After my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, I quit sugar cold turkey. I went six months without eating much sugar at all, unless it came from fruit. During that time my palate changed and I stopped craving it. It’s amazing how our bodies work that way. Then I got pregnant and all bets were off, but that’s another story.
So I know that I can go without sugar and sweets. I’ve done it and I know my body would adjust and stop craving sweet things.
My husband Tim is a whole different story. He has no desire or any intention of giving up his sweets. If I don’t make them for him, he’ll get them on his own. Which of course means he’ll either buy cookies and cakes with an insane amount of sugar from our local bakery or even worse, candy bars that are filled with questionable chemical preservatives.
For the sake of my husband’s health and a happy marriage, my solution is to make him the best-tasting healthy treats I can. That means the treats need to be made:
- Without white flour. Discovering whole wheat pastry flour has opened up a whole new world, but I’ve also experimented with other flours such as brown rice, coconut, and garbanzo bean flour.
- Low sugar. I don’t use refined sugar in my baking, but do use natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, xylitol, and fruit. I try to make my treats low-sugar even when I’m using natural sweeteners because as they say, sugar is sugar.
- A balanced amount of fat and calories. I’m not anti-fat by any means, but I do know that the amount we get can easily add up if I use too much oil or butter in my baked goods.
This dark chocolate brownie cake recipe is an indulgence, but one that I can feel good about. I used whole wheat pastry flour, sweetened it with xylitol (you can substitute sucanat or other sugar) and reduced the amount of oil or butter needed by using some pureed prunes. The prunes also make it moist, sweeter, and add fiber. Bonus! I cheated a little by using a sweetened dark chocolate bar, but you can use unsweetened chocolate if you prefer. Your brownie cake will just be significantly less sweet. I think the antioxidants in the dark chocolate make up for the sugar, right?
Healthy Indulgence: Dark Chocolate Brownie Cake
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 9 pieces 1x
Description
A healthy treat to satisfy all sweet teeth
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or use butter, softened)
- 1 1/2 cups pitted pruned (dried plums)
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup xylitol (can substitute sucanat or natural cane sugar)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (you can substitute regular, bittersweet, or unsweetened chocolate if you prefer)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Get your little one something to do. Meghan worked on her fine motor skills by transferring beans to an egg carton.
Don’t ask why she isn’t wearing pants. You can’t make a 2-year-old wear pants who doesn’t want to. Okay, back to the recipe!- Put the prunes and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that it is bubbling gently. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, about 15 minutes, until the prunes are very soft.
- Meanwhile, combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well so there are no clumps.
- Chop your chocolate.
- When the prunes are ready, add half the chopped chocolate (you don’t have to be precise here) to the prune mixture and stir off the heat until the chocolate has melted. Transfer the prune mixture to a food processor and puree. Add the melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla and process until smooth and creamy.
- Add the prune mixture to the flour mixture and sitr just to combine.
- Someone was anxious to help.
- Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the middle is set, 35-45 minutes. Let the cake cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool for at least another hour before serving.
Notes
Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 13g
- Fat: 12g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 5g
Waiting is the hardest part!
Store at room temperature, covered with wax paper, for up to day or 2; use plastic wrap and it will keep for an extra day or so. But it won’t likely last that long, anyway!
The result is a part-brownie, part-cake delight. The final stats aren’t bad, either:
Calories: 250
Fat: 12 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 5 grams
Sugar: 13 grams (partially from the chocolate bar, partially from the prunes)
These stats are great compared to a traditional piece of brownie cake, which will normally have around 400 calories, 25 grams of fat, and 30 grams of sugar.
Question: Are you a dark chocolate lover?
I have lots of tinned prunes in, could I just substitute this for the dried minus the water or would I need more?
Thanks
Great question! Since I haven’t tried it I can’t say for sure, but my instinct is that it will work.
I’ll let you know how it goes if I do 👍
This brownie cake looks so delicious. Have you ever subbed eggs for flax eggs in this recipe? My toddler has an egg allergy, but this would be a wonderful birthday treat for her if I can work around the eggs in the ingredient list. Thanks for all of your delicious recipes.
