Cupcake stand from Michael’s, $5.
Let’s dive right into the post with a warning! These little treats are to be made for those who are trying to be health conscious! If you’re expecting a “normal” cake with this recipe- feel free to sub out some ingredients- (sugar for honey, flour for protein, whole eggs for egg whites.) That being said- if you are tired of your dry, rock hard or extremely protein bars- these are a nice little substitute! These cakes are moist (sorry there’s no good substitute for that word) and portioned out perfectly. No guilt here!
I tested these out on two groups of people. Group A- the boyfriend, who loves anything that’s decadent and guilt-laden. And Group B- my fit fam: a workout buddy, personal trainer and a cross-fitter. Let’s just say Group A wasn’t so impressed (I’m pretty sure he was expecting something like an ooey-gooey lava cake), but I got a “wow!” and “delicious” from Group B.
So, if you’re ready to give these little fellas a try- let’s go!
First, start off by grabbing your favorite brownie or baked good’s pan. The pan I used is an aluminum Bite-Sized Bundts pan from Nordic Ware. Amazon has them for $26.99. (This little pan actually got me really excited about all the possibilities for protein cakes now!) I had extra batter left over, and filled a few spots in a brownie pan too. Spray your pans with non-stick, cooking spray and flour them.
You can see the difference in texture in the ground TVP vs. whole TVP right out of the bag. I ground it up in my mini Kitchen-Aid food processor to give it more of a flour-like texture.
Every post I use the ingredient “TVP”: textured vegetable protein. I just like to touch on it a bit. I use this in my meatballs instead of bread crumbs, and since I didn’t have any regular recovery protein powder (powder for post workout), I decided to grind up the TVP I had in the fridge. You can find this in the alternative grains section of the grocery- along with the rice flour, potato flour, etc. If you DO have a vanilla protein powder at home-or even Shakeology, you could substitute this out for the TVP if you’d like. I’m going to be experimenting more with baked goods and protein powders coming up soon!
- 1 c shredded zucchini, skin on is ok
- 2 c shredded carrots
- 3/4 c honey
- 1 whole egg
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 c almond milk
- 1/4 c Greek Yogurt (I like Stonybrook as it has no added sugar)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 c TVP (Textured vegetable protein, ground in food processor)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 c grated (not shredded) carrots
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier (sub any Curacao)
- Mix together eggs, vanilla, almond milk, Greek yogurt, honey.
- Add cocoa powder.
- Add zucchini and carrots.
- Mix baking soda, baking powder, and TVP in a separate bowl.
- Add in slowly to wet ingredients.
- Pour into greased and floured mini-bundts or brownie pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350.
- Let cool for an hour upside down on a cooling rack.
- They should pop right out!
- In a pan, add honey and Grand Marnier.
- Add remaining carrots until honey and Grand Ma are soaked up and carrots just barely start to caramelize.
- Top cooled cakes with carrot-fetti!
- If you're looking for something more decadent and not worried about your calories or macros: sub sugar for honey (1 cup), flour for TVP (2 cups all purpose) and whole eggs for the egg whites (just a grand total of 4 eggs).
All in all- I’m satisfied with how these turned out! These are a great little alternative to DRY, overly chewy protein bars. I would definitely make them again.
Lastly, this little experiment has got me wondering- what are the best sugar alternatives for baking, that are natural and healthy? I possibly might do a little research into this and try my next batch a bit differently. Stay tuned foodie friends.
xo Kelli