If you know me well enough, you know that I LOVE DE CAKE. Trust me, out of everything, cake and baked goods are my absolute fave, but also not necessarily good for my waistline, especially when dieting. Yet, I can’t help it, I LOVE sweet puddings, cakes and brownies. One of my favourite memories from childhood is helping my mum bake every weekend. We would spend hours in the kitchen together and I loved every moment. She only ever left me in charge of whisking (and licking the bowl of course) but I loved home afternoon tea with her every Saturday and Sunday. Her cakes were and still are the best. I will love cake forevermore. The way the sugar tingles at the back of my throat, the soft pillow sponge textures and the creamy smoothness of any sort of icing is enough to make me lose my head. So, as I got older and healthy eating became more of a priority, I realised that I couldn’t cut out sweet forever, I wanted to try my best to keep the flavours of my favourite baked goods, but without as many calories. So, here they are, my own variations of my favourite desserts, just made healthier. Fancying something beautifully sweet? Have a go at these and let me know how you get on!
TASHA’S PROTEIN PANCAKES
Pancake Day was not too long ago, yet to be honest, I love having these any time of the year and also any time of day! At 525 calories for the whole entire thing, it’s a generous portion. Remember, you can lower the calories by lowering the amount of oats you use and even using half a banana instead of a whole one. The toppings take the calories up on this one, so remember, only add as many as you can/want!
Calories: 525
Protein: 29g
Carbs: 54g
Fats: 16g
Ingredients:
40g Oats
30g Protein Powder
0 Calorie Syrup
1 tsp Baking Powder
12g Coconut Flour
1 Egg
1 Banana
30g Berries
30g 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Oil for first pancake, 1 Cal spray oil for the rest
A big dash of water to add to the mixture
Method: Blend all ingredients except berry and yoghurt toppings. Add a dash of water (enough so it’s not too stodgy but not too much that it’s watery and thin). Ensure the oil in the pan is hot enough and use a good non-stick pan. Flip when you see bubbles. Add the toppings at the end.
RED VELVET PROTEIN CAKE
Red Velvet is yet another one of my faves, but of course your regular type is just filled with the fattest type of cheese. One slice of this is only 151 calories (1/8 of the whole cake) and I was surprised with how well this came out. I’d never baked with arrowroot before so it was a task trying to find it in stores. Ensure to bake in 2 Victoria sandwich tins and leave to cool before you spread the cream cheese in between and around the cake.
Calories: 151 (1/8 of the whole cake)
Protein: 14g
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 15g
Ingredients:
80g Chocolate Protein Powder
2/3 cups of sweetener (depending on how sweet you want it! Taste test the batter before cooking)
¼ cup Coconut flour
¼ cup Arrowroot powder
2 tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Bicarb of Soda
2 Beetroot
½ cup 0% fat Greek yoghurt
4 Egg whites
½ cup Applesauce
For the frosting: 1 pack of the Lightest Philadelphia combined with as much sweetener as you like-taste test again!
Method: Mash the beetroot (careful of red hands!) and whisk everything together. Bake on a medium heat in 2 greased Victoria sandwich tins for 25mins. Cool then spread the frosting on top of one and pop the other sandwich on top. Cover the whole cake with the remaining icing and refrigerate.
TASHA’S GRENADE SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE
Of course nothing can beat The Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake that I had for the first time aged 18 in Chicago. Like Red Velvet, cheesecakes no matter how delicious, will always be one of the most fattening desserts, just because of the butter and full fat cheese. So, although nothing will compare to The Cheesecake Factory, this bad boy is still delicious, but won’t make you feel full and disgusting afterwards. What makes this one special is the fact that it’s made with Grenade biscuits for the base! The whole things is 453 calories as it is a slightly smaller cheesecake, but scoff half of it for sure!
Whole cake: Calories: 453
Protein 20g
Carbs 33g
Fats 27g
Ingredients
BASE
8 Grenade Salted Caramel biscuits
22g butter (melted)
278g Lightest Philadelphia
1 cup Sweetener
1 tsp Salted Caramel essence
100ml Oatly Creamy Oat Single Cream
TOPPING
1 cup (approx. 80-100g Grenade Salted Caramel Spread
2 Salted Caramel biscuits cut into 4s
Method:
Blend the biscuits and add the melted butter. Flatten into a base and place in fridge. Whisk the cream until fluffy and thick and add the Philadelphia and sweetener. Add the essence and pour onto base. Leave for minimum 4 hours and melt the spread, pouring on top. Decorate with the 2 biscuits and leave in the fridge overnight. Serve cold with a few strawberries on the side-lush!
TASHA’S DAIRY MILK PROTEIN CAKE FOR 1
My favourite type of pudding above any other. Anything that is chocolately, spongy and explodes with chocolate sauce in the inside is heaven. This serves one so use a ramekin for this. Have I mentioned that Cadbury’s Dairy Milk has always been and will forever be my favourite chocolate? Honestly, if ever you want to buy me anything, don’t bother buying me any expensive chocolate, Dairy Milk does the trick. I tried and experimented this recipe in Lockdown 1 and perfected it. I had quite a few DMs when I posted it on my story. I couldn’t have enough and it became my daily lockdown evening dessert whilst I binge watched Netflix. At only 384 calories it was worth it!
Calories: 384
Protein 27g
Fats 12g
Carbs 40g
Ingredients:
40g Oats (blended down to flour)
1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (approx. 25g)
50ml Unsweetened Almond Milk
½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Sweetener
4 Squares Cadbury’s Dairy Milk
Method:
Mix the dry ingredients first then add the milk. Put in a spray oiled ramekin. Push half the Dairy Milk in the centre and cook in an oven at 160 degrees until the top looks ‘cakey’. Don’t overcook it so that it keeps its ‘puddle pudding’ texture. When out the oven, place the rest of the chocolate on top and watch it melt. Devour instantly.
If you can have higher calories, add with a scoop of Halo Top Ice-cream.
TASHA’S CARROT CAKE
OMG Carrot Cake is probably one of my other favourites! And only 1/8 of a slice of this one is 166 calories! My Aunty used to make THE BEST Carrot and Walnut Cake growing up and even into adulthood has always been one of my faves. Similar to Red Velvet, usually anything with cream cheese is the most fattening, but not this one. Even people who aren’t health conscious tried this recipe and gave me amazing feedback on the authentic taste!
1/8 of whole cake: 166 calories
Ingredients:
200g Egg Whites (Two Chicks brand)
1 mashed banana
50g Vanilla Whey Protein
45g Oats (grounded down into flour)
2tbsp Coconut flour
1tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1tbsp Cinnamon
70g Carrots (shredded)
55g Walnuts (broken up)
Sweetener (I put 20g but add more for extra delicious sweetness!)
Frosting: 1 pack Lightest Philadelphia mixed with 20g 0% fat Greek Yoghurt and more sweetener-taste test!
Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients and bake in a greased small-ish tin at 180 degrees until knife comes out clean. Mix all Frosting ingredients and place in fridge for 10mins until slightly hard. When cake has cooled, spread on top and put back in the fridge for at least 20mins. Enjoy with afternoon tea.
FURTHER BAKING INSPO
Don’t get me wrong, as much as I love baking stuff from Nigella Lawson cook books, Fit Waffle and Pheobe’s Bakes, when dieting, I just can’t afford to blow that many calories. If you are wanting further healthy baking inspo, then you MUST purchase these 2 baking books:
The Ultimate Protein Pow(d)er Cookbook-Anna Sward
Clean Sweets-Arman Liew
Trust me, they are those few cookbooks that I actually baked more than 4 recipes from! Happy baking people!
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