Healthy Chocolate Sheet Cake

Exercise your baking skills with this Heathy Chocolate Sheet Cake! Made with maple syrup, almond flour, and a homemade chocolate frosting, it’s a game changer.

The most delicious, rich, fluffy chocolate cake

Summer is the season of get togethers and outdoor parties. What better way to kick the dessert game out of the park than with a healthy chocolate sheet cake?

This chocolate cake is a classic sheet pan version that includes many tasty ingredients as well as a homemade frosting. It feeds 16 and is perfect for a crowd! Whether you’re hosting, attending, or simply want a tasty dessert at home for the family, this chocolate sheet cake recipe is your best bet.

Oh, and with ingredient swaps like maple syrup and almond flour, it’s a way healthier version. That’s always a plus!

Ingredients in this chocolate sheet cake recipe

This recipe begins with an 8-ingredient cake batter followed by a 3-ingredient icing. Of course, you can always use your favorite store-bought icing, but where is the fun in that?!

Cake

• Eggs: First up, 4 eggs will be used to make the cake fluffy and help the ingredients bind together.
• Maple syrup: 3/4 cup of maple syrup will be added to sweeten the cake naturally!
• Coconut oil: Use 1/4 cup of coconut oil.
• Vanilla extract: Next, throw in 2 tsp of vanilla extract. People overlook vanilla, but it’s such a game changer in baked goods! You can definitely tell when it’s missing.
• Almond flour: To form the base of the batter, use 2 cups of almond flour.
• Cocoa powder: 1/2 cup of cocoa powder adds the chocolatey flavor!
• Baking soda: Include 1 tsp of baking soda to help the cake bake properly.
• Salt: Finish off the cake batter with 1/4 tsp of salt.

Frosting

• Chocolate chips: For the chocolate icing, begin with 1.5 cups of chocolate chips.
• Coconut cream: Next, you will need a 5.4 oz can of coconut cream.
• Vanilla: Finally, include 1 tsp of vanilla.

A list of kitchen items you’ll need

Before you start baking, gather the following items for a quick and easy cooking process! I like to have everything at arm’s reach so it’s ready to go when I need it.

• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Nonstick spray
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Medium mixing bowl
• Stirring utensil
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Spatula or icing tool

For measuring, you will need the following sized cups: 1/4 tsp, 1 tsp, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup.

How to make a healthy chocolate sheet cake

This healthy sheet cake is incredibly easy to whip together. Even if it’s your first true baking rodeo, it should feel simple! When all is said and done, this recipe yields 16 delicious slices.

First, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×14 sheet pan with parchment paper on the bottom and nonstick spray on the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until everything is well combined.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake cools, make the frosting.

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut cream together in 30 second increments. It should take around 1 minute. Once melted, stir in the vanilla.

Finally, frost the cake once it has completely cooled. Optionally top with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

How this cake is healthier

Wondering why this cake is titled healthy chocolate sheet cake? Well, 3 ingredients are to thank!

First, I didn’t use white sugar. This is the most important swap because it completely removes artificial sugar from the cake and replaces it with a natural sweetener — maple syrup! I always use this swap, and it tastes delicious every time.

Next, I skipped vegetable and canola oil and used coconut oil instead. They’re all pretty similar nutritionally, but coconut oil has a few extra nutrients.

My third healthy swap came with almond flour! This is another big swap because it eliminates artificial all-purpose flour and replaces it with something a bit more natural (and tasty!).

Want to switch up your sheet cake game? Here are some easy ingredient swaps that you can incorporate if you’re missing an item or simply want to experiment with flavor combos!

Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a very easy ingredient to swap! You can use molasses or honey, or simply use sugar. If you go the molasses or honey route, start with 1/2 cup and add to taste. If using white sugar, you will need about 1 cup.

Coconut oil
Any baking oil will work in this recipe, such as vegetable or canola! Use a 1:1 ratio.

Baking soda
If you find yourself out of baking soda, don’t panic! As a general rule of thumb, you can use 3 tsp of baking powder in its place.

Chocolate chips
When it comes to the icing, you can easily switch the flavor by replacing the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips!

I provide egg alternatives in most baking recipes. However, this recipe requires 4 eggs, which is a lot to substitute. You could try using plant-based eggs (like Just Egg), but know that it may change the end flavor of the cake.

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

If you need some more cake sweetness in your life (let’s be real – we all do!), here are some more yummy ideas! There is a great mix of fruity vs. chocolatey, and you can find even more cake recipes here!

• Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Healthy Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Cake
• Healthy Cake Pops (Gluten-Free)

Photos by Moriah Sawtelle and recipe by Erin Antoniak.