I haven’t, but I imagine it would work well!
Are you and your family vegan or vegetarian? just wondering? I’m so glad to se another mother as myself take charge of her families nutrition. As mothers I see we need to provide these nutritious meals and desserts for our families, if we don’t they sure will pick the I healthier version at the store. It’s just so sickening, knowing all of the chemicals and fat that is found in food these days.
No, we aren’t vegan or vegetarian. We eat most everything in moderation, but I strive to have plants make up the bulk of our diet. Even though we don’t go by those labels, vegan and vegetarian meals are commonplace at our house. 🙂
Maryea, I’m trying to make this cake and I can’t see how much cocoa to add. Can you let me know?
Thanks
GAH! Thanks for letting me know I left that out. Clearly I was trying to finish up this post during nap time or something. 🙂 It’s 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
The bean picture made me laugh. My daughter would have absolutely done that at age 2. My 2 year old son, though, would stuff half the beans into his mouth and throw the rest of them across the kitchen. Ahh kids – never a dull moment. 🙂
ps – Dark Chocolate is my saving grace some days. I’ve been known to break off some from a bar and shut myself into the bathroom to have a few moments of quiet and chocolate.
I love the mental picture of you in the bathroom eating chocolate. 🙂
What a fun baking project with your daughter! I never seem to have to coax my kids to help me bake, they have a sixth sense for chocolate. Clothing is optional at our house too 🙂
Ha ha! I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t fight it when my child won’t wear her clothes! 🙂
I love the prunes as a sweetener idea. My husband thinks I’m nuts because I LOVE prunes. He wouldn’t notice if I sneak them into a chocolate dessert.
Yum! This cake sounds delic! I don’t eat much sugar or sweets, dark chocolate occasionally (love Lindt) and on Friday evenings my hubby and I usually indulge in a scrumptious dessert. My new goal is to try to avoid normal sugar when we do eat sweets and your recipes are an inspiration. Last Friday I made the sweet potato chocolate pudding and even though it didn’t taste like Ben and Jerry’s it was pretty good. 😉 I added some peanut butter to the recipe but I think it would of been better without.
Oooh peanut butter sounds like a delicious addition to me!
Oh my! This looks so good! I love chocolate….and so does my lil man. It’s a must try.
Looks so good! Have you ever used date syrup as a sweetener? I’ve been experimenting with it a little, but it’s tricky because it’s a wet sweetener as opposed to a powder/dry sweetener.
No, I haven’t tried it but my sister-in-law was just telling me about it. Do you make your own or buy it? It’s always tricky to use a wet sweetener like that in place of regular sugar, but it can be done.
Ok, this looks to-die-for…..we just tried your flourless carrot cake cookies and I followed the recipe to a T. Even picked up the xylitol, although, I was a little unsure about using it because it says harmful to dogs on the package. We have a 90 lb. yellow lab that is much a part of our family as the kids. Yikes! So, I was really careful to vaccuum up any crumbs after the kids ate them. The verdict: they were delicious! I made them last night. The kids ate them for breakfast with their green smoothies and I packed them in everyone’s lunch. I am sure after we have them for dessert tonight they will be gone. They were that good! Anyway, like you, I have given up sugar cold turkey after my mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer last April. And, like you, my husband has no intention of doing so. And, he has told me that if I don’t keep him regularly stocked with healthy sweet stuff that he will buy it elsewhere. He’s not kidding! My palate has definitely changed, though. I’ve lost 15 lbs. since starting this journey and I feel so much better. I have a more positive attitude, more energy, I don’t have the sluggish/fatigued feeling after dinner anymore. Well, anyway, I got long-winded here. Thanks for the recipe! We’ll definitely try it this week.
I’m so glad you guys liked the carrot cake cupcakes. They are a new favorite over here, too.
Yes, I have read that xylitol can be dangerous for dogs! Keep that bag away from your pup!
15 pounds is amazing! The best part about eating well is probably the energy you have. It’s amazing how what we put in our bodies can totally dictate how we feel. Thank you for sharing your story, seriously. I really appreciate it.
Oops that should say carrot cake cookies! 🙂