Healthy Chocolate Cake with Streusel topping will blow you away! A high protein, sugar free and low fat chocolate cake with cinnamon crumb topping perfect for a snack, dessert or post-workout!
Jump to RecipeOkay I have no words about this chocolate crumb cake recipe – think moist chocolate cake with crunchy cinnamon streusel on top; Just unbelievably beautiful! And the best part is that it was actually sugar free and low fat!
I think I had seen someone on Instagram make a chocolate coffee cake once – not a chocolate + coffee flavored cake; A chocolate cake with the cinnamon crumb topping like a coffee cake. That’s where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
So thank you to whoever you are – this chocolate cinnamon coffee cake was delicious!
Ingredients for High Protein Chocolate Cake with Streusel
This high protein chocolate cake with streusel is a super simple recipe with really basic ingredients.
- Chocolate Protein Powder needed for a high protein coffee and also replaces the ‘sugar’.
I used Whey-Casein Chocolate protein powder from Quest Nutrition. - Unflavored Protein Powder to replace some of the flour (and carbs) in the recipe. Quest Nutrition whey-casein again here.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Hot Water
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Some Lemon Juice
- A bit of Melted Butter
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla Extract
For the Sugar-free Cinnamon Streusel:
- More Protein Pancake Mix
- Ground Cinnamon
- 1:1 Zero Calorie Brown Sugar Substitute – I use Lakanto, to keep this recipe sugar free; (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here too)
- Some cold Cubed Butter
And for the Icing:
- Zero Calorie Powdered Sugar Substitute – I use Lakanto here as well (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here)
How to make Chocolate Cinnamon Crumb Cake
This chocolate cinnamon crumb cake is really easy to make, and doesn’t need any fancy baking skills. Just a couple of bowls and a small food processor. Here’s what you have to do:
- Whisk all wet ingredients in a bowl – Hot water, applesauce, lemon juice, melted butter vanilla extract.
Use hot water – it’s needed!
Use melted butter so that it mixes well into the healthy chocolate crumb coffee cake batter.
- Whisk dry ingredients – flour, coconut flour, chocolate protein powder, unflavored protein powder, cocoa powder and baking soda.
- Add dry mix to wet; Whisk until just combined.
Don’t over-mix or cake will get tough!
- 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 protein cake.
Make Streusel topping on Chocolate Protein Cake:
- Combine ingredients in a small food processor – flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cold butter. Use cold butter, so that you get a crumbly streusel and not melty butter.
- Process until crumbles just form!
Over-processing will make the butter melt
Assemble and Bake:
- Pour batter into baking pan.
- Add sprinkle streusel on top.
- Bake for 25-30 mins.
- Stop baking when tester/knife comes out just dry, but moist.
Don’t over-bake the cake or it will get tough.
Icing:
- Let cake cool before icing or the icing will melt.
- Whisk powdered sugar and milk.
Don’t add too much milk in the icing; It will come together quickly.
How to store Chocolate Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
Store chocolate coffee cake (once cooled) in an airtight container. It should keep on the countertop for 1-2 days or in the fridge for upto 4 days or freezer for 2-3 months. Don’t forget to thaw frozen cake before eating.
Alternatives for Healthy Chocolate Cake with Crumb Topping:
I recommend making this healthy chocolate cake and crumb topping with the ingredients and brands recommended, but here’s some alternatives for you can try:
- 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
- 1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Replacement: Regular brown sugar or powdered sugar (this won’t be sugar free though, and also higher in calories)
More Recipes for High Protein Chocolate Cake:
- Chocolate Caramel Protein Cake
- Protein Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate Protein Bundt Cake
- Healthy Kefir Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Protein Poke Cake
More Healthy Recipes with Cinnamon Streusel
- Coffee Cake with Protien Pancake Mix
- Protein Zucchini Muffins with Cinnamon Crunch Streusel
- Simple Vanilla Protein Cake with Oat Streusel
- Sweet Potato Casserole for One with Bacon Pecan Streusel
Chocolate Cake with Streusel – High Protein, Sugar Free
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp Chocolate Protein Powder (Whey-casein), 80g
- ⅔ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, see post for subs, 80g
- ¼ cup Unflavored Protein Powder, 22g, see post for subs
- ¼ cup Coconut Flour, 28g
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 20g
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1½ cup Hot Water, 360ml
- 1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce, 240g
- 1 Tbsp Melted Butter, 14g
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Lemon Juice, 20ml
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Streusel:
- ⅓ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, see post for subs, 40g
- ¼ cup Zero Calorie Brown Sugar Replacement, 28g
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1½ Tbsp Cold Butter, in cubes, 21g
Icing:
- 1 Tbsp Zero Calorie Powdered Sugar Replacement, 8g
- ½ tsp Unsweetened Almond Milk, 2ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8” cake pan or baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk chocolate protein powder, unflavored protein powder, flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, whisk together hot water, applesauce, butter, lemon juice and vanilla.
- Add dry mix to wet, and gently fold until just combined.DO NOT OVER-MIX or protein powder will make the cake dense.
Streusel:
- In a small food processor, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.
- Blitz until just combined and crumbly.Do not over-process or butter will get warm and melt.
Bake:
- Pour batter into pan, sprinkle streusel on top.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes.A tester inserted into the center should come out clean but moist.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Icing:
- Let coffee cake cool completely before icing.
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk (add little at a time).Drizzle over cooled cake.
- Slice into 12 pieces.
Notes
- Nutrition details are calculated using products recommended below.
- See post for alternate ingredients, tips and storage options.
- Quest Nutrition Chocolate Whey-Casein Protein Powder
- Quest Nutrition Multi-purpose Mix (Unflavored) Whey-Casein Protein Powder
- Lakanto Brown Monkfruit Sweetener
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order
- Lakanto 1:1 Powdered Sugar Substitute
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order
- Servings: 12 slices | Serving size: 1
- Calories: 111kcal
- Fat: 3.1g | Saturated fat: 1.9g
- Carbohydrates: 17.7g | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 2.2g
- Protein: 8.2g
Hello,
Just got around to making this and it’s another good one!! I like the strudel mix it definitely adds something. Cake as usual is light and fluffy.
Thank you! I loved the streusel and chocolate combination as well – especially on the fluffy cake. Enjoy 🙂