This deliciously rich, fudgy, and secretly healthy chocolate cake recipe includes one ingredient you will absolutely never guess!
The best healthy chocolate cake
Multiple friends and family members have proclaimed this to be the best chocolate cake recipe they’ve ever tasted.
And that is saying something, because none of them are on a vegan, gluten free, weight loss, or low calorie diet. They simply appreciate good food.
It’s so much fun to test the cake out on people who do not know the secret beforehand. Look for their shocked reactions when you reveal the hidden ingredient.
Serve the moist healthy cake at your next party or event, and guests of all ages will be begging you for the recipe!
Also make this Vegan Carrot Cake
Chocolate cake health benefits
While no cake will ever be the healthiest food you can choose, this one does have a surprising amount of nutrition.
Each fudgy slice packs in over five grams of protein and more than 15% of the RDA for fiber. and it can be both cholesterol free and oil free.
The cake is low fat, low in saturated fat, and just 100 calories a slice!
It is high in iron thanks to the cocoa powder and can be sugar free, egg free, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, cholesterol free, and oil free.
Superfood cauliflower is a good source of heart healthy vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. The low sodium and low carb cruciferous vegetable contains vitamin C, vitamin K, pantothenic acid, manganese, fiber, and folate.
Try topping the cake with Homemade Nutella
Ingredients for the healthy dessert
The easy chocolate cake calls for just ten ingredients. You may already own most of them in your kitchen pantry.
These ingredients include flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, pure vanilla extract, salt, sugar, optional stevia and eggs or flax seeds, mini chocolate chips, optional oil or milk of choice, and frozen cauliflower.
My favorite flour choice is whole grain spelt flour, because it adds fiber and gives the cake a light, fluffy texture. All purpose white flour and some brands of gluten free flour blends work as well.
While you can technically use oat flour, pastry flour, or whole wheat flour, these options yield a denser result. We recommend against coconut flour and almond flour.
For a keto and flourless version, try this Chocolate Almond Flour Cake.
Go with a high quality cocoa powder for the richest chocolate flavor. You may also substitute raw cacao powder. If you try Dutch cocoa, let us know how it goes.
The chocolate chips are not optional, because they impart a deep chocolatey taste into each bite of cake. Use dairy free chocolate chips for a vegan cake.
Feel free to choose regular sugar or a granulated unrefined sugar like coconut sugar. In our opinion, uncut stevia powder is the healthiest alternative sweetener because its only ingredient is stevia leaf, with no erythritol or other sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners added. If you wish to omit the stevia, simply replace it with additional sugar or no sugar xylitol.
Raw or fresh steamed cauliflower have a strong taste and should therefore be avoided in this recipe. We have not yet tried cauliflower rice.
For the best results, use frozen cauliflower and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter instead of in the microwave. Or try one of the substitutions for cauliflower listed in the next paragraph.
Leftover cauliflower? Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Healthy chocolate cake recipe video
Above – watch the step by step recipe video
Substitutions and flavors
If cauliflower is too unusual for you, substitute three fourths cup of canned pumpkin puree, roasted sweet potato, mashed banana, or Greek yogurt.
Turn it into a mocha cake by using brewed coffee instead of the milk or stirring a teaspoon of instant coffee granules in with the dry ingredients.
Add the zest of two oranges to the food processor for a chocolate orange cake.
Create a fancy chocolate peanut butter cake by swapping the three tablespoons of oil for a fourth cup of softened peanut butter or almond butter.
For black forest cake, top the recipe with Coconut Whipped Cream and fresh cherries or cherry jam. Garnish the sides with shaved dark chocolate.
Add half a teaspoon of pure peppermint extract for a mint chocolate chip cake.
Or top the finished dessert with date caramel frosting, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans to get a German chocolate cake.
For a healthy ice cream cake, top with Avocado Ice Cream or Banana Ice Cream.
Finally, you can make a yummy healthy birthday cake by decorating with a variety of fresh sliced fruit or natural rainbow sprinkles. Remember the birthday candles!
How to make a healthy chocolate cake
Thaw the cauliflower in the refrigerator or in a bowl on the counter.
When ready to bake the cake, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and gathering all of your ingredients.
Grease a round or square eight inch baking pan, or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set this pan aside.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and sweetener in a large mixing bowl. Stir until evenly incorporated.
Blend all liquid ingredients with the cauliflower in a high quality food processor until the mixture is completely smooth.
Pour the liquid mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix, which could result in a tough or gummy cake.
Spread the chocolate cake batter into the prepared baking pan, then place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake for thirty minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out mostly clean.
Let the pan cool completely before frosting. If you can wait, I recommend very loosely covering the cooled cake with a towel and refrigerating overnight. The taste and texture are ten times better the next day.
After a day, store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for freshness. Or slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.
Readers also like Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Chocolate frosting ideas and tips
For the healthiest option, top your cake with fresh strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or sliced bananas.
Or frost it with a thick layer of decadent Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, or add chocolate sprinkles, diced walnuts, or chocolate ganache and fresh or frozen fruits of choice.
We spread on a four ingredient Healthy Chocolate Frosting and plant based mini chocolate chips for the chocolate cake in the photos.
To ensure whatever toppings you add do not melt upon touching a hot cake, make sure to let the recipe cool fully before decorating.
