Sometimes, it's nice to indulge in a healthier treat – and this quick, low-calorie vanilla cake is perfect for those moments! It's packed with protein and flavor, but it's also free of gluten, sugar, butter, flour, and milk. How does that sound? If you're a fan of healthier baking, be sure to check out my sugar-free recipes for more inspiration!
Taste and Occasion
I'm always experimenting with healthier baking (although "healthy" can be subjective, of course). Sometimes, my experiments don’t turn out as planned. But this low-carb protein cake was a success – moist, flavorful, and absolutely delicious! To keep the calories low, I substituted sugar with erythritol. Erythritol has zero calories but tastes just like sugar, and you can bake with it the same way. Instead of traditional flour, this recipe uses coconut flour, multi-component protein powder, and almonds, making the cake gluten-free.If you're interested in other gluten-free desserts, take a look at my gluten-free baking recipes. And for those of you who love chocolate, don’t miss my chocolate protein cake – it's just as low in calories and equally delicious!
Ingredients
Coconut flour is incredibly absorbent and dense, so it can’t be swapped out for regular flour or almond flour. You also shouldn’t replace the vanilla protein powder (make sure it’s not just pure whey!) or the almonds if you want to keep the cake low in calories and carbs. Trust me, that could lead to disappointing results. The recipe itself is super easy. You can have this quick, low-calorie vanilla protein cake baked in just 15 minutes. But before you dive in, be patient – it tastes best after it has had some time to chill in the fridge.
The frosting for this low-calorie vanilla protein cake is a simple cream cheese frosting. It’s made with just low-fat cream cheese, granulated erythritol, and a little vanilla extract or flavor drops.
How to make the Vanilla Protein Cake
Let’s get started! Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), and line a small springform pan (about 8.5 inches or 22 cm) with parchment paper, or grease it and dust with a bit of flour. Now, beat the eggs with the erythritol for a few minutes until they’re as frothy as possible. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then gradually fold them into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth it out, and bake immediately – otherwise, the batter might get too thick.
Bake the cake for 15 minutes, then cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper to prevent it from browning too much, and bake for another 15 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (the cake might still be slightly moist). Let the cake cool completely, then refrigerate it for a while to let it set. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Sweeten to taste with powdered erythritol, and flavor it with vanilla extract or flavor drops.
Finally, spread the frosting over the cake, and if you like, add some colorful sugar sprinkles just before serving.
Top Tip
If you prefer your desserts on the sweeter side, feel free to increase the amount of erythritol in both the vanilla protein cake and the frosting. Personally, I like it a bit more subtle. The colorful sugar sprinkles on top are optional (and, unfortunately, not sugar-free), but they’re highly recommended!
Recipe Card
Vanilla Protein Cake
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 small (3) eggs
- 50 grams (⅓ cup) erythritol, or xylitol, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon (⅓ teaspoon) vanilla pulp
- 60 grams (½ cup) coconut flour
- 60 grams (⅔ cup) vanilla protein powder, multicomponent, not pure Whey
- 30 grams (⅓ cup) ground almonds
- 10 grams (⅘ tablespoon) baking powder
- 250 milliliters (1 cup) almond milk, or soy/rice milk
For the frosting
- 150 grams (⅔ cup) low-fat cream cheese, 0.2% or 5% fat
- 40 grams (⅓ cup) powdered erythritol, or powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla pulp, or flavor drops
- sugar sprinkles, optional to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a small springform pan (approx. 8.5 in/ 22 cm) with baking paper or grease and dust with a bit of flour.
- Beat the eggs with the erythritol and vanilla for a few minutes until they are as bubbly as possible. Mix all the dry ingredients and stir them briefly, alternating with the milk. Pour the dough into the pan, smooth it out and bake immediately. Otherwise, it will be too firm.
- Bake the cake for 15 minutes first, then cover with aluminum foil or baking paper to prevent it from getting too dark, and bake again for about 15 minutes. Test with chopsticks. The cake may still be slightly moist.
- Allow cake to cool and then refrigerate again for a while to set. For the frosting, mix the cream cheese with the powdered erythritol as briefly as possible until smooth. To taste, stir in vanilla pulp and/or flavor drops.
- Spread the frosting on the cake. If you like, decorate it with colored sugar sprinkles right before serving. Makes about 10 small pieces.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
No, it's not a calorie-free cake—after all, that wouldn’t be realistic or delicious. But with less than 100 calories per slice, this low-carb, low-fat vanilla protein cake comes pretty close! I can’t wait to hear your feedback. In addition to this quick vanilla fitness cake, I highly recommend trying the chocolate protein cake for all chocolate lovers out there. Also, be sure to explore my other sugar-free recipes and gluten-free baking ideas!
Some instructions are missing. For example for the frosting, it misses the powdered sugar on the instruction. It also misses when to put the vanilla during the instructions. I put it while mixing the eggs with the erythritol.
Thank you for your feedback! You're absolutely right—we've now updated the recipe to clarify when to add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
How many grams of protein in the whole cake?
Hi, approximately 100grams of protein.