnamon or maple brown sugar!
Instant oats are smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. That size difference means they soften faster, which gives your snack cake a softer, moister, and more tender texture. They only contain one ingredient (oats!), and you can usually find them right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store.
Tip: Certified gluten-free instant oats also work, if you’d like to make this healthy blueberry oatmeal snack cake gluten-free!
Flour. I used regular whole wheat flour to make this cake. Its subtle flavor added to the coziness from the spices (more on those momentarily!), and I like how regular whole wheat flour often has a slightly higher protein content. That helps prevent your cake from collapsing while cooling and better maintains its structure.
Tip: I’ve also included my top two gluten-free recommendations in the Notes section, so check there if you’d like to make this blueberry snack cake gluten-free!
Spices. Yes, plural! You’ll use both cinnamon and nutmeg to make this snack cake. The cinnamon provides that warm and cozy flavor that’s so iconic of oatmeal cookies. A pinch of nutmeg rounds out the spice profile and adds a background richness. (It’s amazing what a difference a tiny amount of nutmeg can do!)
Tip: I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! It has a stronger, richer, and slightly sweeter flavor than plain cinnamon. I buy it online here (it’s really affordable!), and I rarely use anything else in my baking recipes!
Egg whites. The egg whites’ protein contributes a lot to the structure of your healthy oatmeal snack cake. They ensure the cake remains tall after rising in the oven and maintains that height while cooling. Without all of the egg whites, your cake would collapse and turn out denser. Still delicious… Just not quite the moist and tender texture we’re after!
So yes — you must use all of the egg whites. However, if you prefer to use whole eggs, then check the Notes section! I’ve shared how to modify the recipe to incorporate the yolks there.
Greek yogurt. If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you already know… This is one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking! Here, Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your snack cake as extra oil or butter — but for a fraction of the calories. It also provides a protein boost. (It has around 21g per cup!)
Pure maple syrup. This is the sweetener that you’ll use in your healthy blueberry oatmeal snack cake. Pure maple syrup is the kind that comes directly from maple trees. It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!), and it only contains one ingredient… Maple syrup!
Tip: Skip the pancake syrup and sugar-free syrup! These behave differently in baking recipes and affect the texture of your cake — especially the latter. Sugar-free maple syrup is usually water-based, and that causes cakes to collapse while cooling and turn out really dense with an almost raw-like appearance. (The cake isn’t actually raw! It’s simply the way it looks and feels after sinking. Strange but true!)
Just remember… This is a snack cake. That also doubles as a breakfast cake. So it’s only lightly sweetened! It’s not supposed to taste as sugary sweet as regular “dessert” cakes. It has the sweetness level of breakfast breads, scones, or muffins instead. (But if you’d like a sweeter cake, then check the Notes section of the recipe for how to make that happen!)
Blueberries. I used a little over a cup of fresh blueberries to make this healthy snack cake. They’re so flavorful, especially during the spring and summer, and I loved the sweetness they added. Biting into one of those juicy purple gems… Sheer bliss!
Hint: I haven’t tried using frozen ones yet, but I have a feeling they should work, especially if thawed and patted dry to remove the excess thawing liquid. Just remember that frozen blueberries will often dye the cake batter gray — but that appearance won’t affect the flavor!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SNACK CAKE
Now that you’ve gathered the ingredients, let’s cover how to make the best blueberry oatmeal snack cake. This recipe is simple and straightforward, but I still have some important tips for you! Starting with…
Measure correctly. I know, I know. This is obvious — and I sound like a broken record with how often I repeat it. Yet this makes a huge difference in your snack cake’s texture, so pretty, pretty please… Take the time to measure your ingredients the proper way!
For dry ingredients, use this method or a kitchen scale. ← That’s the one I own! You can also use a kitchen scale to measure any ingredient given in grams… But skip the scale and use measuring cups for liquids or any ingredients given in mL instead. (I’ll save my kitchen scale mL soapbox speech for another time. 😉 For now, just remember that measuring cups are more accurate for liquids!)
Hint: Measuring correctly is extremely important for the oats and flour. Too much of either one will make your cake bready, dry, and bland. This is especially true of the oats; they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture!
Mix by hand. Put away your stand mixer — and your hand-held mixer too! While those might make the task easier or faster, they often result in overmixing the batter… Which means you’ll end up with a gummy, chewy, rubbery, or tough cake.
