Protein Cake
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Last updated on Dec 15, 2024
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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?
Brittany’s Tip
Be sure to use a plant-based protein powder for this cake. I tested it with both Sun Warrior and Nuzest and I highly recommend one of these brands. Don’t use whey protein powder as it doesn’t soak up as much liquid. This is super important!
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
Make sure you’re using the right protein powder! You’ll need a vegan pea-based protein powder for this cake. I recommend Sun Warrior or Nuzest as I’ve tested this cake with both. Don’t use whey protein powder as it doesn’t soak up as much liquid. This is super important!
Absolutely! I love the chocolate ganache topping, but feel free to use your favorite frosting for this cake. For more of a real deal frosting try this vanilla buttercream frosting or strawberry buttercream frosting. This peanut butter yogurt frosting or healthy chocolate frosting would also be delicious!
More Protein-Packed Treats to Try
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.
Protein Cake
Ingredients
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is one of the few healthy/protein recipes that actually taste really good in both flavour and texture!
I’ve tried your recipe as is the first time, but the second time I left out the maple syrup (since my protein powder is sweetened already) and replaced the oil by 1/4 cup mashed banana. The result was pretty much the same!
I did also use coffee flavoured vegan protein powder which worked great with the chocolate.
That sounds great, Eva! Love that the coffee-flavored protein powder worked so well, and it’s awesome to hear the banana swap worked too. Thanks for sharing your tweaks and for leaving a review—I really appreciate it!
Can this be made with whey protein?
Great question, Emerly. I wouldn’t recommend using whey protein, as it doesn’t absorb liquid the same way and could affect the texture. Hope that helps!
I’m back with one more comment. Don’t make the ganache while the cake is cooling because next thing you know the ganache has hardened and the cake is still warm and you can’t apply it (ask me how I know haha).
I was wondering, how can we add some espresso to the mix so we can enhance the choco flavor?
Oh dang!! Sorry that happened to you. Good tip, for sure! You can certainly add espresso powder to the cake batter, but I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure how much. Maybe start with 1-2 teaspoons? Let me know if you try and it and how the cake turns out.
Great recipe! I used the Naked pea protein powder (vanilla because they don’t have chocolate that I know of). Turned out great. Unexpectedly good. I’m thinking of using black cacao next time to give it darker color which I find more appealing.
btw, the recipe calls for Cacao not Cocoa. 🙂
So glad this cake turned out for you, Evalata! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I was skeptical, boy was I wrong!
Oh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Denise! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating!
Oh yay!! SO glad you gave this recipe a try and loved it! Thanks for making and for coming back to leave a star review. I so appreciate it!
I made this cake and my boyfriend loved it. He was so happy with how moist and chocolatey it was. That’s my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on! YUM!
P.S. I am gluten- and dairy-free, so I used dairy-free yogurt, which turned out perfect.
Thanks, Brittany!
WOO! This is amazing, Zara. I am so glad this cake turned out great and you both enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to share your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
My husband loves protein recipe and no sugar recipe so I tried yours and It was super easy and was really yummy!!!!! I will definitely make it again soon 💞 Thank you so much 🙂 Highly recommended!
WOO! This makes me so happy to hear, Mana. I am so glad you and your husband are loving this cake and it turned out great for you. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
do you have a chocolate cake recipe without the protein? thanks!
Hi Ashley! Unfortunately, I don’t have a chocolate cake on my site yet. You could try adding some cocoa powder in place of some of the flour in my Healthy Birthday Cake, but I haven’t tested this so I am not exactly sure how it would turn out. Let me know if you give it a try!
The ads on your site make following the recipe really challenging.
I am so sorry they are making it difficult, Krista. You can always hit the “jump to recipe” button on the top of the page and then select “print” on the recipe card and it’ll take you to a page to see the recipe without any ad’s. Hope that helps!
My son is very committed to a no sugar diet. His 16th birthday is coming up and I would love to make a cake that he will actually eat. I assume the protein powder is already sweet. Would it be ok to omit the maple syrup? I would still do the chocolate ganache with the lilys chocolate chips.
Hi Perla! Most protein powders are already sweetened, so I would make sure to check for that. You could try sugar free maple syrup, but I would be worried omitting it completely would change the texture of the cake. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I only have vanilla protein powder. Do you think it would work with everything else remaining the same?
Hi Terri – I am not sure how the flavor would turn out. The chocolate protein powder adds the chocolate flavor plus sweetness.
The first time I used this recipe I only had vanilla protein powder and it gave it almost a “devil dog” taste, like a lighter chocolate? It was VERY good. We’ve since tried it with the PB fit powder and then drizzled PB fit mixed with water – ALSO VERY GOOD!
WOO! This sounds amazing, Kristin! I am so glad you are loving this cake and it turned out amazing for you! Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
I asked my husband to bake this for my birthday. Everyone was skeptical when I told them it was protein cake, but they all really liked it. My mother in law even had a second slice!
Consistency was great, and the flavor was so good. Didn’t miss a regular cake at all! Used the Simple Eats Chocolate Brownie Batter protein.
WOO! This seriously makes me so happy to hear, Nicole. I am so glad you both loved this cake and it turned out amazing for you. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
I’m dairy free. Can I use unsweetened coconut yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Yes, you can! Enjoy!
Hi will it be ok if I were to use dutch process cocoa?
Instead of cocoa powder?
I bought Sun Warrior chocolate protein powder to make this and my husband and I both think it’s delicious! I’m blown away by how much protein it has for a dessert. The texture is perfect for a cake and it has the right amount of sweetness. The ganache is a must! You should totally do other variations of this for your blog, or at least a vanilla version!
Amazing! I am so glad you gave this one a try and it turned out great for you, Molly! Yes, I’ve got to test a vanilla version. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it so much!
I’d like to try this with monk fruit. Any idea how much to equal the amount of maple syrup? BTW, I love your recipes.
Hi Barbara – I haven’t tried this recipe with monk fruit syrup, but you’ll want to use two parts Monk Fruit Liquid for every one part maple syrup. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
This cake was delicious! My husband was skeptical and then proceeded to devour it saying how delicious it was! You would never know this cake is high protein or much healthier than regular cake. I will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation of treats to make! Even my very picky toddlers ate it for breakfast with yogurt on top!!
YESS! This seriously makes me so happy to hear. Glad you and the family are loving this cake, Jennifer. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!