Healthy Cinnamon Apple Pound Cake

Yields: 1 pound cake, 12 slices

This is one of my favorite fall desserts! The cake is supremely moist and tender, thanks to Greek yogurt, and the cozy spices pair so well with the sweet apple. Leftovers will keep for at least on week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

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.

Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ½ cups (180g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

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}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/10/18/healthy-cinnamon-apple-pound-cake/