It’s finally here. The chocolate cake of your dreams.
A HEALTHY chocolate cake. Or at least a healthi-ER chocolate cake.
WHAT?
One of my favourite dessert recipes on the blog is this 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake. It’s oozy, super chocolaty heaven, and I’ll continue making it, especially when I need a delicious crowd pleasing dessert in a hurry.
BUT…
It isn’t exactly the healthiest of things to eat, is it now?
Yes, chocolate cakes really can be healthier!
It never occurred to me to try making a healthy chocolate cake before now. I guess I assumed it couldn’t possibly be as delicious as an ‘unhealthy’ one.
WRONG.
THIS healthy chocolate cake is delicious too. I’m not going to say it tastes exactly the same as the 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake, because that wouldn’t be true.
But it’s still good. Lick the plate clean sort of good.
It’s…
- really chocolaty
- moist and a little bit gooey
- generously slathered in a healthy chocolate mousse ganache
- made with only 8 easy-to-find ingredients
- out of the oven in just 30 minutes
- packed with superfoods (yes you read that right)
So how do you make a healthy chocolate cake?
There are many ways to make healthy cakes of course, but these are the main ingredients that I include in mine…
For the cake:
- flour
- olive and/or canola oils
- eggs
- cocoa
- mashed sweet potato
- maple syrup
- vanilla
For the frosting/ganache:
- avocado
- maple syrup
- cocoa
So that’s just 8 main ingredients! (plus a tiny bit of baking soda & salt!)
Ready in only 30 minutes and NO hard-to-find ingredients
Could this healthy chocolate cake get any better?
Not only is it healthier than a regular chocolate cake, it’s quick and easy to make, too.
Even the sweet potato part is easy. I just cook a medium sweet potato in the microwave until soft, then I split open the skin and scoop out the flesh. It mashes really easily with a fork, or if you’d prefer to get it completely smooth you could pulse it for a few seconds in your food processor.
I’m cheating a bit by calling this a 30 minute cake because of course you need a bit of extra time for cooling and adding the frosting.
But essentially you can make this cake in just half an hour. Make the frosting while the cake is baking. Then you only need a few more minutes to add the frosting once the cake is cool.
So what does a healthy chocolate cake taste like?
I agonised a bit over what to call this cake. Healthy chocolate fudge cake? Healthy chocolate mud cake? Healthier chocolate cake?
But it isn’t exactly fudge cake, and it isn’t mud cake either. It’s kind of something in between, and the exact texture varies a bit depending on how long its in the oven – or the particular oven you have.
The first time I made it, it was a bit less gooey. Still delicious and moist, but more like a regular cake-y chocolate cake.
But the true magic happened the next time I made it. I took it out of the oven a bit sooner, and I slathered it in a healthy chocolate mousse frosting / ganache.
And it was perfect. IMHO.
Had mixed results with healthy cake recipes? This is a keeper for me!
How to make a healthy frosting
This healthy chocolate cake reminds me of a retro Sara Lee chocolate gateau (remember those?). The thick chocolate mousse ganache tastes very similar to the Sara Lee version, but of course it’s much healthier.
To make your healthy chocolate frosting just blend together these 3 ingredients:
- avocado
- cocoa
- maple syrup (look no refined sugar!)
Does it taste of avocado? Hmmm. If you close your eyes and think about it, yes.
But I don’t mind. I really like the rich, clean, super chocolaty taste and the smooth mousse-y texture. You could even serve this frosting by itself as a chocolate mousse.
Or use it as a healthier topping for brownies or cupcakes.
So there you go – healthy chocolate cake! If you’ve been searching for healthy cake recipes, maybe the search is over! I give you permission to enjoy a piece (or two) of this without an ounce of guilt.
Can you freeze this healthy chocolate cake?
Surprisingly, yes!
I expected the cake part to freeze just fine, but I assumed the avocado ganache part wouldn’t.
But it does! When defrosted I really couldn’t tell the difference from when it was fresh. I froze it in the middle of a large container with a lid (so that the ganache didn’t get all over the sides!) and it was fine.
