Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes – Best Little Debbie Copycat

Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes recipe is the best Little Debby copycat you can get; High protein chocolate cake sandwiched with protein chocolate frosting and topped with high protein chocolate fudge ganache. A low fat, sugar-free recipe.

I’m not sure where I found out about the Little Debbie Frosted Fudge Cakes, but this copycat recipe really is amazing! Think chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and chocolate fudginess on top; And all high-protein! Like come on. This is the real triple threat, haha.

I actually made that protein chocolate fudge ganache thing for the first time for this recipe, and it turned out being so good, I’m actually gonna post it as a recipe of its own!

Anyway, all clean ingredients here, and no sugar needed!

Ingredients for Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes

This high-protein Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour, protein powder and monkfruit sweetener instead of regular flour and sugar.

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• Whey-Casein Chocolate Protein Powder needed for a high protein cake and also replaces the ‘sugar’.
  I used Whey-Casein Chocolate protein powder from Quest Nutrition.
• Whey Chocolate Protein Powder: Dymatize ISO 100 Chocolate Whey.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 
• 1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Substitute – I use Lakanto, to keep this recipe sugar-free;  (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here)
• Hot Water
• Unsweetened Applesauce
• Some Lemon Juice
• A bit of Melted Butter
• Baking Soda

The Chocolate Protein Frosting

• Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
• Chocolate Protein Powder – I used whey-casein from Quest.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Chocolate Fudge Topping

• Sugar Free Chocolate: I used the one from Lakanto here.

Code HAYLSKITCHEN gives you a discount here

• A bit of Coconut Oil
• Chocolate Protein Powder Quest Nutrition again here
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Zero Calorie Powdered  Sugar Substitute – I use Lakanto here as well (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here)
• Unsweetened Almond Milk

How to make the Copycat Frosted Fudge Cakes with Protein Powder

Homemade copycat frosted fudge cakes are actually easy to make – even with using protein powder in baking. Here’s what it takes:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
   Sieve the cocoa powder and flour so you don’t have any lumps!

2. Whisk the wet ingredients – hot water, applesauce, melted butter and lemon juice.
   Use hot water; This is essential. Hot, not boiling, not warm.
   Use melted butter so that it mixes well into the healthy chocolate poke cake batter.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix.
   Batter will be runny.
   Don’t over-mix the batter! Gently fold; over-mixing will make your poke cake dense because of the protein powder and wheat flour.
   Taste the batter and see if you need some extra sweetener.
   Use stevia powder to maintain the consistency of the batter and have healthy, sugar free chocolate poke cake.

5. Pour batter immediately into baking pan and bake (8×8” pan for 22-25 min at 350°F)
   Don’t let the batter sit out too long (avoids reactions between the ingredients)
   Stop baking when tester/knife comes out just dry, but moist.
   Don’t over-bake the cake or it will get tough.

Frosting:

7. LET CAKE COOL BEFORE FROSTING or the frosting will melt.

8. Use serrated knife to cut cake crosswise in half.

9. Mix ingredients for frosting.
   Don’t add too much yogurt in the topping; It will come together; Just continue to mix.

10. Spread frosting between cake layers.

11. Slice cake in half, and then each half into 6 bars.

Make Ganache Fudge Topping:

12. Melt chocolate in intervals since it can burn when heating in the mircowave.

13. Whisk all ingredients to make ganache
    Use room-temerature milk so the mix doesn’t harden.
    Microwave ganache if it gets too thick.

14. Dunk each bar into ganache and let cool. 

How to store Protein Frosted Fudge Cakes

Protein frosted fudge cakes can only be kept on the countertop for a couple of hours.

For longer term, store healthy Little Debbie frosted fudge cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for upto 4 days or freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw frozen frosted fudge cake before eating.

