Healthy Chocolate Cake
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Hands down, this is the healthiest chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever developed. Moist and with a tender crumb, this healthy cake is sugar free, fat free, and low calorie- but you’d never tell. I love how each slice has just 100 calories.
You can never have too many chocolate cake recipes, but truly good, healthy ones are hard to come by. I’ve tried plenty of healthy cake recipes, and most were dry, gummy, or lacking real chocolate flavor.
So, I set out to make a version that proved otherwise. This healthy chocolate cake took several rounds of testing to get the texture just right- soft and moist- without relying on added fat or sugar. The key wasn’t cutting corners, but balancing the cocoa, sweetness, and structure so the cake still feels indulgent.
The result? A rich, chocolatey cake with a tender crumb that doesn’t taste “healthy” at all. It’s one of those recipes you can confidently serve anyone, including my picky partner, who genuinely wants a good slice of chocolate cake.
Table of Contents
Why make my healthy chocolate cake
- Simple ingredients. There is no sugar, no oil, no butter, and no milk…but you’d never tell!
- Best texture. It’s EXACTLY what you want in any good chocolate cake- moist, fluffy, and with a tender crumb.
- Diet adaptable. I’ve tested this to be vegan, gluten-free, and even dairy-free.
- Quick and easy. No fancy mixers or kitchen equipment needed- Just one bowl and a mixing spoon.
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cake, along with my kitchen notes. The complete list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour. If you’d like to boost its healthiness, you can use white whole wheat all-purpose flour. To keep this healthy cake gluten-free, I had success using gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill).
- Granulated sweetener. Any sugar-free and calorie-free granulated sweetener will work. I find allulose gives the cake the best texture, but monk fruit sweetener also works. I don’t recommend stevia, as it can be bitter and doesn’t measure cup-for-cup with sugar.
- Cocoa Powder. Use a good-quality cocoa powder, and sift it first to ensure there are no clumps. For a richer chocolate cake, I sometimes use dark cocoa powder.
- Baking soda. Gives the cake some rise and leavening.
- Salt. Enhances the sweetness of the cake.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Reacts with baking soda so that you don’t need to use eggs. You can also use white vinegar or even lemon juice.
- Vanilla Extract. A must for any cake or baked goods.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Applesauce replaces the need for any fat without affecting the flavor or texture.
- Water. Instead of using milk or non-dairy milk, I use water.
Frosting ideas
You can use any chocolate frosting you like. While I often use my healthy frosting (made with applesauce) to keep the sugar and calories down, I also use this sugar-free and fat-free chocolate frosting-
To make: 1 cup sugar free powdered sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sweetener (monk fruit or allulose), 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk OR full-fat coconut milk (canned).
Combine your dry ingredients and mix well. Add the vanilla extract and milk, then whisk until smooth and glossy. For a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. For a thinner one, add more milk.
How to make a healthy chocolate cake
Step 1- Whisk the dry ingredients. Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2- Add the wet. Next, add your apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and unsweetened applesauce and mix until just combined. Then add your water and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated.
Step 3- Bake. Transfer the cake batter into a cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out ‘just’ clean.
Step 4- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost the cake.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not overbake the cake! I cannot stress this enough. You want to remove the cake from the oven when a skewer comes out ‘just’ clean, because the cake continues to cook as it cools (called carryover cooking).
- Make a layer cake. I prefer to make a triple-layer cake, as I find it gives it a more decadent look and flavor. If you’d also like to make it like this, triple the cake ingredients and double the frosting ingredients.
- The frosting is optional. Omit it if you prefer a cake without frosting.
- Make cupcakes. My batter works really well as cupcakes. Distribute the batter amongst a 12-count muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they bounce back slightly.
- Sheet cake/snack cake option. If you’d prefer a snack chocolate cake or a chocolate sheet cake, you can bake it in an 8 x 8-inch square pan.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover cake can be stored in a sealable container at room temperature. It will keep well for up to 7 days. To keep it moist, place a paper towel over the top before sealing. Refrigerate the cake if you’d like it to keep longer than 7 days.