You might find it easier to freeze without the ganache, though. Make the cake, then whip up the quick ganache just before serving.
I’m absolutely delighted to have discovered such a delicious (not to mention quick and easy) version of one of my favourite foods, and I hope you like it as much as I do!
Need gluten-free? Try these one bowl gluten free brownies instead!
More healthier desserts
- We’ve made these Greek yogurt blueberry muffins again and again, and every time they turn out beautifully. The best part? It’s a low sugar, high protein recipe!
- In the mood for brownies? Try these guilt-free double chocolate healthy brownies with TWO secret ingredients.
- I call these banana bread waffles ‘life changing’ because they taste as good as regular waffles. But they’re made with just 3 super healthy main ingredients – oats, bananas and eggs.
- If you have a food processor or high speed blender, there’s just no excuse for not trying this 5-minute chocolate banana ice cream!
- This 2-minute peanut butter mug cake is perfect for dessert ’emergencies’
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30 minute healthy chocolate cake
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
For the cake
- 1 cup sweet potato mashed – see note below
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 eggs lightly whisked
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
For the chocolate mousse ganache
- 2 avocados
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
For the cake
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan with a circle of baking paper and spray the pan all over with a light coating of oil.
- Preheat the oven to 355F/180C.
- Pierce the sweet potato all over with a fork, then place on a plate or kitchen towel and microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes until the flesh is soft. Cut open lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Mash it well in a medium bowl or jug (or pulse in a food processor for a few seconds). Let it cool a little.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt & baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, oil and maple syrup to the sweet potato and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add to the dry ingredients and mix again until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 18 minutes or until the top is just cooked and the centre is still a bit gooey.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting
- Pulse the avocado, cocoa and maple syrup in a food processor until silky and smooth. Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting thickly all over the top and sides.
Mac says
Very nice recipe, i get chocolate brownie texture, a bit gooey in the middle.
Sometimes it ends up being quite a heavy sponge, not sure what I do differently though.
I wondered how many days this would stay fresh in the fridge?
Thanks
Helen says
Hello Mac. So happy you like the recipe! Hmm… I really don’t know why it sometimes turns out differently. Just try only mixing the ingredients until they’re just combined. That’s the only reason I can think of for heavy sponge – when it’s mixed for too long. As for how long it will stay fresh… at least 3 to 4 days if it’s in an airtight container like a cake tin, but maybe even up to a week as it’s being kept cold. 🙂
Pari says
Thanks for the straight forward recipe 😊
I was wondering if it’s ok if I omit the maple syrup, as I find sweet potatoes are sweet enough (and also, we’re trying to reduce our glucose intake as much as possible). Thanks.
Helen says
HI Pari! Actually… one time I accidentally forgot to add the maple syrup when I made this. It came out exactly the same, but didn’t taste very sweet at all despite the fact it has sweet potato in it. However it did taste good with the ‘frosting’ on it.
Genevieve says
Searching for the perfect birthday cake for my daughter- my son is dairy-free, andi I hate using refined sugar (maple is my go to for baking due to the strong flavour of honey).
This sounds PERFECT, and sneakily healthier, so my brain will be happy 😁.
I plan to cook it fully (not gooey), and she would like it as a layer cake with (fresh) strawberry icing, do you think these would work?
Cheers!
Helen says
Hello Genevieve! I’m so happy this sounds like it’s going to suit your family for your daughter’s birthday party! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, and it’s absolutely fine to cook it so that it isn’t gooey. Just poke a skewer or sharp knife into it every few minutes when at the end of the cooking time until it comes out clean. It’s still realllly delicious when it isn’t gooey with the avocado topping on it. Enjoy! 🙂 P.S Ah yes just remembered you’ll be adding a strawberry icing, but yes I think that will work!
Sara says
Hello! I made this for the first time the other day and my family and I loved it! Do you think I could replace the egg with a substitute to make it egg free?
Thanks!
