Easy Bake Chocolate Cake

Today is my mom’s birthday and I made a chocolate cake to help her celebrate! Of course I wanted to make it healthy so I decided to play around with the Chia Almond Breakfast Cake and this is what I got.

The best part is… Drumroll please… It is so healthy you can still eat it for breakfast! And this applies if it is your birthday or not J

Let the birthday boy or girl eat it all themselves, or cut it into small tasters to share (nice for after a big birthday meal). I made a Chocolate Sunflower Seed “Frosting” to top it off which definitely sealed the deal!  

Easy Bake Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp applesauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder   

Preparation Instructions

1. Whisk egg with fork in microwave safe bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour into a small baking dish.
4. Microwave on high for 4 minutes
5. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before removing it from pan or frosting.

 

 

Chocolate Sunflower Seed “Frosting”

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp almond milk

Preparation Instructions

1. Whisk together all ingredients with a fork.
2. Feel free to add more or less of any ingredient to achieve desired consistency.                          More almond milk will make it closer to icing. More sunflower seed butter will thicken it. If you decide to add more cocoa, you may want to add more honey to keep it from being too bitter.
3. Spread on top of Easy Bake Chocolate Cake.                                                                             Also try it mixed in oatmeal or spread on toast with sliced bananas!

Fuel Facts

Numbers: 420 calories, 16 g protein, 22 g fat, 57 g carbs, 10 g fiber

            **For the entire Easy Bake Chocolate Cake

Numbers: 167 calories, 6 g protein, 7 g fat, 24 g carbs, 4 g fiber

            **For the entire recipe of Chocolate Sunflower Seed “Frosting”

Ingredient Breakdown:

v Egg – Eggs have the highest biological value of any protein source. This means that you can achieve more of the benefits with less of the protein. Contrary to popular belief, the dietary cholesterol in eggs is not associated with increased blood cholesterol (the type of cholesterol that is linked to heart disease). This misconception is continually being disproven with current research.

In fact, the yolk is a nutritional power house, containing high amounts of choline, a B-complex vitamin, and vitamin B12. Choline has been linked with better brain function and is important in preventing fat accumulation in the liver. Adequate B12 in the diet is crucial for preventing anemia as well as neurological deterioration. B12 deficiencies have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly and neural tube defects in newborns.

v Almond Milk – A creamy, low-calorie substitute for cow’s milk, this nutty variety is easy to digest making it a good add to pre-workout meals or smoothies.

v Vanilla – Using vanilla in baked goods enhances the flavor, decreasing the need for large amounts of sugar. Some believe it may have aphrodisiac effects and help with intestinal gas, but neither of these benefits have been confirmed through research.

v Applesauce – Apples are naturally sweet, so look for unsweetened varieties. In any baked goods calling for butter or oil, you can swap out applesauce to yield a moist, low-fat treat.

v Honey – Due to the combination of glucose and fructose, honey will keep you energized longer than it’s sweet counterparts. Glucose is used quickly by the body, providing an immediate energy source. Fructose takes longer to absorb, sustaining blood sugar levels. When blood sugar is kept stable, your energy will also remain constant, so say goodbye to the afternoon crash.

Honey is also a great natural healer. For starters it is packed with polyphenols, antioxidants that have immune boosting properties to keep you from becoming sick. In addition, honey contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide which is why it is believed to be antibacterial in nature. Honey can be used topically to treat burns, wounds, and even acne. Honey fights off impurity-causing bacteria while also hydrating the skin.

v Almond Meal – A gluten-free substitute for flour, almond meal is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than other options. Almond meal is made simply by grinding the nuts into a flour-like consistency and is therefore filled with all of the same perks as almonds themselves.

Almond meal is high in monounsaturated fats, similar to those found in olive oil, providing heart-healthy benefits. Almonds are also a great source of vitamin E, one of the most important nutrients for preventing oxidative stress. Vitamin E, when applied topically, has also been found to protect the skin against UV damage from the sun. It is believed by some researchers that this same protective effect can be achieved through consumption of foods rich in vitamin E, such as almonds.

v Cocoa Powder – Flavanoids, epicatechin and catechin, are responsible for the heart healthy benefits of unsweetened cocoa powder. Epicatechin helps increase blood flow, and therefore blood pressure, by relaxing muscles in the blood vessels. Unsweetened cocoa powder are also contains significant amounts of iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc.

v Sunflower Seed Butter – One of many great alternatives for those with peanut allergies, sunflower seed butter is lower in saturated fat than peanut butter and is a great source of vitamin E. Athletes, especially those in endurance sports, experience oxidative stress comparable, in some cases, to the amounts observed in patients after surgery or trauma. Vitamin E has been shown to combat this oxidative damage. In a recent study, when runners supplemented vitamin C & E for six weeks prior to race day, they avoided a rise in lipid oxidation all together.