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    Home » Desserts » Brownies & Bars » Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Published: Jan 12, 2020 · Modified: Jul 5, 2020 by Dee Dine · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    A simple healthy cake like brownies recipe, using few ingredients that are dairy-free, whole foods and vegan. Mix it up quickly, no strange ingredients, and have hot brownies made from scratch on the table in 20 minutes.

    PIN IT FOR LATER

    Shot of cake like brownies with hot fudge poured on top.

    Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Of course fudgy brownies are essential for life, but there is a place for cake like brownies. I actually prefer them, and like to serve them topped with a drizzle of warm chocolate fudge or even frost them like a cake.

    In fact, I made these three times to be sure that this recipe resulted in cake-like texture, not fudgy and it worked! I share my tips on how to keep brownies cake like below.

    I also feel I can say these brownies are healthy because of the raw cacao powder mostly, which is so much healthier than over-processed traditional cocoa that used to be a baker's choice. Raw cacao powder - my favorite brand is Navitas Naturals - is full of anti-oxidants, iron, magnesium and is great for heart health. There are other reasons these ingredients are pretty nutritious, as I cite in my FAQS below.

    How to Make Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Very easy. Line a loaf pan with parchment or rub with coconut oil and dust with flour. Gather the dry ingredients, and pop them into a large mixing bowl. Gather the wet ingredients and put them in a smaller bowl. Mix up both with a whisk for a hand-mixer. Pour the dry into the wet, mix again, and bake in a loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

    Pro tip: Typically best baking practice is to weigh flour. But I personally find that it is fairly accurate to spoon the flour loosely into the measuring cup to reach ½ cup. My unscientific proof? It worked three times in a row. I have a counter stacked with brownies to prove it, haha! So that is another reason this is an easy, breezy brownie recipe.

    Shot of cake like brownies with hot fudge poured on top.

    Questions Answered About Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Does a brownie need eggs to be cake like?
    No! Of course not. Eggs cause the cake to rise, so I used apple cider vinegar and baking soda to do the same. And since I wanted an increase in rise to make them cake like, I also added baking powder, increased the flour a bit, and held back on the fat, the coconut oil in this case.
    Can milk be used instead of water in cake like brownies?
    Sure! The result might be a bit more fudgy though because of the added fat, depending on the type of milk you use. Oat might be the least fatty milk if you want to retain the cake like texture.
    Can Brownies be healthy?
    It depends on the ingredients you use. Since I used raw cacao powder - much healthier than cocoa powder which is process so much that the nutrients are gone. And I use coconut sugar, and coconut oil. My brownies have high levels of zinc, magnesium, fiber and other essential minerals. Of course, sugar is sugar, so this is definitely a dessert, not healthy meal substitute.
    What makes brownies fudgy?
    To make brownies more fudgy, increase the fat, the coconut oil in this case.
    What makes brownies cakey?
    To make brownies more cakey in texture, increase the flour and add baking powder.

    I tried to create a happy balance in these brownies which I consider to be both fudgy and cakey.

    What does sugar do in brownies?
    Sugar locks in moisture and makes the texture soft. So while I tried to keep it minimal, a certain amount of sugar is necessary for the texture.

    Overhead of cake like brownie batter in a pan with an empty mixing bowl nearby.

    Try More Vegan Brownies Here

    Sweet Potato Brownies
    Vegan Gluten Free Brownies (buckwheat)
    No Bake Fudge Brownies
    Cake Like Brownies
    Pumpkin Brownies
    Brownie Bites
    Mocha Brownies

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    Shot of cake like brownies with hot fudge poured on top.

    Shot of cake like brownies with hot fudge poured on top.

    Shot of cake like brownies with hot fudge poured on top.

    Healthy Cake Like Brownies

    Created by Dee Dine
    A simple healthy cake like brownies recipe, using few ingredients that are dairy-free, whole foods and vegan. Mix it up quickly, no strange ingredients, and have hot brownies made from scratch on the table in 20 minutes.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Cuisine vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free
    Servings 16

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    Large bowl

    • 1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill's red-labeled baking flour)
    • ¼ cup cacao powder
    • ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
    • ¼ cup organic cane sugar
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • pinch of salt

    Small bowl

    • ⅛ cup coconut oil melted
    • ⅛ cup brewed coffee
    • ½ tsp vanilla
    • ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
    • ½ cup water

    Pourable chocolate sauce

    • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
    • 1 tbsp coconut oil

    Instructions
     

    Prep

    • Line an 8x4-inch loaf pan with a parchment paper, or rub it with coconut oil and dust with flour.
    • Preheat the oven to 350F.

    Make brownies

    • Mix up the dry ingredients in the large bowl. I used a hand-mixer but you can also use a whisk.
    • Mix up the wet ingredients in the small bowl.
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix again.
    • Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
    • Lift it out of the pan if you used parchment to prevent it from further cooking.
    • Cool 5-10 minutes.
    • I served mine with melted chocolate. Just microwave chocolate chips for 60 seconds, and stir until all chips are melted. You can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to make it more pourable.
    • Store covered at room temperature for 3 days. Or freeze in a sealed container for 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 62kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 32IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword cake like brownies, vegan brownies
    Leave a ReviewLet us know what you think of my recipe!
    Picture of Dee Dine.
    Dee Dine

    Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients and another immunity-boosting smoothie shot book, 4-Ingredient Smoothies + Juices , due out in January 2021. On this blog you'll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in sciences and  journalism, editor at The Feedfeed and a nutritional expert at WikiHow. More about Dee Dine here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Harshita

      August 10, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Can I use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil?

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        August 10, 2020 at 11:22 am

        Yes, you can!

        Reply
    2. martha

      July 05, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      lovely, clear recipe.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        July 05, 2020 at 3:27 pm

        Very sweet to say, thank you!

        Reply
    3. Ashlee T

      March 22, 2020 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      This was a hit for us. They are very cake like, but have great flavor and much healthier overall.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        March 23, 2020 at 4:31 pm

        Thank you so much for your feedback Ashlee! Dee

        Reply
    4. Katie

      January 13, 2020 at 12:18 am

      I can’t find the recipe for the chocolate sauce

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        January 16, 2020 at 12:02 pm

        Hi Katie, I just melted chocolate chips, but I added the procedure to the recipe now. It is to microwave 1 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoylife chips) for 60 seconds using a glass measuring cup (I use pyrex), and stir until all chips are melted. You can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to make it more pourable. Dee

        Reply
    5. Cooker2

      January 12, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      Such a fudgy texture anyway. Thank you for the tips.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        January 12, 2020 at 2:45 pm

        You are welcome!

        Reply

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    picture of dee dine.I'm Dee and I love converting traditional recipes into healthier recipes that use very few ingredients, and are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. Visit me on Instagram !

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