Healthy Cake Recipes

Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect--people think it's health food, but it's usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don't worry, it's still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple.

These mini mason jar desserts are not only adorable; they also keep portion sizes in check! These beauties can be prepped in under 20 minutes.

This tender apple-caramel pound cake has tons of flavor from the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. The caramel glaze sends this easy cake over the top with a sweet and buttery finish.

For a sweet and easy diabetes-friendly dessert, enjoy this lemony ice cream cake with blueberries.

This low-calorie cake gets its festive flavor from molasses, cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves. Serve it for dessert at the holidays.

If you like spinach-cheese pie, try these simple but elegant-looking little spinach cakes.

This no-bake cherry cheesecake is an easy summertime treat. This no-bake cheesecake recipe has omega-3-rich walnuts in the graham cracker crust and uses nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese in the filling to keep saturated fat in check. If you want a bright red topping, use sour cherries. Sweet cherries give it a more purple hue. To make gluten-free no-bake cherry cheesecake, use gluten-free graham crackers.

This Double Chocolate Cupcake recipe is perfect for the ultimate chocolate lover. Topped with Chocolate Frosting, these diabetic-friendly cupcakes are delicious and impossible to resist.

Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites--they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools.

This muffin-tin mini cheesecake recipe is an adorable, healthy dessert that's the perfect cute size. If making 2 dozen seems like overkill, the recipe can easily be cut in half. If you avoid gluten, use gluten-free graham crackers to make the crust.

This blackberry cake is tall and tender with fresh juicy blackberries and just a hint of lemon— the perfect combo. This easy cake would be perfect for a special occasion or an easy weeknight dessert.

Get cheesecake flavor without having to bake with this healthy dessert recipe. To make it gluten-free, look for gluten-free graham crackers.

Translating to three milks cake, Tres Leches Cake is a traditional Mexican sponge cake that's soaked in, you guessed it, three kinds of milk, for the ultimate moist, decadent cake. Think of it as a poke cake that we've lightened up with this easy recipe.

A dump cake recipe is exactly what it sounds like--you simply dump all of the ingredients into a pan and bake. There isn't a step where you stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture; instead, it goes into the baking pan in three stages and the result is a pudding-like cake with a streusel-like topping. The two parts together are delicious (and you'd be hard-pressed to find an easier fall dessert)!

Layers of fluffy cake are coated in a creamy frosting to create this sweet vegan vanilla cake. Mixing almond milk and apple-cider vinegar creates a vegan alternative to buttermilk. We top the cake with fresh berries, but other fresh fruit like peaches or cherries would be just as delicious.

Antioxidant-rich cherries and chocolate chips are folded into creamy frozen yogurt and layered on top of a crunchy cookie crust in your muffin tin for this twist on the classic Black Forest cake.

These blueberry-lemon cupcakes are so light and delicious, it's hard to eat just one! The blueberries burst in your mouth and the glaze gives an extra boost of sweet-tart lemon flavor. Serve these easy cupcakes at a grown-up birthday party, bridal shower or brunch.

This super-creamy cherry cheesecake is tangy and light, with a sweet cherry topping that makes it special. Fresh in-season cherries are bright and vibrant, but frozen cherries work well too.

A sweet topping of cocoa powder and cinnamon is baked right into this delicious mocha coffee cake.

Classic carrot cake goes vegan in this easy recipe, and gets covered with coconut whipped cream to replace the traditional cream cheese frosting. A mixture of flax and water makes a sturdy substitute for eggs in this vegan cake. Plus, sweet crushed pineapple helps to make this cake delicious with less added sugar.

These creamy and lemony cheesecake bites are diabetic-friendly and guilt free!

A rich, flavorful syrup infuses this Mediterranean-inspired walnut coffee cake with the bright aroma of oranges and cloves. Heart-healthy olive oil and whole-grain barley flour add subtle complexity and texture to this nutty treat.

This easy apple pie cake, with a layer of tender apples cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with a crunchy oat streusel, is perfect as a fall dessert, or for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

Inspired by the old-school, ultra-rich, mousselike chocolate cake that usually called for a whole pound of chocolate, half a dozen eggs and lots of butter, this enlightened rendition has deep bittersweet chocolate flavor and dense melt-in-your-mouth texture. No one will guess it's healthier. The secret is excellent natural cocoa powder and good-quality bittersweet chocolate, preferably with 70% cacao. Although the cake can be eaten once it's completely cool, it comes out of the pan much easier and even tastes better if it has been chilled at least overnight.