Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
This recipe is perfect for holiday snacking — or even breakfasts! The snack cake is full of hearty oats, cozy spices, and rich gingerbread flavor. (Three of my favorite things!) Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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 tbsp (10g) ground ginger (see Notes!)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (not blackstrap!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
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, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Stir in the molasses and 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 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 22-26 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 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.
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 FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, this gingerbread cake isn't overly sweet (it's similar to the sweetness level of muffins, rather than a true "dessert" cake). I love my gingerbread-flavored treats to have a kick, so it's also fairly spicy!
For a mellower spice flavor, decrease the ground ginger to 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons (5g to 8g) instead.
For a sweeter flavor, increase the pure maple syrup by an additional 2 tablespoons (¼ cup total), and decrease the milk by 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons instead).
IMPORTANT COOLING 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!
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as "quick cooking" or "one minute" oats. They're smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats, and they only include one ingredient: oats! You can find them in bags or canisters right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. (You’ll also use instant oats in all of these cookie recipes and these snack cake recipes of mine too, so I highly recommend keeping them on hand!)
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor or blender, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
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 + ALTERNATIVE: You must use both egg whites. The protein in the egg whites, along with the protein in the Greek yogurt, also helps prevent your cake from collapsing while cooling. If you didn’t use both 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 2 whole eggs AND decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
MOLASSES NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses! Along with the ground ginger, it’s what creates the iconic gingerbread flavor: deep, complex, rich, and cozy. This is the kind that I use. It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!
However, in a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the molasses to achieve the same texture in your cake. Just remember that the flavor will be different and won't taste like true "gingerbread" without the molasses!
MAPLE SYRUP 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 ALTERNATIVE: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
NUT-FREE OPTION: Use the unsalted butter option.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats. For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ 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. It makes their taste and texture even better!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, nut-free}
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.