Healthy Devil’s Food Cake with Red Velvet Frosting
Healthy Devil’s Food Cake with a Red Velvet Frosting — a moist, yet airy, chocolate cake topped a devilish, naturally red frosting.
Sugar free. Low carb. High protein. High fiber. Gluten free. Oh yes. *heavy breathing*
Devil’s Food Cake is supposed to have a slight reddish tint. That wasn’t really a main concern for me since I knew it was going to be coated in frosting and so many modern Devil’s Food Cakes are just brown (plus, I care more about overall flavor and texture). Surprisingly, this cake DOES have a hint of red color! How excitingggg.
Red Velvet is a difficult flavor to encapsulate since it’s not exactly chocolate, but it’s not vanilla either. It’s supposed to have just a hint of chocolate. Thankfully, this frosting is sweet, buttery, vanilla-y and chocolatey! Weeee. And don’t worry, you don’t taste the secret ingredient, hehehe.
But what tops the cake?
Literally, grated chocolate. But, figuratively, the fact that this recipe is totally healthy. No butter, no oil, no white flour, no white sugar, and no artificial food dyes.
This Devil’s Food Cake may be healthy, sugar free, low carb, high protein, paleo, and gluten free, but it tastes like PURE. SIN.
Ohhh mahhh gaahhhd give me the entire thing!
Healthy Devil's Food Cake with Red Velvet Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 154g (1¼ cups + 2 tbs) Coconut Flour
- 75g (¾ cup + 3 tbs) Unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 144g (¾ cup) Granulated Erythritol
- 1½ tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 6 large Eggs
- 246g (1 cup) Unsweetened Applesauce
- ¾ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- ½ cup Brewed Coffee (cooled to room temperature)
- 2 tbs Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbs Natural Butter Flavor
- 2 tsp Liquid Stevia Extract
Frosting:
- 135g (heaping ½ cup) Roasted Beet Puree (see Instructions)
- ⅔ cup Light Coconut Milk (canned)
- 1 tbs Vanilla Paste
- 1 tbs Natural Butter Flavor
- 105g (¾ cup) Powdered Erythritol
- 210g (10 scoops) Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Powder
Instructions
CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two 8” cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper circles.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In an electric stand mixer bowl fitted with a beater attachment, add the eggs, applesauce, almond milk, coffee, vanilla extract, butter flavor and stevia extract. Mix on low speed.
- Dump the dry ingredients into the stand mixer and mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to make sure it’s level. Bake for ~50 minutes, or until the surface springs back when tapped. Let cool in the pan.
FROSTING:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse and gently scrub 2 medium beets, then individually wrap them in foil. Place the beets on a jelly roll pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a fork pierces through the center of the beets with ease. Carefully unwrap the beets and let cool for 30 minutes.
- Scrape off the beet skins (they should peel off easily) and chop into chunks. Add the beet chunks to a blender and purée until completely smooth. While blending, add the coconut milk, vanilla paste, butter flavor and powdered erythritol.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl (scrape out as much as you can!), then stir in the protein powder until thickened. Frost the cake, slice and enjoy!
270 calories for a slice of cake AND frosting?! FOR REAL?! Not only that, but it’s got 7g of healthy fats, 12g of filling fiber, and 25g of satiating protein. Oh yes.
.
Watch me make this cake with TheFeedFeed when I took over their SnapChat!
.
Enjoy!
.
With love and good eats,
.
-Jess
.
Indulge − no strings attached!
OHMYGOD Jessica this looks incredible….soooo tomorrow’s breakfast?! Please come back to the east coast just for a minute so you can bake this cake for me! 😉
Well, I obviously say YES to cake for breakfast!! 😀
I wish I could mail you an entire cake (minus one slice, for the baker, of course). Buuuut it would probably get all smashed up knowing how delivery people like throwing boxes around and over fences 😉
-Jess
i cannot believe that one slice is only 270 cals! this looks so decadent and delicious, no one will know it’s healthy!!
I KNOW RIGHT?!? I guess a second slice wouldn’t hurt too much, hehehe 😉
Nice addition of the coffee to the cake batter! I think that’d add a deeper flavor. And I was guessing it would be beets that contributed to the red color, I was right! So pretty!
You don’t taste the coffee, but I think it has something to do with the acidity and final color of the cake? I don’t know… but all I do know is that most people won’t mind a little hit of caffeine 😉
And you SMARTY PANTS guessing on the beets! 😀
Jessica, You and your website are beautiful and look delicious, but I wish I could see a photo of the recipes in the email updates. Is there any way to include a photo in the emails?
Thanks,
Paul
Thanks Paul! 😀
You’re probably the 20th person who has asked me this! I’ve looked into it, but all the services available are paid, can run pretty expensive, and require a lot of work for each individual email. I was going to wait until the new year to make some blog upgrades, but I guess I’ll push that forward huh? 😉
-Jess
I have a question regarding all of your cake recipes that use granulated sweetener, like stevia baking blend or granulated erythritol: would it make a difference in the texture or success of the recipe to use liquid stevia instead? I love your blog 🙂
Aw thanks Helen! 😀
As for the granulated sweetener –> stevia replacement, it really depends on the recipe. Most often, though, the combo of erythritol + stevia makes for a “real-sugar-tasting” dessert. Stevia alone might make the cake taste a little off. I don’t really recommend using 100% stevia in my recipes unless I made it that way… I just don’t want you to expect a really yummy dessert and have it flop from a substitution.
All I know is that in cookies, the granulated sweetener is necessary for the texture and flavor. In frostings, the powdered erythritol is necessary for the texture and flavor.
Hope this helps Helen!!
-Jess
Red Velvet. Frosting. YOUVE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!! You are my hero haha! 🙂 and thank you!!
And thank you for posting something on how to make beet puree. I’ve been craving red velvet after prepping for a competition and wanted to “indulge” without eating 3000 calories in one sitting haha!
I basically just went through your entire blog. I’ve followed you for a while. Thanks for this recipe I’m making it for my 23rd bday!!
Pingback: | BHG Delish Dish
Can you substitute another type of protein powder? I have regular whey chocolate protein powder and I’d rather not buy the rice one! Excited to try this out for Easter!
Thanks!
I’m afraid whey protein powder doesn’t replace brown rice protein powder. Brown rice protein powder thickens the mixture into a frosting-like texture, whereas whey will make it thin and soupy :/
-Jess
Ok, next question! I thought I could find natural butter flavor in a store, no luck. Now it’s too late to order any online and get it in time. Can I leave it out? Throw in some regular butter instead? Help!
You can just use more vanilla extract in place of the butter flavor! You can also add a few tablespoons of melted butter to the cake and 1/4 cup of softened butter to the frosting 🙂
-Jess
Is there something I can add to a normal chocolate whey powder that will allow it the brown rice protein powder consistency? like a corn starch or maybe normal rice powder? Thanks
I haven’t had any luck trying to sub whey protein powder for rice protein powder, so I don’t think so… I’ve literally tried and failed SO many times 🙁
Pingback: Desserts With Benefits Bake. Eat. Love. (Blogger Update!) -
Pingback: 10 Healthy Pantry Staples for the Busy, Hungry, Sweet Tooth in You!
Pingback: Cake Recipes Almond Flour – Cake Recipes
Pingback: Cake Recipes Almond – Cake Recipes
Pingback: Cake Recipes Coconut Flour – Cake Recipes