Alternatives for Little Debbie Frosted Fudge Cakes Recipe:

For the perfect copycat recipe of these Little Debbie Frosted Fudge Cakes, I would highly suggest using the ingredients recommended, but here’s some alternatives for a healthy chocolate frosted fudge cake:

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: Use All purpose flour or 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in the same amount by weight, not cups.
• 1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Replacement: Regular confectioners sugar or coconut sugar (this won’t be sugar free though, and also higher in calories)
• Unsweetened Applesauce: Mashed Banana or Pumpkin Puree
• Melted Butter: Melted Coconut Oil or Dairy Free Butter
• Lemon Juice: Apple Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar

Chocolate Frosting Options:

• Greek Yogurt: Coconut Yogurt

Chocolate Ganache:

• Sugar Free Chocolate: Regular dark chocolate
• 1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Replacement: Regular powdered sugar (this won’t be sugar free though, and also higher in calories)
• Coconut Oil: Use melted Butter
• Almond Milk: Regular Milk

More Chocolate Protein Powder Cake Recipes:

• Chocolate Caramel Protein Cake
• Chocolate Protein Poke Cake
• Healthy Kefir Chocolate Cake (Sugar Free with Protein Powder)
• Protein Chocolate Mud Cake
• Chocolate Protein Skillet Cake
• Low Carb Chocolate Protein Cake

Try these Healthy Protein Copycat Recipes:

• Protein Oatmeal Cream Pies
• Better Protein Reese’s Eggs- Low Fat, Sugar Free,
• Protein Whoppie Pies
• Cookie Crisp Protein Cereal
• Protein Mars Bars
• All in one Protein Magic Bars (Sugar Free!)
• Protein Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes – Best Little Debbie Copycat

5 from 2 votes

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pieces

Calories: 118kcal

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Healthy Frosted Fudge Cakes recipe is the best Little Debby copycat you can get; High protein chocolate cake sandwiched with protein chocolate frosting and topped with high protein chocolate fudge ganache. A low fat, sugar-free recipe.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, see post for subs, 90g
• ⅔ cup Chocolate Protein Powder (Whey), 60g
• ½ cup Chocolate Protein Powder (Whey-casein), 45g
• 6 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 30g
• 4½ Tbsp Zero Calorie 1:1 Sugar Replacement, 54g
• 1½ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Hot Water, 270ml
• ¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce, 180g
• 2 tsp Melted Butter, 10g
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice, 15ml

Frosting:

• ¾ cup Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt, 168g
• ½ cup Chocolate Protein Powder, Whey-Casein, 45g
• 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 5g

Topping:

• 3 Tbsp Chopped Chocolate, 42g, Sugar-free recommended below
• ⅛ tsp Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Chocolate Protein Powder, Whey-casein, 11g
• 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa, 5g
• 1 Tbsp Zero Calorie Powdered Sugar Replacement, 8g
• 3 Tbsp + 2 tsp Unsweetened Almond Milk, 52ml

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8” baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk flour, whey and whey-casein chocolate protein powders, unsweetened cocoa powder, zero calorie sugar replacement and baking soda.
• In a large bowl, whisk together hot water, applesauce, butter and lemon juice.
• Add dry mix to wet, and gently fold until just combined.

  DO NOT OVER-MIX or protein powder will make the cake dense.
• Pour batter into pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

  Don’t let the batter sit out.

  A tester inserted into the center should come out clean but moist, and center of cake springy to touch.

Frosting:

• Let cake cool completely; Cut crosswise in half (use serrated knife).
• In a bowl, combine yogurt, protein powder and cocoa powder.
• Spread over base.

  Cover with other half.

  Slice into half, and then each half into 6 bars.

Ganache Topping:

• Place the chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a shallow bowl and microwave for about 40 seconds – at 15 second intervals – until it’s completely melted. Let cool about 5 mins.
• Add in chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and milk, and whisk.

  Microwave if it gets too thick.
• Dip bar in chocolate fudge ganache and place(invert) on cooling rack to cool.

Notes

• Nutrition details are calculated using products recommended below.
• See post for alternate ingredients, tips and storage options.

Product Rrecommendations:

• Quest Nutrition Chocolate Whey-Casein Protein Powder
• Dymatize ISO 100 Gourmet Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
• Prozis Chocolate Natural Whey Isolate Protein Powder
• Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener
  • Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order
• Lakanto Sugar-free Chocolate Bar
  • Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order
• Lakanto 1:1 Powdered Sugar Substitute
  • Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order

Nutrition:

• Servings: 12 slices | Serving size: 1
• Calories: 118kcal
• Fat: 3g | Saturated fat: 1.3g
• Carbohydrates: 18.4g | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 1.8g
• Protein: 13.3g