You may have seen in Daily Eats posts of the past that I enjoy to partake in a little thing called almond cake from time to time. Essentially inspired by a bottle of almond extract purchased from Penzey’s Spices on a total whim one day, it is probably my favorite thing to bake (other than my secret ingredient chocolate chip cookies, but those haven’t made the blog yet as I can’t really claim any kind of healthiness for those babies.)

This, on the other hand, totally qualifies for a cheesy headline:

Delicious AND nutritious! This is a cake that is perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast as it’s made with whole grains, is low in sugar and saturated fat, and is chock-full of fiber and protein! Huzzah!

Healthy Almond Breakfast Cake
Print this recipe!

Ingredients:

– 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (if unavailable, you could substitute 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flour)
– 1/4 cup milled flaxseed
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 6 packets or 3 tsp stevia (or 1/4 cup sugar)
– 4 tbsp or 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or butter)
– 1 medium banana
– 1.5 tbsp almond extract
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 egg
– Almond milk (or milk of choice) as needed

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Measure out your dry ingredients (except the stevia) and mix together, then set aside.

Peel your banana, break it into pieces and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20-30 seconds, then mash with a fork. The banana should be soft and liquid-y.

In a standing mixer or large bowl, combine Earth Balance, stevia, mashed banana, and egg. Mix well, then add almond and vanilla extracts.

Begin slowly adding dry ingredients to the wet, about a quarter of the mixture at a time, until fully combined. If the batter seems too dry, thin it out by adding a little bit of almond milk until you have a solid but sticky consistency that looks something like this:

Transfer the batter into a sprayed 8×8 or 9×9 (just depends on if you want them thicker or not) baking dish. The batter should be thick, so you’ll want to spread it evenly in the pan with a spatula or knife. If you want, you can cover it with raw oats to make it look pretty and stuff.

Bake for 15 – 18 minutes at 350 degrees. Once you can insert a toothpick or fork into the center and it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Marvel at your baking prowess. Wasn’t that easy? Enjoy on its own, with a citrus glaze (lemon or orange juice + a crapton of powdered sugar), or with your favorite jam or preserves!

When I baked up this particular cake, it was my first time baking with stevia and I think I overestimated how sweet it would make the batter. I only ended up using 4 packets (which equals 2 tsp) and it’s not very sweet on its own. So I upped the recipe to 6 packets (3 tsp) and I think that would probably make the cake taste more satisfying on its own. However, the sweetness level of the one I made is actually perfect to top with the strawberry preserves I picked up most recently at the Farmer’s Market and have it not be too sweet overall! So all’s well that end’s well, eh?

And look at how awesome I am, I even converted the nutrition facts for you all (love you, Sparkrecipes!) Not too shabby: 136 calories per serving if you cut it into 9 equal servings, or probably ~200 calories a serving the way I cut it, hehehehe.

9 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		136.2
Total Fat		7.1 g
	Saturated Fat	1.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.7 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.0 g
Cholesterol		20.6 mg
Sodium		68.8 mg
Potassium		65.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		14.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.2 g
	Sugars	1.9 g
Protein		2.8 g

For this recipe (and for all my recipes, really) I tried to pull out all the “healthy substitution” tricks I have in my bag: mashed banana instead of oil, stevia instead of sugar, whole wheat and flaxseed, etc. I think it turned out really well, but as we all know, substitutions can go horribly awry too (especially when it comes to baking!)

We’ve talked about healthy tips & tricks like putting spinach underneath your pasta and adding chia seeds to your oatmeal before, What is your favorite healthy substitution to use in cooking or baking?