An easy healthy chocolate cake, fluffy and dark, lower in calories and more delicious than the rich chocolate ganache cakes served in gourmet restaurants. Yet this cake is ready in 30 minutes. No oil, no eggs, no butter, just two common ingredients making it a healthy cake perfect for holidays and birthdays.
This easy healthy chocolate cake makes a delicious two-layer cake that has no eggs, oil, or butter and yet has the perfect cake texture and flavor thanks to pumpkin puree and applesauce. Like my cinnamon chocolate cake, and my salted chocolate tart, this cake is a holiday party showstopper.
The perfect cake for a holiday or birthday, this healthy chocolate layer cake recipe produces a tender crumb, and the deep chocolate flavor is amazing. I frosted it with an avocado chocolate frosting or I sometimes use my chocolate fudge frosting which is also the perfect finish. Prefer vanilla frosting? Try my fluffy vegan vanilla cake.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love this Cake
It tastes incredible. This chocolate healthy cake tastes like a soft yet rich chocolate cake, and you cannot taste the veggie puree and apple sauce despite the fact that they replace any traditionally-used eggs, butter and oil. Enjoy a slice with my easy iced coffee or a hot pumpkin spice latte.
It's for all diets. This healthy chocolate cake is perfect for those who need a cake to be vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or oil-free. Perfect for birthday parties where there are certain diet needs because everyone can eat this and no one will feel like they are missing out on a delicious chocolate cake.
It's nourishing. The addition of the veggie puree, and lack of processed oils made this cake a source of nutrients not usually present in a traditional cake. And the lightness of the cake, lower carbs and calorie count help you feel great after eating it, not weighed down, and no sugar rush.
Ingredients Needed
- flour - oat flour or use all-purpose flour or gluten-free baking flour.
- cocoa powder - dark dutch processed is best for a dark color but regular cocoa is also fine.
- organic cane sugar - I use organic because it tastes better, but regular works.
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- dairy free milk + lemon juice - combine and allow to sit a few minutes to curdle and create a buttermilk.
- pumpkin puree - Use canned, not pumpkin pie filling. Or use canned sweet potato puree.
- unsweetened apple sauce - This is a very effective egg replacer because apple sauce contains pectin which serves as a binder as egg does in baking recipes.
- vanilla
- coffee (optional) - A little brewed coffee brings out a deeper chocolate flavor, raising the cake to the level of a fancy gourmet restaurant dessert.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Flour. I used all purpose flour here, but oat flour can be used, just use a bit more such as 2 cups. Gluten-free baking flour can also be used instead.
Apple sauce. Apple sauce is the egg-replacer. Other egg-replacers are aquafaba, the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas, or flax seed eggs.
Veggie puree. You can use canned pumpkin puree, canned sweet potato puree, or even grated zucchini, pressed dry with paper towels.
Steps by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
It's easy to make this healthy chocolate cake in one bowl.
- Begin by prepping pans and activating milk by adding lemon juice and preheating oven.
- Mix wet ingredients together, and then add dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into cake pans and bake 30 minutes.
- Let cool for a ten minutes in pans, then put cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Recipe Tips
1. Be sure to add the lemon juice to the milk and let it curdle for a few minutes. This is basically a homemade buttermilk which creates a reaction with baking soda and helps the cake rise without eggs.
2. For the main egg replacer, I use unsweetened apple sauce in this cake, but could have also used aquafaba, the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas, or flax eggs as an egg replacer.
3. Oil isn't the worst ingredient to consume but it is highly processed, so I made this cake without oil, using unsweetened apple sauce and pumpkin puree to provide the moisture instead.
Storage
Store this cake at room temperature, loosely covered and frosted. It will be okay for about 2 days before it will begin to dry out. Refrigerate it or slices in sealed contaienrs for a week. Or you can also freeze the cake before frosting it for months.
Variations
1. Frost this cake with any flavor frosting including my fudge frosting, cookie dough frosting or even my vanilla frosting. Here, I used a traditional chocolate buttercream frosting, with the recipe found in the recipe card below. Or frost the cake with a chocolate avocado frosting by frosting the cake with my chocolate avocado mousse.
