This chocolate protein cake is a delicious healthy treat to satisfy your sweet tooth and get in extra protein!
So I made something kind of fun! Chocolate protein cake!
It’s made with a bunch of pantry staples, is ready in less than 30 minutes, and will satisfy your sweet tooth instantly. It’s very similar to my chocolate peanut butter protein mug cake, but without the peanut butter or the mug. Instead, it’s topped with melted dark chocolate and baked in a cake pan!
Mr. Hungry has legit been eating for breakfast AND dessert.
Okay, while this cake is light and fluffy, plus topped with gooey delicious melted chocolate chips, it’s not real cake. It’s a protein cake. It clocks in at 11grams of protein per serving, and it kind of tastes like a chocolate cake protein bar. It’s delicious in its own right and a healthy dessert option, but not meant to be a replacement for butter, sugar, and flour-filled traditional chocolate cake.
It kind of reminds me of a more cakey version of my homemade protein bars or vegan protein brownies, but without any bananas or sweet potatoes.
How to Make Protein Cake
I accidentally made this recipe in one bowl. When I was first testing this recipe, I mixed the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls and then combined them. During one of the test batches, I forgot and started combining all the ingredients. I figured I’d roll with it and see what happens. I don’t know what should have happened, but nothing terrible happened, so this is now a one-bowl recipe!!! Combine all your ingredients, pour it into the cake pan, and bake. I guess you need to melt your chocolate chips in a separate bowl, but since that’s optional, I’m calling this a one-bowl recipe!
Let’s Talk Ingredients:
Oat Flour – do not sub. See how to make oat flour in less than a minute here.
Chocolate Protein Powder – okay, let’s talk about what protein powder you chose to use. Every protein powder has a different amount of protein, as well as thickeners, stabilizers, protein amount, type of protein, etc. When I developed this recipe, I used the whey protein that came with my smoothie box.
I also tested the vegan protein that came with my smoothie box. The vegan protein came out more fudgy and required me to add more liquid. So if your batter ends up too runny, you’ll need to add oat flour. If it ends up too thick, you’ll need to add some additional liquid. How thick should it be? It should be a batter that you can easily pour into the cake pan but isn’t so thin that you don’t need a spatula to help move it along.
Cocoa Powder – the cocoa powder adds depth to the chocolate flavor of this cake (versus relying on the chocolate protein powder for chocolate flavoring) but also makes it a bit more bitter. I would keep it in, but if you chose to omit it, make sure to decrease your liquid a bit too.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda – do not omit
Maple Syrup – optional. Feel free to substitute with any other LIQUID sweetener such as honey or agave.
Stevia drops – optional, adds sweetness without calories. Feel free to substitute another tablespoon of maple syrup OR your favorite all-natural low-calorie sweetener.
Almond milk – I used vanilla unsweetened almond milk. You can substitute any other dairy or non-dairy milk or water.
Eggs – I have not tried this with a vegan egg replacer, so I’m not sure if it would work, but I think it would. Let me know if you try it!
Applesauce – Do not omit. You could substitute mashed banana or pumpkin puree. This may change the texture of the final product though.
Dark Chocolate Chips – Feel free to substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate for a sweeter final product.
How to Store & Freeze Protein Cake
Store your protein cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze this chocolate protein cake for up to 3 months wrapped in saran wrap, then placed in a ziplock bag. For best results, defrost under refrigeration and consume within three days.
More Delicious High Protein Dessert Ideas:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Mug Cake
- Healthy Chocolate Mug Cake
- One Minute Healthy PB Mug Cake
- Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Vegan Fudgey Chocolate Protein Brownies
- Funfetti Almond Flour Cupcakes
- Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes
- 18+ Protein Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Protein Cake
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 3/4 cup chocolate protein powder*
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 9-10 drops stevia
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a square or round cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the pan's sides with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix well.1 cup oat flour, 3/4 cup chocolate protein powder*, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.1 tbsp maple syrup, 9-10 drops stevia, 1/2 cup almond milk, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup applesauce
- Pour batter into the cake pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. To melt in the microwave in a small bowl, heat for 30 seconds on medium power, stir, heat for 30 seconds on medium power, stir and repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate over the cake and spread evenly.1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Video
Nutrition
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