Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Snack Cake
This oatmeal cake is perfect for any chocoholic! It’s full of rich chocolate flavor, similar to 72% dark chocolate, and it has the perfect moist and tender texture… Along with lots of mini chocolate chips generously sprinkled throughout. That’s definitely my idea of the perfect breakfast and snack! Leftovers will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and individual slices freeze (and reheat!) really well too.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ½ cup (60g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 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
- 7 tbsp (105mL) nonfat milk, divided
- ¼ cup (56g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
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, cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, 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 and 1 tablespoon of milk. Alternate between adding the oat mixture and remaining 6 tablespoons of milk, beginning and ending with the oat mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the oat mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently stir in 3 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes or until 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
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture — especially the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up moisture from your cake batter. Too much cocoa powder will also make your snack cake taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This results in a gummy, chewy, rubbery, or tough cake. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s important to let the cake cool completely to room temperature before slicing and serving. This is because the cake’s structure hasn’t fully set until it has fully cooled. Do not cut the cake while it’s still warm!
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This cake isn’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! It’s meant to have the sweetness level of breakfast bread, scones, or muffins. (It's not as sweet as a true "dessert" cake!) If you’d prefer a sweeter cake, then substitute an additional 2-4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use an extra 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for a total of ½ cup, and reduce the milk to 5 tablespoons.)
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. They’re also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re not the ones that come in individual paper packets with flavors like apple cinnamon or maple brown sugar. They only contain one ingredient: oats! You can find them in containers right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. (You’ll also use instant oats in all of these oatmeal cookie recipes and these snack cake recipes of mine, too!)
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
COCOA POWDER NOTES: Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this. I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder because they have a different acidity level, which will affect the taste and texture of your snack cake.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITES NOTE: You must use all 3 egg whites. The protein in the egg whites helps prevent your cake from collapsing while cooling. If you didn’t use all of the egg whites, your cake would sink some, especially in the center, and turn out pretty dense and somewhat soggy in texture. (But the flavors will remain the same!) If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 3 whole eggs AND decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Do not substitute sugar-free maple syrup! It’ll make the cake collapse while cooling and turn out overly dense.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (like these). For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for at least four days (if not longer!). I highly recommend reheating individual slices in the microwave briefly before eating. I love what it does to their taste and texture!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.