This Healthy Chocolate Ganache Cake Recipe is dark, luscious, low in calories and easy to make. It’s also frosted with the BEST chocolate ganache which isn’t just mouthwatering – it’s actually healthy. Read on and I’ll show you how to make this delicious chocolate cake with wholesome ingredients, so you won’t drive up your bad cholesterol!
You might also like Fudgy Chickpea-Avocado Brownies.
The perfect Healthy Chocolate Ganache Cake
Everyone loves this cake! That’s what I found out when I recently served this cake at a gallery opening. In fact, people went nuts over the chocolate ganache which – believe it or not – is actually very healthy. Nothing but wholesome ingredients in this cake.
A chocolate lover’s DREAM that is genuinely healthy
This cake not only satisfies the craving for dark chocolate, but is low in saturated fat and calories. So you can enjoy it guilt-free.
Dairy-free option
Sugar-free option
Vegan option
Zero cholesterol
Great for parties and events!
You might also like my Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake.
What makes this cake and frosting so healthy?
This is a healthy chocolate ganache cake for several reasons:
1) You can sweeten the cake with a zero-calorie sugar replacement, so it has fewer carbs and calories than a regular chocolate cake.
2) If you’re vegan or don’t want to use eggs, you can make this chocolate cake with a vegan egg replacer such as Bob’s Egg Replacers, which contain zero fat and zero cholesterol.
As for the mouthwatering chocolate ganache, you definitely don’t need heavy cream to make a delicious chocolate ganache. Instead, this cake’s frosting is made with heart-healthy avocado, which imparts richness and a super creamy texture. And since avocados are high in healthy fats, this cake definitely isn’t bad for your health. And don’t worry, you can’t taste the avocados, since they are fully subsumed by the cocoa powder.
INGREDIENTS FOR HEALTHY CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE
The Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sweetener of choice – Sugar, or a sugar replacement that drops the cake’s carb-and-calorie content.
- Dutched cocoa powder – I use Hershey’s Special Dark Dutched Cocoa Powder.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Espresso powder – optional, intensifies the chocolate flavor.
- Eggs or egg replacers – This cake tastes great either way.
- Dairy or dairyfree milk of choice – I’ve made the cake with regular milk or as a vegan cake with unsweetened almond milk which has barely any calories.
- Oil – Avocado oil or canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Vanilla extract – adds to the flavor and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Boiling water – makes the cake moist while activating the leavening agents and bringing out the chocolatey flavor.
Healthy Dark Chocolate Frosting – it’s insanely good
- Avocado – 1-2 puréed avocados transform the frosting into a silky smooth bite of heaven that melts in your mouth.
- Powdered sweetener of choice – You can use a powdered sugar replacement to keep the calories from the sweetener at zero.
- Dutched cocoa powder – I use Hershey’s Dutched Cocoa Powder, which is an especially dark cocoa powder for a profound chocolatey flavor and a jaw-dropping, death-by-chocolate look.
- Milk of choice – I use unsweetened almond milk, above all, because it contains zero fat, zero cholesterol and barely any calories.
- Vanilla extract – for a dash of vanilla flavor.
You might also like my vegan No-Bake Chocolate-Chip Almond Cookies.
How to make this Healthy Chocolate Ganache Cake
This is a summary of the steps, so please see the Recipe Card and video for the full instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Mix together the flour, granulated sweetener, Dutched cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional espresso powder.
- Use a spoon or mixer to mix in the eggs or egg replacers, milk of choice, oil, vanilla.
- Stir in boiling water.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- Cool, assemble and decorate.
Want to make it as a sheet cake?
Just use one 9×13 pan for a sheet cake.
Decorating ideas
Raspberries pair beautifully with chocolate and look great on top of the cake. You can also top it with chocolate curls or shavings – simply use a vegetable peeler to shave a chocolate bar. Or sprinkle nut slivers on top.
Equipment needed to make this cake
- 2 nine-inch cake pans or 2 nine-inch springform pans or one 9×13 pan for a sheet cake
- 1 bowl for the cake batter
- 1 bowl for the frosting
- 1 spoon or electric mixer or stand mixer – note that the frosting really should be whipped with an electric beater.
How to store your Healthy Chocolate Ganache Cake
To store: Store the cake for 1 day covered at room temperature. Otherwise, refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight plastic container.
To freeze: This cake freezes well in a sealed container for up to 2 months.
Or make a Chocolate Pie Crust for your next pie.
Healthy Chocolate Ganache Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 Nine-inch cake pans or springform pans or one 9×13 pan for a sheet cake
- 1 Spoon or electric mixer
- parchment paper if your pans require it
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour 245 grams
- 1 ¾ Cups Granulated Sweetener of Choice I used 334 grams of sugar-free sweetener.
- ¾ Cup Hershey's Dutched Cocoa Powder 74 grams
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Espresso Powder (optional) This enhances the chocolatey flavor.
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Eggs or Egg Replacers I combined 2 Tbsp of Bob's Egg Replacer with 4 Tbsp of water.
- ⅔ Cup Dairy or dairy-free milk When I make the vegan version, I use unsweetened almond milk.
- ⅔ Cup Oil (avocado oil or canola oil or vegetable oil)
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla
- ⅔ Cup Boiling water
Healthy Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 1 Cup Pureed avocado 1-2 avocados.
- 1 ¼ Cups Powdered sweetener of choice I used a powdered sugar substitute.
- ⅔ Cup Hershey's Dutched Cocoa Powder
- ½ Cup Your preferred milk I use unsweetened almond milk.
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Xanthum gum (optional to thicken frosting for piping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Grease the sides of your pan and line with parchment paper, if necessary.
- With a spoon, mix together the flour, granulated sweetener, Dutched cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
- With a spoon or electric mixer, mix in the eggs or egg replacers, milk of choice, oil, vanilla.
- Stir in the boiling water.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then run a plastic fork or similar around the edges before flipping the cakes.
- Let the cakes fully cool before assembling and frosting the layer cake.
The Chocolate Avocado Ganache
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer to get a nice, fluffy frosting. For a thicker ganache, add the milk gradually and sparingly. To stabilize the frosting for piping, add up to 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum to 1 cup of frosting. A little goes a long way, so I would start by adding ½ teaspoon and blend it well with a mixer. Note: For the piping on top of the cake in the photos, I set a little of the frosting aside and kept the milk content low, so I didn't need to add xanthum gum.
Notes
So tasty! Glad I tried this.
Thanks for letting me know. Glad you liked it!