When you think about it, cake is basically a mixture of just about everything we are told not to eat. Sugar, cream, flour, more sugar. Is there a way to make it healthier?
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Add some protein to your cake
Cake may never be the healthiest of choices, but there are some things you can do to make it a tad bit more nutritious. Adding some protein powder to the mix is one of those, and it is actually a quite common practice.
Making cake heathier
A regular cake has plenty of stuff that’s not good for you, but one of these could be the flour, especially if you are using white flour. Where a protein powder can come in handy is by replacing some of the flour you use. The bad news is that you can only replace some.
How much flour should you replace?
Since protein powder does not have the same baking qualities as flour, using too much can cause your cake to come out looking more like a rock. Therefore, the highest amount of flour you should replace is 1/3 of it.
A general equivalency ratio to use when replacing flour with protein mix is 1/3 scoop of protein for 1 cup of flour. So, if your cake mix calls for 3 cups of flour, this means you would use 2 cups of flour and replace the third cup with 1/3 cup of protein.
Adding extra liquids
In addition, you may need to add some extra moisturizer to your mix to prevent any hardness. You can add water, but a better choice would be to increase the amount of oil or use milk. You will probably need to experiment some to get the right combination so the batter is the correct consistency.
Protein’s nutritional benefits
Once you find the right combination, having that added protein in your cake can add to its nutritional value. Not only have you decreased some of the flour, but you have also added some high-quality protein in your diet.
One additional benefit of the added protein is that protein has the highest satiety score compared to carbohydrates or fat. In other words, eating protein will keep you feeling fuller.
This can be good as it may keep you away from eating ice cream on top of your cake…or maybe we can put protein in the ice cream too!?
Our Recommended Egg White Protein Powders – they are also great for baking!
Questions about baking with protein
What type of protein is best to use with cakes?
Generally, people will mention whey as being the best protein powder to bake with due to its “smoother” texture. One aspect noted with using whey powder is it will need to be eaten relatively shortly after baking. Soy is better if you are planning on baking a cake to eat later.
Will baking protein powder ruin its nutritional value?
One of the first questions people have about adding protein to a cake mix is about ruining the protein content. In short it, it won’t.
One thing that is misunderstood when it comes to protein powder is that it is somewhat different from the protein we get in our foods. It’s not. Depending on what protein you eat, it comes from real food sources. For example, whey comes from milk, and soy comes from….you guessed it. Soy!
Point being, look at your standard white bread which has been baked, and you’ll see it has around 8g of protein per serving.
What are the best protein powder flavors for baking?
Chocolate tends to be the most natural and a good all-around choice, assuming you like chocolate! Banana, vanilla, and unflavored are also decent choices. With protein mixes, generally, the more “creative” the flavor is, the more artificial it tastes, so you should stay away from extravagant flavors.
Comments from users about protein and cake
Tips to Help You With Adding Protein to Cakes
I love to bake, and like to make cakes, but when I was told that you could add protein to cakes, I immediately knew I had to look into it. There are so many delicious foods that have protein in them, and the best part is that there is very little fat. This means less calories that can be eaten and that means more healthy for you. If you want to know how to add protein to cakes, all you need to do is read the ingredients list on the box, or better yet go to the nearest grocery store and grab some ingredients. Most of the ingredients you will need are easy to find and in most cases they are already in your kitchen.
Eggs are full of protein
The easiest things to add eggs, which are used for baking and the cream that are used in many recipes, such as whipped cream, cake batter and icing. It would be wise if you could find a local Whole Foods Market because they often have all kinds of great products that are naturally good for you. You should also keep in mind that you will need to take into consideration the type of cake that you are baking. If you are baking a traditional cupcake, then you will not need much protein.
However, if you are baking a healthier cake then it is necessary to add protein, especially if the cake is going to be eaten by children. You will also need to make sure that you are not using any sugar in the cake, because sugar is a major contributing factor to diabetes. If you add protein, you can add more taste and more moisture to the cake. You can even add honey or other sweeteners. You will need to use a blender, but there are a variety of different ones that you can choose from. You should also remember that you should not let anyone touch the cake once it is done baking. These are all tips to help you with adding protein to cakes so that you don’t end up with a bad tasting cake.
