Oil Free Chocolate Cake

A secretly healthy chocolate cake recipe so deliciously soft and moist, no one ever believes it’s completely oil free!

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

A healthy chocolate cake that actually tastes good?

It really is possible.

While low fat chocolate cake is so often gummy or dense, this recipe was specifically formulated to be just as rich and chocolatey as traditional chocolate cake, even without all the added fat and sugar.

Also Try These Sweet Potato Brownies – Oil Free Recipe

Above, frosted with Basic Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Before trying the recipe for the first time, I was absolutely convinced it would fail.

Chocolate baked goods almost always require a fat source in order to achieve a classic deep chocolate flavor and fudgy texture.

In fact, I was so convinced the recipe wouldn’t work that I decided not to serve it to friends.

Instead, I tried the idea out on my parents when they came to visit earlier this year.

And the verdict was… they both LOVED it!

(The cake is also great with Coconut Whipped Cream or even topped with Vegan Chocolate Mousse.)

For a chocolate peanut butter version:

Use peanut butter in the cake, instead of the extra yogurt.

Frost with the vegan cream cheese frosting recipe from my Easy Cinnamon Rolls post, and beat a half cup of peanut butter (or more as desired) into the frosting.

In the picture above, I baked mine in 6-inch pans for a smaller chocolate cake and topped it with mini chocolate chips and Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.

Substitution Notes

Instead of oil, the healthy cake relies on either peanut butter or yogurt to achieve the proper texture.

If you wish to use something else: mashed sweet potato, banana, applesauce, or canned pumpkin will also work.

My favorite version is with the nut butter (almond, sunflower, or cashew butter are fine to use instead of peanut), but the nonfat version—which is the one in the photos and also the one I served to my parents—is still surprisingly good as well.

Need Dinner Ideas? Make Lentil Soup or this Veggie Burger Recipe

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Above – watch the video for how to make oil free chocolate cake

Secretly Healthy Oil Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

1 cup spelt, white, or gf all purpose flour (for low carb, try this Keto Cake Recipe)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp dutch cocoa, or additional regular
1/2 tsp each: baking soda and salt
3/4 cup sugar, unrefined or xylitol if desired
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup yogurt, such as almondmilk yogurt
1/4 cup nut butter, or additional yogurt for fat-free (oil also works)
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
optional 1/2 tsp instant coffee
optional 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan. (Or double the recipe for a 9×13 or double-layer cake.) If your nut butter isn't stir-able, gently heat to soften. Stir all ingredients in a bowl until just combined. Pour into the pan. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. View Nutrition Facts

The cake was adapted from my Vegan Brownies Recipe. As mentioned in the post, the nonfat version will be chewier than if you use nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.), and I prefer the nut butter version. But I served the low-fat version to my non-vegan parents and they loved it, so you might like that version too! Frosting options are listed above in the post. For a single-layer cake, you’ll need about 1/3 cup frosting.