2. Mix into the batter a ½ cup of mini chocolate chips to add pockets of melted chocolate.
3. Turn this cake into a chocolate tuxedo cake by adding a whipped cream middle or just vanilla frosting. Or into a boston cream pie cake by adding a custard to the middle, and into a black forest cake by filling the middle with a layer of jam and then whipped cream, and top with cherries and chocolate shavings.
FAQS
The healthy ingredients include pumpkin puree, apple sauce and milk with lemon juice. The neutral or unhealthy ingredients include flour and sugar, although healtheir choices are oat flour and organic cane sugar. Overall, this cake has more protein, fiber and essential minerals than the classic chocolate cake recipe does. And it does not have any processed oils.
The sugar is actually lower than in a traditional chocolate cake, but you can reduce the sugar by ¼ cup and the cake will still work well, especially with oat flour.
Yes, this recipe makes 12 cupcakes, baked at 350 F for 14 minutes.
This recipe fills two 6-inch cake pans, which is our favorite size. But if you want to use two 8-inch pans, just double the recipe. Alternatively, this recipe makes a deep cake using 1 (8-inch) square pan.
This chocolate fudge cake is done when the top is shiny and slightly cracked. The color will be nearly black depending on the dutch processed cocoa you use.
Other Cake Recipes
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Cake (No eggs, No oil)
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour or 2 cups of oat flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder use dutch processed for darker color
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon coffee instant granules or brewed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup canned pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce or aquafaba or a flaxseed egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- 4 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder dutch processed cocoa for darker color
- 1 stick vegan butter or ½ cup of butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-7 teaspoon dairy free milk
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Coat the inside of two (6-inch round) cake pans or 1 (8-inch square) pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder. Or double the recipe to use 2 (8-inch round) pans.
- Activate your milk by adding lemon juice to it and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Make cake
- To the large mixing bowl, add in the curdled milk, veggie puree, apple sauce and vanilla.1 cup dairy free milk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ⅓ cup canned pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To another bowl, add the flour/cocoa mixture, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Or add to a strainer to use one bowl.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup organic cane sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Combine the dry and wet mixtures, and mix until combined, but don't overmix.
- Add coffee if using. Pour the batter evenly into prepared cake pans.1 tablespoon coffee
- Bake 2 (6 inch round) cakes for 25-30 minutes. Bake 1 (8-inch square) pan for 35 minutes.
- Flatten warm cakes with a spatula or use flattening bands if you want flat layers.
- Let cool for a ten minutes in pans, then put cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make frosting
- Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, vanilla extract and 5 tablespoon of the milk to a large mixing bowl. If butter is cold, microwave it for 10 seconds to soften.4 cups organic powdered sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 stick vegan butter, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5-7 teaspoon dairy free milk
- Use a hand-mixer or an electric mixer to combine. Add an additional 2 tablespoon of milk if you need to to create a creamy consistency. You can add more or less milk, but be careful, it can turn too liquidy very fast.
- Add frosting to a frosting bag with your chosen tip.
Assemble the cake
- Frost cakes or cupcakes
Store
- To store cakes or cupcakes in the freezer for a month, pack them unfrosted in a sealed container.Once frosted, the cake or cupcakes are fine at room temperature for about 3 days and then they begin to dry out.
Aline
Hi! Looks delicious - can I substitute white whole wheat, oat, or spelt flour for the all purpose?
Thanks!
Dee Dine
The recipe indicates you can use oat flour, just use a bit more. I use 2 cups in this recipe instead of all purpose. I haven't tried white whole wheat or spelt. I assume you can if those flours can replace all purpose in general.
Misha
Hi, can I use Bobs red mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour?
Dee Dine
Yes! Bob 1 to 1 GF baking flour is perfect for this recipe!
Jimmy
This cake is THE cake for me! I love fudgy cakes, but I can't have eggs. The pumpkin is GENIUS.
Dee Dine
Thank you for your feedback!