Healthy Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake
This bundt cake is supremely moist and full of sweet juicy strawberries! The almond extract adds a fancy flavor, yet this dessert is easy to make. Leftovers will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (I use a cake carrying case similar to this one! Then I wrap my favorite plastic wrap around the exposed cut ends to prevent them from drying out.)
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 3 ¾ cups (450g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 5 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 6 tbsp (54g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) distilled white vinegar
- 1 ¼ cups (300mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 2 cups (280g) whole fresh strawberries, diced (see Notes!)
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 3 tbsp (27g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 - 1 ½ tsp nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and generously coat a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or nonstick cooking spray with flour.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the erythritol. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar and ½ cup 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 strawberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 60-70 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 transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature and just before serving, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the erythritol, almond extract, and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped plastic bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the cooled cake.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture, instead of moist and tender.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or an electric hand-held 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.
IMPORTANT BUNDT PAN NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Make sure you coat your bundt pan really well with cooking spray! (Mine isn't sold in stores anymore, but this one is similar!) With so many nooks and crannies, compared to traditional round or rectangular cake pans, the batter has more chances to stick to the sides, so a generous coating of cooking spray will ensure your bundt cake slides right out of the pan.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: 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.
EGG WHITES NOTE + WHOLE EGG ALTERNATIVE: The cake requires 4 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 4 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
If you'd prefer to use whole eggs, then use 4 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
ALMOND EXTRACT NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer a stronger almond extract flavor, substitute additional almond extract for the vanilla extract. If you’re not a fan of almond extract, substitute additional vanilla extract for the almond extract.
LIQUID STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not always 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too.
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) granulated sugar AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL), but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.
Do not substitute honey, maple syrup, or agave because the cake batter will be too thin and liquidy with any of those.
ERYTHRITOL NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I buy my confectioners’ style erythritol online here.
In the cake batter, coconut sugar, granulated sugar, or brown sugar may be substituted in place of the confectioners’ style erythritol. Granulated sucralose (Splenda) will also work in place of the confectioners’ style erythritol, if you prefer a different no-calorie granulated sweetener.
In the drizzle, regular confectioners’ style (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol. Regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent, so start with just ½ teaspoon of milk and add more as necessary.
VINEGAR NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise and give it a better texture. You can’t taste it in the finished cake — I promise! If you don't have distilled white vinegar, use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead. (It has a similar pH, which will yield a similar texture.)
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
STRAWBERRY NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Frozen and thawed strawberries may be substituted for the fresh, although the baking time may increase. Dice the strawberries so they’re pea-sized. This smaller size ensures your cake bakes evenly.
DRIZZLE NOTE: I prefer minimal drizzle, but you can easily add more! For more drizzle, double the drizzle.
HALF BATCH: If you have a 6-cup bundt pan, you can make a half-recipe and bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes instead.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 2 cups (240g) millet flour, 1 cup (120g) tapioca flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, and 3 teaspoons xanthan gum. Most 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: Leftovers will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (I use a cake carrying case similar to this one! Then I wrap my favorite plastic wrap around the exposed cut ends to prevent them from drying out.) When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled bundt cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the cake if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor — only the appearance!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
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.