Healthy White Chocolate Cranberry Pound Cake
Yields: 1 pound cake, 12 slices
 
This pound cake tastes just like the classic cookie bars! It’s supremely moist and tender with lots of delicious flavors: rich white chocolate, tart cranberries, warm ginger, and a sweet cream cheese drizzle. It’ll keep for at least three days (if not longer!) if stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or inside of an airtight container.
  • 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
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
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.

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}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/11/15/healthy-white-chocolate-cranberry-pound-cake/