Healthy Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour (or try this Keto Cake)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground flax or 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar or xylitol for a sugar free cake
- 1/4 cup additional sugar OR 1/8 tsp uncut stevia
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or more as desired (do not omit)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups frozen cauliflower (or 3/4 cup yogurt, mashed banana, or pumpkin)
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (omit if using eggs)
- 3 tbsp oil or additional milk of choice
Instructions
- *Flour options that work well include spelt flour, white flour, or some brands of all purpose gluten free flour. For the best results, be sure to use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh, and do not omit the chocolate chips.To make the healthy chocolate cake recipe, start by thawing the cauliflower in the refrigerator or in a bowl on the counter. Preheat your oven to 350F, and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix very well. Combine all liquid ingredients and the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until smooth, so there are no lumps. (If going with the cauliflower free option, you do not need to use a food processor.) Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined, then pour into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes. Let cool completely. If you can wait, I recommend very loosely covering with a towel and refrigerating overnight because the taste and texture are better the next day. Frosting options are included above.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Dessert Recipes
Or these Vegan Brownies
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Single-lady cauliflower cake!! That would be SO yummy!
Can almond flour or coconut flour be substituted in your crazy ingredient Chocolate cake?
Sounds cool! Totally gonna try this tomorrow – have to make some chocolate cake for a 9 year old on my road (she begged me – shes so cute!!!) – and im gonna give her this – her mother will LOVE me for getting her to eat cauliflower!!
Can you use your sugar free chocolate chips in this? xx
You can always experiment. Please report back if you do!
I read a comment from CCK that said you can us sf chips!
Can this be made with fresh cauliflower instead of frozen?
I just love this idea! You’re awesome. Glad to know there is someone else out there always trying to change up ingredients for a healthy spin. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
My husband’s birthday is next week and I was looking for a healthy chocolate cake recipe to bake. This looks wonderful! I was wondering if a person could use coconut flour instead of the spelt flour. Also I noticed the other recipe had coconut sugar instead of the Xylitol and Stevia. Could maple syrup take the place of either of these and if so, how much?
what kind of icecream did you use on this “crazy ingredient cake”?
It’s such an old post that I don’t really remember, but probably either the 4 ingredient ice cream or the “healthy ice cream recipe” on this page: https://lett-trim.today/category/healthy-ice-cream-recipes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi Katie!!
Firstly, I want to say how much I love all your recipes!!! They’re soooo good! I’ve tried this recipe a few times, but what comes out never quite looks like yours. It still tastes amazing though xP I was thinking maybe it’s the chocolate chips. Do you put them in the food processor? That sounds kind of weird I guess, but I can’t really think of any other reason mine doesn’t look right. Thanks for everything you do!!! Your website is amazing!!!!
Please give details on how yours looks. Also read Katie’s FAQ page at the top of the blog.
Is the white flour plain or self raising?
Plain
Hi, Katie.
At first, I thought it would be such a horrible combination. Cauliflower and chocolate?! Luckily, being vegan made me open-minded to other tastes, flavours and combinations, that are less conventional. And that open-mindedness was SO worth it.
That cake is DELICIOUS! So soft and flavourful, just like biting a cloud… If I could allow myself to do it, I would have eaten everything the same day, but I want to keep some more for later. I eat one small-sized portion, but then I see that it was too small, and I take another piece, and so on…
Do you know whether it’s possible to use the cauliflower paste in other cakes’ recipes? Do you have any of them?
Thanks for the recipe.
I know Katie said there was a cheesecake recipe with cauliflower in her cookbook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chocolate-covered-katie-katie-higgins/1119439699?ean=9781455599707
Cake was nice but different I made it for my sister’s birthday and she liked it but I decided to tell her about the cauliflower after she’d eaten it and when I did she was horrified but she still thought it was nice I would recommend this website’s fudge sauce to go with ithttp://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fudge-Sauce-2/
Hi, just a question that was puzzling me in case you have time to respond: why should the frozen cauliflower NOT be cooked but if using fresh it should be? I haven’t braved this cake yet but planning to, and wanting to give it the best chance possible of success… Thanks!
just so everyone knows, spelt is wheat so this is not gluten free.
Actually, it says DIRECTLY in the post “or Arrowhead Mills gf.”
Hi from South Arica! This recipe is simply Aaaah-mazing! Just recently came across this recipe and it is without a doubt, my favourite healthy dessert recipe. I’ve just made it for the third time in three weeks! The third time I was out of choc chips, I just added pitted dates instead! I also use a full 2/3 cup milk and I absolutely luvvvv the moist fudgy texture when it’s baked for a shorter time. This definitely tastes yummiest after having rested for a day in the refrigerator. I use fresh cauliflower and I don’t cook it in advance. Works perfectly fine.
*South Africa (it’s late. I’m tired) 😀
Katie, this cake looks amazing in your photos!! so after dwelling on it for a few weeks I made this over the weekend and followed the recipe, including baking time (and I did not omit the flaxseed) and I still ended up with what I assume looks and tastes something like your super gooey version. It tastes good (I can taste the cauliflower as a nice subtle flavor -not unpleasant at all) but it never rose and the texture is more like a very chewy-gooey brownie. I will say though, that I used fresh cauliflower -tried looking up online whether frozen cauliflower is pre-cooked but I could’t find a definitive answer whatsoever… could that have been he reason for it not rising? Any thoughts or recommendations? Love your blog btw!
Unfortunately, as it says in the post, I cannot vouch for substituting fresh cauliflower.
Dear Katie,
While I enjoy looking at your recipes, and many of them would probably be worth trying, I just don’t have those kind of ingredients on hand on a regular basis. (Try, like, practically never). And there are sooooooo many ingredients. Don’t you have something with fewer ingredients, and with “normal” stuff we might already have in the kitchen, for the rest of us lazy folks?
Many of Katie’s recipes will offer substitutions for the harder-to-find ingredients. For example, if you don’t have spelt flour it will list that you can use regular white flour. Regular sugar is always listed as an option in place of xylitol, and it always will say nut butter of choice, in which case you can use regular peanut butter. Other than that, feel free to always ask about substitutions for a specific ingredient in a specific recipe that she posts. Usually someone will have an easy alternative to tell you!