Instead, you’ll get a much better texture if you make the batter entirely by hand. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed and a fork for everything else.
Yes, a fork.
I know it sounds strange, but bear with me for a second! Spatulas and wooden spoons have big flat surfaces. They come in handy for scooping and swirling, but a fork is more efficient for making this cake batter. The open space between a fork’s tines allows the ingredients to pass through while you stir — and therefore mixes them together better and faster! — and it also helps guard against overmixing. As a result…
You’ll get the best moist, soft, and tender texture when you make your oatmeal snack cake batter by hand. And I promise the end result is worth it!
Bake. The most obvious step! 😉 Your healthy snack cake is done baking when the top is a deep golden brown. (Don’t be alarmed — the color change should be rather pronounced!) By this time, many of the blueberries will have burst open too, and their juices should be dribbling across the surface and possibly around the edges. The center should also feel fairly firm to the touch.
Tip: I like to save some of the blueberries and press them into the batter just before sliding the cake into the oven. It’s fun to see them poking out from the slices’ tops!
Cool completely. Yes, completely. Entirely. Absolutely. 100%. Do not cut into it while it’s still warm! The cake’s structure continues to set while it cools, and you’ll interrupt that process if you try to serve it sooner. I know it’s really hard to wait… But for the best texture, wait to slice your cake until it’s fully cooled to room temperature. (If you’d like to enjoy your piece warm, the slices reheat really well in the microwave!)
Tip: Once the pan is cool enough to touch with your bare hands, you can put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process!
FAQS ABOUT THIS HEALTHY BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SNACK CAKE
Is this healthy blueberry oatmeal snack cake gluten-free, low calorie, low fat, low sugar, or clean eating?
Yes — to all of the above! As written, the recipe is naturally clean eating, low fat, and both low calorie and low sugar compared to many traditional cake recipes. I included the best ways to make this healthy snack cake gluten-free in the Notes section of the recipe too!
Can I substitute old-fashioned rolled oats?
If you pop them into a blender or food processor first! Old-fashioned rolled oats are a bit too thick and big straight from the container, so pulse them in either a blender or food processor until they’re ¼ to ⅛ of their original size. Then they’ll be good to go!
Can I use whole eggs?
Yup! I’ve shared how to modify the recipe to use whole eggs in the Notes section.
What can I substitute for the pure maple syrup?
Honey or agave both work equally well! I don’t recommend sugar-free maple syrup though; your cake will collapse and turn out with a much denser texture. (See the “pure maple syrup” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make a Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Snack Cake” section above for more info!)
Can I use frozen blueberries?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I have a feeling they should work! See the Notes section for more info. Just remember they typically dye the batter gray… But that won’t affect the flavor!
How should I store this blueberry oatmeal snack cake? How long does it last?
Store leftover slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days, if not longer! I sometimes reheat them in the microwave briefly before eating. I love how the warm cake and juicy blueberries taste!
Snack time! (…or maybe even breakfast time!) 😉 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 oatmeal snack cake!
Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) whole wheat or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 6 tbsp (90mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (175g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- 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, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in 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 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 32-36 minutes or until the top is a deep golden color, the center feels firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Peach Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy blueberry recipes and healthy snack cake recipes!
Could you use Oat flour?
We typically don’t recommend that substitution in our cake recipes, including this one. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Oat flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cakes, cupcakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and collapse while cooling.
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with oat flour (where your cake will likely collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! Otherwise, we’ve included the best flour alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). If you don’t have whole wheat flour, we recommend using one of those options instead! 🙂
We’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this snack cake, Robyn!
Is there a substitute for eggs?
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Wendy! Amy actually has a family member who is allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is her favorite egg replacement substitute. If you haven’t heard of it before, Ener-G is a flavorless and shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of our recipes, including this one! For our 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!).
We’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you end up making it! 🙂
Too much scrolling involved when clicking on to recipe should go to recipe not worth the time wasted to get to recipe
We certainly don’t want you to be frustrated, Maxine! I have found that if I click on the “Jump to Recipe” button and then wait for a second, the page will automatically scroll down to the directly above the recipe box. Sometimes if I keep my finger on the mouse or accidentally click, it will stop the automatic scrolling, so I can definitely understand how easy it is to do that! If you decide to try again, I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try this cake! 🙂
I made this as directed but veganized (flax “eggs”, vegan butter, silken tofu instead of greek yogurt, and oat milk). Also used rasberries instead of blueberries and traditional rolled oats (not instant oats). Turned out great! Hearty, delicious and not too sweet.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this snack cake, Lauren! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe. It truly means a lot! 🙂 I really appreciate you sharing your modifications too. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work — especially vegan ones!
