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This healthier chocolate cake has a rich chocolate flavor and a texture just like regular chocolate cake. The cake needs only 4 ingredients and doesn’t require any flour, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. It is easy to make and can be made ahead of time.
It’s hard to believe this chocolate cake is a healthier chocolate cake. It has a crumb like it is made with flour but it doesn’t contain flour. It looks, tastes and has a texture just like regular cake.
Ingredients
- Cashew butter: Make sure to use natural cashew butter with no added oils. You won’t really taste the cashew butter in this cake but it helps create the cake-like crumb and it adds some natural sweetness to the cake.
- Honey: Honey is used to sweeten the cake.
- Eggs: Eggs provide the structure for this cake.
- Cocoa powder: Unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder is used to give the cake its rich chocolate flavor.
I also decorated my cake with a healthier ganache frosting made with coconut milk and dark chocolate, but that is optional.
How to Make Healthier Chocolate Cake
- The eggs and honey are first beaten in a stand mixer for about 8 minutes.
- The cashew butter is then folded in. The cocoa powder is sifted through a fine mesh strainer and folded in.
- The batter is transferred to your prepared baking pan and baked until done.
Texture
This cake has a cake-like crumb to it even though it doesn’t contain any flour. The crumb for this cake is more tight, similar to a brownie cake texture rather than a fluffy cake texture.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have cashew butter available you can try making the cake with natural peanut butter with no added oils though the texture won’t be quite the same. I did test it with peanut butter. The peanut butter version is more dense and has less of a bouncy crumb to it.
- Make sure to sift in the cocoa powder. Because the batter is so liquidy, this is the best way to fully incorporate the cocoa without any lumps of cocoa powder left in the batter.
More Healthier Chocolate Cake Recipes
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Healthier Chocolate Cake
- 3 Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Cake (No Eggs)
- 4 Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Date Cake
4 Ingredient Healthier Chocolate Cake
This healthier chocolate cake looks, has the same texture and tastes like regular chocolate cake. You can't believe it's made with healthier ingredients! Just 4 ingredients and no flour, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/177 ml) raw honey
- 3/4 cup (192g) natural creamy cashew butter with no added oils
- 6 tbsp (36g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 7-inch round springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with a parchment round and cut a long strip of parchment paper to line the inner sides of the pan.
- Add the eggs and honey to a bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on highest speed with wire whisk attachment for 8 minutes. The mixture should become more than triple in volume towards the end of mixing. When you stop the mixer, the mixture will deflate but should still be more than double in volume.
- Add in the cashew butter and gently fold it in with a spatula until it is evenly combined and the batter turns a light tan color. The batter will expand a little as the cashew butter interacts with the eggs and honey and will become a little more bubbly and fluffier.
- Sift in half of the cocoa powder through a fine mesh strainer and use your spatula to fold in the cocoa. Then sift and fold in the remaining cocoa until all of the cocoa is evenly incorporated and the batter looks like a thick chocolate batter that is uniform in color. The batter will deflate a little as you add in the cocoa but try not to let it deflate too much.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake is puffed up and edges are set. The cake should also no longer be jiggly. The cake may still be slightly fudgy at the very center, but that is okay. You can cook the cake until the center is fully set, but I find this causes the edges of the cake to be a little overcooked.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before releasing it from the cake pan and placing onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When ready to serve, cut the cake with a large sharp knife. You can also decorate the cake before serving. Store any uneaten cake for 1-2 days at room temperature and longer in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use cashew butter with no added oils.
- Use a good quality Dutch process cocoa powder.
- I used Octonuts pure cashew butter,* Rodelle Dutch process cocoa powder* and Kirkland Signature Raw Unfiltered Honey* to make this recipe.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Optional dairy-free ganache frosting:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- Add chocolate chips to a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat coconut milk until almost simmering and pour over chocolate. Let it sit for about 30 seconds. Stir with spatula until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If your chocolate is not completely melting, you can put the mixture in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and stir again until smooth and melted. Frost surface of cake with ganache. You do not need to use all of the frosting.
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 18mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, NET CARBS: 16
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!
I been always in need of knowing how to make or bake a cake with natural sweetness as well as how to make a cake without using flour or wheat in actual fact i got a food allergy like nuts alcohol as well as cooking oil that are made out of nuts.
We’re so glad you found this cake recipe!
I’ve made this three times since I saw the recipe. LOVE being able to eat chocolate cake again! I never would have known it had healthy ingredients if someone had just given me a slice from it. Thank yoU!!!!
That’s great! We’re so glad you love this cake!!
Allergic to cashews , can j use almond or peanut butter???
You can try making the cake with natural peanut butter with no added oils though the texture won’t be quite the same. I did test it with peanut butter. The peanut butter version is more dense and has less of a bouncy crumb to it!
Hi. Is there any way to make this plant-based? Can I use agave or maple syrup instead of honey and egg substitutes like chia/flax eggs?
Hello! We haven’t tested this recipe to be plant-based so we are not sure if the results would be the same!
Hi Jennifer, I have a question. Can I substitute another comparable nut butter (that has no added oils) for the cashew butter for this cake? Thanks!
Hello! You can try making the cake with natural peanut butter with no added oils though the texture won’t be quite the same. I did test it with peanut butter. The peanut butter version is more dense and has less of a bouncy crumb to it!