I will only eat a skinny cake if it tastes like it is a fat cake.
Skinny Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt you can use Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup good-quality cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup milk I prefer whole, but skim milk will work fine
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 pint raspberries
- store bought chocolate syrup
Raspberry Buttercream
- 1/4 cup butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon McCormickฤยฎ Raspberry Extract
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare (spray or butter and flour) two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Warm the coconut oil in microwave for up to 30 seconds; you want it softened or even melted (but not hot to the touch).
- Pour coconut oil into stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add in brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
- With mixer on low, slowly add a third of the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture, alternating with the milk. Keep alternating until the dry ingredients and milk are gone.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in chocolate chips by hand.
- Divide batter between two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean. (Cooking times can vary depending on quality of ingredients and weather conditions.)
- Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.
Raspberry Buttercream
- Beat butter and raspberry extract in large bowl with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition and scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
- Add milk; beat until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk.
To assemble cake
- Place one cooled layer of cake on cake stand. Cover with raspberry buttercream. (You can allow it to slightly spill out over sides)
- Place other cooled layer of cake on top.
- Pile raspberries in center of cake and stack as high and you are comfortable with.
- Drizzle chocolate syrup over top.
- Can be stored in fridge for 1 day before serving.
- If you need to store for longer, consider adding a 2-3 tablespoons of simple syrup over each cake to keep moist. (the cake will no longer be 'skinny')
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Because if I am eating cake, I want a good cake. ย I think it’s safe to say that bad cake makes unicorns and newborn babies cry.
Unicorns and newborn babies are sensitive to these things, of this I know.
Now when I am making a “skinny” anything, I find that fruit is always a part of it.
Fruit is nature’s candy, right? ย My Grandma Audrey has been telling me that since I was a kid, and she knows everything.
Because, grandma.
Tips for success:
I found this cake best served when slightly warm, HOWEVER, that means the buttercream might be runnier than you would want. ย Cake can be served chilled, but may seem more dense.
Variations:
Triple the Raspberry Buttercream recipe above and cover the cake with it.
Place extra raspberries on top of the buttercream in between the cakes.
Add raspberry extract to the cake batter, about 1 tablespoon.
Replace buttercream with Homemade Whipped Cream, where you can control the sugar. (swap out the peppermint with vanilla in that recipe)
Add many varieties of fruit to make a Naked Skinny Fruit Cake.
I love a good layer cake, I love a flavorful buttercream, I love chocolate, I love raspberries and chocolate and I love that I can eat a whole piece and not feel like I needed to run 5 miles.
And I have a feeling you will love this cake too.
PERFECTION! You had me at chocolate and raspberry. The skinny was just the icing on the cake. ๐
Dear Amanda,
I luv your recipes and your work….u’ll probably say grandma to that too!
I wanted t ask what I can substitute coconut oil with…….olive oil perhaps?
How can I make applesauce, is it simply purรฉed apples?
Anytime chocolate and raspberry appear together I suddenly appear. This looks beyond delish!
Pinned.
Have a fabulous Friday Amanda!
This cake is gorgeous, Amanda! Love the chocolate and raspberry combo! Skinny that tastes like a fat cake too? Sign me up!
You said skinny but tastes like a fat cake?! I don’t want to wait for dessert, I would love a piece of this cake now!
Looks wonderful, wish I could have one slice. ๐ Just used chocolate raspberry combination too, made some molded candies.
Gorgeous! I agree with you about cake…skinny or not, it just has to taste good! When I was a kid, I never bought into ‘fruit as nature’s candy’ (I just wanted more chocolate) but I’m a convert now. Bring on the raspberries and cut me two big slices, please!
Cake looks and sounds delicious
I love your rule, this beautiful chocolate raspberry cake recipe would not make me think skinny! Something about raspberries over chocolate that makes me weak in the knees!
Hahah, oh man, I’ll only eat a skinny cake if it tastes like a fat cake! This cake, wow, so impressive!