This recipe is a keeper–thank you! The only substitution I made is to use spelt flour instead of wheat. I used the cup measurement rather than weight, not knowing if their weights are interchangeable. It came out beautifully. 🙂 Do you know how long individual slices of this cake should last in the freezer if they are well wrapped?
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this snack cake, Allison! We are always honored to hear when one of our recipes is one you plan to make again! We have actually frozen oatmeal snack cake slices before with success! We like to tightly wrap them, as you mentioned, using this plastic wrap. From our experience the Stretch Tite brand clings much more tightly than other brands, which makes a big difference in preserving the texture! It should last for a couple of months, if not longer, when frozen tightly wrapped like that! 🙂
So I completely goofed this recipe up- I wanted to add the half cup of maple syrup to make it sweeter but I wasn’t paying attention and added 3/4 cuo of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of milk. It still baked and sat up and it wasn’t til after it was chilled and I sliced it up and put it in the fridge that I realized what I’d done and was just like, oh no. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure it will be delicious!
I’ve had my fair share of recipe mishaps too — you’re not alone, Whitney! 😉 I really hope there’s a sweet and happy ending to the story of your snack cake!
It turned out great! Next time I’ll pay more attention lol
Hooray!! I’m so happy to hear that it still turned out, Whitney! 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying it — and that you like your next snack cake just as much too!
I am diabetic and am wondering if the maple syrup used in your recipes can be replaced with artificial maple syrup such as ED Smith no sugar syrup.
We really appreciate your interest in our recipes, Annie! We’ve had great luck substituting sugar-free maple syrup in our granola recipes and fruit crisp recipes, but we typically don’t recommend it in things like cakes (including this one!), muffins, scones, etc. This is because sugar-free maple syrup is generally water-based, and that often makes baked goods collapse while cooling and turn out much denser. (Amy actually covered this in the blog post above this recipe, as well as the recipe’s Note section, but I know it can be really easy to miss those details! 😉 )
However, we do have a decent number of sugar-free recipes, including some cakes! Perhaps one of those would be of interest? You can also find more of our sugar-free and low sugar recipes by clicking on the “Recipes” tab in the top pink menu bar of our website. Our recipes are sorted into categories on that page, including lots of categories for specific dietary needs!
We’d love to hear what you think of this cake, if you do end up trying it — or any of our other recipes too!
I noticed egg whites are used in many of your cake recipes. May I substitute liquid carton egg whites (vs. fresh egg whites)?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Toni! In general, I recommend using fresh egg whites in my cake recipes.
As part of the carton preparation process, the egg whites are pasteurized. This means they’re heated, and that changes both their consistency and how they perform in baking recipes. You’ve probably noticed how liquid carton egg whites are much thinner and runnier. They basically pour right out of the carton like milk!
Pasteurization heating also denatures some of the egg whites’ protein. (It’s sort of like reorganizing the protein, in a way!) This is what makes liquid carton egg whites behave differently in baking recipes. Because their protein has been reorganized and is in a different format, baked goods often don’t hold their shape quite as well and collapse more while cooling. So you’ll get a much better texture if you use fresh egg whites!
However, liquid carton egg whites work really well in my quiche recipes, though! I wanted to mention that, just in case you already bought some and are looking for inspiration. 😉
I’d love to hear what you think of this snack cake if you end up making it!
Yum! I stumbled upon your website after looking up healthy snacks and I’m so glad I did! I’m not really a baker (or cook lol), so I was a wee bit intimidated by the ingredients list. I didn’t have most of the stuff I needed, but I was determined to give make a shopping trip just to give it a whirl. Long story short, it came out DELICIOUS!! It was super easy especially with the kitchen scale. I look forward to trying some more of your recipes. Thank so much!
Yay! I’m so happy that you decided to try this snack cake (and it was a success), Jess! It always makes our day to hear that our recipes have inspired some baking at home. I can’t wait to hear what you decide to make next! 😉