To freeze: Place pieces of cake in a freezer-friendly container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the microwave for 30 seconds, or in the refrigerator overnight.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
“This fat-free, sugar-free chocolate cake is an easy recommendation for those managing calorie intake or blood sugar. It offers rich chocolate flavor without relying on added fats or sugars, making it a lighter dessert option that still feels indulgent.” – Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Healthy Chocolate Cake (Fat Free AND Sugar free!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour gluten free, if necessary
- 1 cup granulated sweetener of choice * See notes
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, granulated sweetener,cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.
- Add your vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and unsweetened applesauce and mix well. Pour the water over the top and mix until fully combined.
- Transfer the cake batter into the lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the cake pan for 10 minutes, before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost if desired.
Notes
- Tips: See my recipe tips above for the best healthy chocolate cake.
- Sweetener: Allulose is the best, but monk fruit sweetener works well too.
- Frosting: For a sugar free and low calorie chocolate frosting, see the frosting provided in the ingredients section above. You can also use another healthy frosting.
- Cake layers: For a double or triple-layer cake, double and triple the ingredients. Cooking time doesn’t vary at all.
Nutrition
More healthy chocolate desserts
If you love this cake, I have a few other desserts you may also enjoy:
- Protein brownies– Not only do these need just four ingredients, but they are super fudgy and pack in 6 grams of protein each.
- Healthy chocolate cupcakes– I adapted this very chocolate cake to be cupcakes. Just as delicious, just as wholesome.
- Healthy brownies– With nearly 2000 positive reviews, these brownies taste like any good brownie out there.
- Chocolate avocado mousse– I promise you, you won’t taste any avocado. It’s my favorite dairy-free chocolate fix.
- Sweet potato chocolate cake– It took lots of testing to sneak a sweet potato into a rich chocolate cake. No one will know!
This is only 1 of the layers right?
Hi Gennifer- yes, that is correct. 🙂
Hi do you think I could use eggs instead of the apple cider please? And if so how many would you suggest?
Hi Lydia- no, I don’t recommend it for this specific recipe. While the vinegar and baking soda does replace eggs in terms of structure, simply swapping those out for eggs will see the cake collapse. If you can’t tolerate ACV, you can use lemon juice, lime juice, or even white vinegar.
The frosting looks lighter than the darker cake itself, could it be with heavy cream or coconut cream?
For less carbs, can the all purpose flour be swapped for almond or coconut flour?
Hi here! You can use either- both those creams work and I’ve had success making it with that. I haven’t tried this cake with an alternative flour, but in other recipes, I have swapped almond flour in (cup for cup measurement with all-purpose flour) and it worked fine.
Can I use coconut sugar instead if monk fruit?
Hi Vee! Yes, absolutely. When I first tested this recipe, I did do it with sugar, then tried all the alternatives after that. Let me know how you go, it’s a delicious cake 🙂
Great
Thanks, M L
Thank you for this – WONDERFUL … made this with 2 C sweet potato substituted for the flour. AMAZING
More than satisfying chocolate cake success. Recommend highly as a regular healthy snack.
Must cool completely and loosen cake sides prior to removal to prevent cracking. Slices well.
Thank you for the feedback, Marylou!
Thank you so much for this. I have such a difficult time finding any kind of satisfying dessert that is low or no fat. I am so grateful to you for this recipe. It’s hard always being left out of celebrations because you can’t eat what everyone else is eating. I hope to find more recipes like yours… thanks for helping me to feel a little normal.
You are so welcome, Dawn!
Isn’t 1 cup of sweetener too sweet?
Most sweetener are sweeter than regular sugar and they have different sweetness and ratio to the regular sugar.
For example my stevia ratio is 1/3 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon sugar.
So how much stevia should I use for this recipe? I suggest next time you mention the ratio to sugar
Hi Jessie- we did test this recipe with various amounts of sweetener/sugar, and one cup was the right balance for a sweet cake. The ones we mention (that tasted great in this cake) was not stevia. We don’t use stevia for any of our recipes because it completely throws off the other ingredients 🙂 This is why we didn’t mention it, because it doesn’t work well for us.
Can this be made into cupcakes?
Hi Edwina- yes it can! I’ve added a note in the recipe post, but distribute the batter amongst a 12-count muffin tin and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they bounce back slightly, and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.