Helen says
Hello Sara! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! I wish I had a definitive answer for you in regards to the eggs. I’m a little worried that replacing them would change the texture too much as there are 3 eggs in the mixture, but if you’d like to experiment here’s a great article that gives some ideas for replacements. I’d probably go for either the applesauce/banana or nut butter, or a combination of these, and see how it turns out. Do let me know if you’re brave enough to try it! 🙂 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes#TOC_TITLE_HDR_15
Mmz says
Hey! This is the first time baking has gone amazingly for me and it tastes soo good, I can’t believe there’s sweet potato in this! 🥰🥰🥰
Helen says
Hello! So so happy to hear this! It’s a really easy recipe but you’ll find it’s really easy to impress people with it… especially when they find out it’s ‘healthy’. Try my avocado brownies, too!
Katharina says
Very nice cake and you can’t detect the sweet potato or avocado. I halved the recipe and it made two serves for myself, husband and 3 year old (something to look forward to tomorrow!). Baked for 18 min, lovely gooey. Very chocolaty, not too sweet. It’s quite a lot of ganache, but that’s not a bad thing haha. I would just recommend getting a good quality cocoa because it really makes the flavour and would bring the quality down if it wasn’t a good one I think. I will be making this recipe again.
Helen says
Hi Katharina, and thank you so much for the detailed feedback. It’s really useful to know you halved the recipe and it still turned out well baking for the same length of time. Thanks for the reminder about getting good quality cocoa. Absolutely right! 🙂
Neesa says
This is the loveliest healthy bake I’ve ever made! It was delicious. And simple to make. Most of my healthy bakes turn out not great but this was top quality. Like from a proper healrh food cafe. It was all gone by the next day ☺
Helen says
Hi Neesa, and thank you SO much for the feedback! I’m so happy to hear you liked it so much. My favourite ‘healthy’ recipes are the ones that don’t taste healthy. I hope you make and enjoy it many more times! 🙂
Stephanie Graves says
Can I use oat flour or does it have to be self rising?
Helen says
Hello Stephanie! I have used part wholemeal flour in this recipe but I’ve never tried oat flour. I ‘suspect’ it would work, but I’m afraid I can’t promise. If you give it a try I’d love to know how you get on! It’s an absolutely delicious cake! 🙂
Xuan Anh To says
Our family favourite cake!!! It is super tasty and easy to make. My son loves chocolate and I looked up healthy chocolate cake recipe for his birthday. And it turned out perfect! From that on I made this cake for every birthday, special occasion because we couldn’t get enough! Thank you for this recipe.
Btw, the nutrition facts stated at the bottom, is it for one serving or for the whole cake?
Thanks again xx
Helen says
Hello! Thank you so much for the feedback – you’ve made my day, actually. I’m so glad you like it as much as I hope people will. The nutrition info is actually for one piece of cake. While this is indeed a healthier sort of cake with hidden veggies, it’s pretty high calorie because of the avocado, maple syrup, oil etc. You could say it’s the yummiest meal replacement idea ever! 🙂
Lindsay says
Omgoodness! So yummy! I had to make a ton of substitutions but they worked out perfectly. I used oat flour, vegetable oil, added 1/4 tsp of baking powder and had to get real creative with the sweetener (one part brown sugar, honey, and agave –all I had in the pantry! lol). Will definitely be making this again! Thank you!!
Helen says
It’s always useful to know which substitutions work. Thanks for the feedback, Lindsay! I’m so happy you like it! 🙂
Senna says
This was surprisingly very good and moist. Will definitely make again
Helen says
I know what you mean, Senna. I was skeptical it would work too, but it was more delicious than I could ever have hoped. So glad you liked it too! 🙂
yin Quien Ho says
Can I replace Maple syrup with Honey in equal parts and Olive oil for vegetable oil? Thanks!
Helen says
Hello! Yes, honey works as well. I once omitted the sweetener altogether by mistake and the cake turned out exactly the same, except it wasn’t sweet enough. So yes, go for it!
Mira says
Incredibly delicious! I didnt have self raising flour i used all purpose and added some baking powder. Yummiest chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Thank you!!!
Helen says
Hello Mira! So happy to hear you enjoyed it so much. It’s pretty unbelievably yummy, isn’t it? 😉