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Protein Cake

By Brittany Mullins

5

33

Published Feb 14, 2024, Updated Dec 15, 2024

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GFGluten-FreeHPHigh-Protein

This delicious chocolate protein cake is guaranteed to be your new favorite dessert! It’s rich, moist, naturally sweetened and packed with 15 grams of protein per slice.

In honor of Valentine’s Day and my birthday I’m super excited to be sharing this chocolate protein cake recipe with you!

This cake is seriously my new obsession — it’s rich, fudgy and perfectly moist all while being packed with protein thanks to the chocolate protein powder and Greek yogurt. And trust me, nobody will even be able to tell that this cake is made healthier. It’s guaranteed to be everyone’s new favorite dessert!

Why You’ll Love This Cake

• Protein-packed – One slice is packed with 15 grams of protein!
• Easy to make – This recipe comes together quickly with simple, pantry staple ingredients.
• Healthy – It’s made healthier with ingredients like Greek yogurt, oat flour and maple syrup. It’s the perfect dessert to whip up whenever you’re craving something sweet, but don’t want to over indulge.
• Versatile – Whether it’s a post-workout treat, a birthday celebration, or just an everyday dessert, this cake is always a good idea.

Protein Cake Ingredients

As I mentioned above, you only need simple, pantry staple ingredients to make this recipe that you probably already have in your kitchen!

• oat flour – we’re using oat flour to keep this cake gluten-free. You can use store-bought or make homemade oat flour using rolled oats.
• chocolate protein powder – you’ll need a plant-based chocolate protein powder for this recipe. I’ve tested it with Sun Warrior and Nuzest and I highly recommend one of these brands. You can use my code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your Nuzest order.
• cocoa powder – make sure you’re using unsweetened cocoa powder. Raw cacao powder works as well.
• baking powder and baking soda – helps the cake rise and become fluffy.
• salt – balances the flavors of the cake.
• maple syrup – the perfect natural sweetener for this recipe! Make sure you’re using pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup as that’s loaded with corn syrup and additives. If you don’t have maple syrup you can use honey instead.
• unsweetened almond milk – helps to keep thee cake moist. I prefer to use unsweetened almond milk because it’s low in calories and sugar, but feel free to use your favorite type of milk (dairy or non-dairy).
• full fat plain greek yogurt – contributes to the cake’s moist crumb. Plus, it adds some more protein to this cake. I used full fat Greek yogurt, but 2% will also work. I don’t recommend using fat-free yogurt as it has added ingredients that can change the consistency of this banana bread.
• oil – to keep this cake nice and moist. I recommend using avocado oil or melted coconut oil. Olive oil and melted butter will also work.
• eggs – bind the ingredients together and add structure to the cake.
• vanilla extract – a nice flavor enhancer.
• chocolate ganache – we’re whisking together melted chocolate chips with almond milk to create a rich chocolate topping to spread over the cake because you can never have too much chocolate, am I right?

How to Make Protein Cake

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. Add maple syrup, almond milk, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to fully combine, until smooth.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared 8″ cake pan and bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Step 5: While the cake is cooling, make the ganache frosting. Add chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second increments until fully melted. This should take 45-60 seconds. Once melted add milk and stir to combine. Frost the top of the cake and serve!

Dietary Substitutions

• Egg-free/Vegan: I have not tried this recipe without egg, but I’m sure you could make a vegan version. Replace the eggs with flax eggs, or chia eggs. If you try it let me know how it turns out in the comments
• Dairy-free: The recipe calls for Greek yogurt, which can be substituted with a dairy-free yogurt alternative. Make sure it’s unsweetened to maintain the intended flavor balance.
• Low-sugar: You can substitute the maple syrup with monk fruit maple syrup to make this cake low-sugar.

How to Store Leftovers

Room Temperature: Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. This is best if you’re planning to enjoy the cake quickly and want to maintain its moist texture.

Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep the cake in the refrigerator, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Freezing: You can freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 3 months. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Protein-Packed Treats to Try

• Protein Brownies
• Protein Cookie Dough
• Protein Banana Bread
• Protein Ice Cream
• Protein Cinnamon Rolls

Be sure to check out more protein recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.

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5 from 19 votes

Protein Cake

By: Brittany Mullins

This delicious chocolate protein cake is guaranteed to be your new favorite dessert! It's rich, moist, naturally sweetened and packed with 15 grams of protein per slice.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Cake

• ▢ ¾ cup oat flour
• ▢ 1 cup vegan chocolate protein powder, I used Sun Warrior
• ▢ ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup maple syrup
• ▢ ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ ½ cup full fat plain greek yogurt
• ▢ ¼ cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 8” round cake pan with cooking spray.
• Add oat flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  
• Add maple syrup, almond milk, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to fully combine, until smooth.
  
• Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  
• Remove from three oven and let cool completely before frosting.
• While cake is cooling, make the ganache frosting. Add chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second increments until fully melted. This should take 45-60 seconds. Once melted add milk and stir to combine.
  
• Frost the top of the cake and serve!
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 532mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 19g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Protein Cake

Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!