The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Bundt Cake
This is my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipe — it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! It’s incredibly rich and decadent, similar to 72% dark chocolate, and it tastes like a cross between supremely moist cake and really fudgy brownies. Absolutely delicious! The cake is best if served very soon after it’s been drizzled, but leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 cups (160g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 ¾ cups (210g) whole wheat pastry 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
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 5 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 6 tbsp (90g) confectioners' style erythritol (see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) distilled white vinegar
- 1 ¾ cups (420mL) nonfat milk, divided
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 3 tbsp (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 ½ - 3 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 cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the erythritol. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar and 1 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.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 65-75 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 cocoa powder, maple syrup, 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 cocoa powder and 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 having it turn out moist and tender. Too much cocoa powder will also make your cake taste bitter, instead of rich and decadent.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or an electric hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in a dense, tough, or gummy cake. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Make sure you coat your bundt pan really well with cooking spray! (This is the bundt pan that I use!) 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: White whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake will be slightly less tender and have a distinct wheat-y flavor.
EGG WHITE NOTES: 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 prefer to use whole eggs, then use 4 large eggs AND decrease the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: 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!) I buy it online here because that's the best price I've found.
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 1 cup (240mL), but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to 1 cup (240mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions.
Do not substitute honey, maple syrup, or agave because the cake batter will be much too liquidy with any of those.
ERYTHRITOL NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I buy my erythritol online here! 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.
VINEGAR NOTE: 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!
MILK ALTERNATIVE: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup in the drizzle.
DRIZZLE NOTE: I prefer a more minimal drizzle. However, if you'd like more drizzle, you can easily double the amount of ingredients in the drizzle!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, use the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ 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.
HALF-BATCH OPTION: If you have a 6-cup bundt pan, you can make a half-recipe and bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes instead.
STORAGE NOTES: The cake is best if served very soon after it’s been drizzled, but leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled bundt cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack. It won’t affect the flavor — only the appearance!
{gluten free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
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.